New York's Best Cabbie Eats: Indian And Pakistani Edition
Lower Manhattan is home to some of the most popular Indian/Pakistani cabbie hangouts. These eateries function as a hub for cab drivers where they can network, socialize, and just hang out. They all serve good, cheap fast food late into the night, but each place specializes in at least one item that should not be missed.
in the East Village is a long narrow counter that has been serving vegetarian Indian food for more than 15 years. The place has a friendly and warm atmosphere and functions as a mini Indian grocery. It's stocked with packaged savory and sweet snacks and spices in addition to Indian music and videos. Rajwinder Singh (left) has been working there for years and shared that two Indian ladies in Queens cook all of the food.
The deli offers a few items that you cannot find in many places — dahi vada (fried lentil dumplings in yogurt) and kasta kachori (flaky fried bread stuffed with lentils). Their samosa chaat is exceptional and comes in a bowl with yogurt, chickpea curry, tamarind sauce and onions, topped with chili powder and chaat masala (tangy spice mixture).
Kachori chaat.
On days when they have kachori, you can order a kachori chaat. A nice touch is the cut cucumber slices and the Indian green chilis on the counter. Traditionally, in North India, people take little bites of chili while eating their meal.
Punjabi Food Express, which offers up a buffet with both vegetarian and non-vegetarian options and ample seating. Many of the cabbies eating there said they frequent the spot because the food and breads are fresh and not heated in a microwave.
is a no-frills cafeteria in Tribeca catering to not only the cabbie population but to many of the locals in the area. Most customers order three curries with either rice or bread. The naan is what stands out at this joint because they actually have a clay oven where the breads are made fresh. Amjad Mirza has been working there for 10 years before living in Pakistan where he learned to make bread from his family. Within minutes, he rolls out the dough, sticks it into the inside of the clay oven, pulls it out, and butters it with ghee (clarified butter).
Amjad prefers the spicy chicken curry with his naan but it also goes well with their crunchy cabbage curry and kadhi (veggie fritters in yogurt sauce) along with some achar — a condiment of hot pickled vegetables.
Lahore Deli, literally a hole in the wall in Soho opened up by a former cabbie, which has room for only a few stools and serves Pakistani style dishes. It is across the street from a BP gas station that is always jam-packed with cabs. Many of the customers order up samosas, chicken patties, rice and curries and spice it up with either National brand garlic pickle or Louisiana hot sauce.
(All photos courtesy of Chitra Agrawal)