Pongal

110 Lexington Avenue

(between 27th and 28th Streets)

www.pongalnyc.com

Have a craving for Indian food around lunchtime? And you happen to find yourself in Curry Hill?

If you’re hungry, go to Pongal with its $7.95 lunch special.

It’s small, cozy restaurant, but you don’t come here for the atmosphere.

You come here for the food, which is flavorful and plentiful. And enjoyed by all ages. I was seated between a family with two small children and three seemingly longtime friends who were out for a leisurely get-together. When the family of four were leaving, their young son who must have been only eight or nine, shouted to the server, “My compliments to the chef!” And the silver-haired group of friends to my right, raved throughout their meal about the raitha that came with the lunch special.

I ordered the Mumbai Thali, which came with two vegetable curries (eggplant and chickpeas—comes with the lunch special, you don’t get to select), one chappathi (a soft bread), two types of rice, dal, and raitha (yogurt):

The food had a great mix of spices, and was very filling while not being greasy. I felt so full that I did not even eat dinner that night.

And, yes, their raitha is special. While most other Indian restaurants have rather bland, watery, and tasteless raitha, Pongal’s had a spicy bite to it. It’s made of diced onions, cucumbers, tomatoes, and mint.

I washed my lunch down with a Lassi, a yogurt shake, which you could request as either sweet or salty or spicy. I ordered mine sweet, and it was a perfect complement to all the spices that were part of the dish.

Pros:

Food is Kosher.

Known for their tasty South Indian vegetarian dishes.

Cons:

Very uncomfortable seat cushions on benches. Sit on the chair instead.

Seating is tight, as you can tell by my being able to hear the conversations of my neighbors so clearly.

Lunch special is only until 3 p.m.

Final Thoughts

Go, when you are hungry, and you won’t be disappointed.