NYC Food Truck Lunch: Kati Rolls From Biryani Cart

One of the first vendors to raise the bar on NYC street food from hot dogs and pretzels was Biryani Cart. The owner, Meru Sikder, set up a cart on 46th St just west of 6th Ave many years ago, and continues to be a favorite for those in the know. In fact, Biryani Cart won the People's Choice Award at the Vendy Awards two years in a row, 2009 & 2010.

There are a number of choices on the menu, including the eponymous biryani dish, chicken tikka masala, and a few curries. However, our favorite lunch at Biryani Cart are the kati rolls.

Kati rolls are the quintessential street food, meaning they are easy to eat walking down the street without making a mess.

There are 6 different types of kati rolls to choose from at Biryani Cart, and at 2 for $6, this is one of the better deals around. We ordered a King Koti Roll and a Chennai Roll for lunch.

Chennai Roll (credit: Perry R.)

We started with the Chennai Roll, which was described on the menu as made with sweet chili chicken. There were also onions and lettuce in the roll. The chicken was tasty, but not what we would call sweet chili chicken. It wasn't sweet, and was only semi-spicy.

The ingredients were rolled up in chapati bread, a flat, spongy bread that easily held the ingredients without breaking. The roll being wrapped tightly in paper helped keep things together, and made it a very portable lunch.

The King Koti Roll was made with pieces of chicken tikka, lettuce, and a creamy sauce. It was also served in chapati bread. This King Koti Roll was spicier than the Chennai Roll, but not so much that your mouth was on fire.

You can always count on Biryani Cart for a fragrant, delicious, well-priced meal. They don't do much on social media, but they don't need to, being on 46th St just west of 6th Ave daily. There is usually a crowd for lunch, and unlike most street vendors, they are also open for dinner and a post-theater snack. Remember that next time you're walking out of a Broadway show at 11pm and are hungry.

King Koti Roll (credit: Perry R.)