Punjab in Mineola — Restaurant in Town of North Hempstead

I brought my parents here to try Indian food for the first time, and I was nervous for two reasons - (1) my parents are conservative eaters and I was afraid they wouldn't like it, and (2) I myself had never eaten at this restaurant before. Either way, I was afraid they wouldn't have a good meal. But I held my breath and hoped that the reviews I'd read beforehand were accurate.

For the most part, they were.

The garlic naan was incredible. My parents went silent when they first tried it, then quietly maneuvered the basket toward themselves while leaving rice for the rest of us. The chana masala and chicken tikka masala were also spot on - rich, saucy, and flavorful. Our salmon tandoori announced its own arrival to our table as big chunks of delicate meat on a sizzling platter. The larger pieces weren't completely cooked through, but we just let them sit on the hot flatware for a minute or two more.

Spice babies, beware. We requested 'mild' as the spice level for all our orders because medications have changed my mom's sensitivity to spice. Even then, the heat crept invisibly onto her palate. "I don't know where it's coming from," she said, fanning her mouth. Even as a spice lover, I could detect there a thrum of baseline spice in most of our meals.

You might want to temper the spice the way we did - by ordering a mango lassi. I've yet to meet a mango lassi I didn't like, Punjab's included. Here, they include a drizzle of something jammy along the sides of the glass. I didn't think it necessary (the lassi by itself is already fantastic!), but great for those who like their drinks sweet and photogenic.

Inside, the restaurant space feels like what I'd call 'upscale casual'. It's nice - in fact, it's a lot nicer than a lot of Indian restaurants I've been in. But it's not the kind of 'nice' that makes you feel like you can't grab a meal here in your sweatpants.

There's no dedicated parking lot, but there are a good number of spots along the nearby side streets (just pay attention to street signs that designate no parking...

This was our first time going to this place. We went for a special occasion. Since we had a reservation we didn't have to wait a lot. I liked the fact they decorated the place since we told them we were celebrating a birthday. They probably only had 2 waiters waiting the tables so the service was super slow. They brought entrée before the appetizers and didn't give proper dishes for the food. We asked for them too and waiter said he would come back, but he never showed up. We were missing a few items from our order which we reminded again. For that too waiter said he will bring it but never showed up (and no they did not add it in bill) We wanted to do a surprise cake so while making the reservations on phone i specifically asked if they present the cake if we give them the cake and candles and they assured me they would do so. After the dinner, we asked them to bring out the cake but they just brought cake and gave us candles and lighter to light up ourselves and left. We could have done a better job of cutting a surprise cake at home. Other than these mess ups, overall the food was great and we all loved it. The staff members and waiters were...

This place is my new go to take out spot for amazing Indian food!!

Food is abundant for the price and prepared with the right amount of spice and aromatics. I have one sausage that can't handle spice so when I asked for his dish to be mild, they made it with zero spicy heat. I know that sounds odd to say but a lot of places think mild should still have a tiny hint of spice. I appreciate that they understand what the true meaning of mild is :) I also appreciate very much that when you say make something spicy, they deliver it with a KO and there's still no lack in flavor! We only ordered a few dishes this go around but next time there will be more! The butter chicken was simple and great, their Malai Kofta was so so good and the kofta balls were so melt in your mouth soft and big too! We all LOVED their Karahi chicken!! The spices and flavors are exactly how I remember them when I had it for the very first time in India, brought back a lot of good memories for me. Plus everything the next day tasted even better!

We'll have to go in and try eating there next time but for now it is definitely my go to take out spot on LI for the best...