New York City is home to the largest South Asian population of any metropolitan area in the US. Those who trace their roots to India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and other countries of the Indian subcontinent have made an outsize impact on the City’s food, art, music and fashion, and neighborhoods such as Jackson Heights in Queens, Kensington in Brooklyn and Tompkinsville in Staten Island are practically defined by their South Asian influence. Read on for a guide to experience a culture that helps give NYC its heartbeat.Jackson Heights. Photo: Elizabeth Bick
Jackson Heights. Photo: Elizabeth Bick
Visit the epicenter for local South Asian culture
No South Asian experience in New York City would be complete without a trip to Jackson Heights, home to one of the City’s oldest Little Indias as well as large communities from Bangladesh, Nepal and Tibet. It’s been the go-to for clothing, jewelry and food from South Asia for decades. In its anchor, Diversity Plaza, you’ll find Kabab King (Pakistani), Ittadi (Bangladeshi), Nepali Bhanchha Ghar (Nepalese) and Delhi Heights (Indian and Indo-Chinese). India Sari Palace is also in the neighborhood and has served New Yorkers’ fabric needs for decades.
Have a dosa at Flushing’s Ganesh Temple Canteen
Sri Maha Vallabha Ganapati Devasthanam, known as Ganesh Temple, after its central deity, is open to all visitors. You’ll find prayer materials for purchase, plus a restaurant on the lower level, Temple Canteen, that’s a popular draw—one that drew a nod from Anthony Bourdain, who featured it on his TV show No Reservations. People come for dosas, idlis (rice-and-lentil cakes) and other South Indian favorites. If one dosa’s not enough, pick up another down the block at Dosa Hutt, another well-known destination for regional snacks.
Take a train to Coney Island Avenue for Pakistani food
The mile-plus stretch of Brooklyn’s Coney Island Avenue between Church Avenue and Avenue H is home to many Pakistani immigrants, who have arrived in waves since the 1990s. Stop by Lahori Chilli for Pakistani and Indian staples like tandoori chicken and kebabs, but make sure to try the beef nihari, an almost birria-like stew, with hunks of beef in a rich gravy thickened by whole-wheat flour. Walk over to Gourmet Sweets and Restaurant, which claims to be an outlet of Lahore’s famous Gourmet Resturant; whether or not that’s the case, it’s a fine place for tandoori, biryani and fresh sweets. Advertisement
Don’t overlook Kensington’s Little Bangladesh
West of Ocean Parkway, Church Avenue—and, more officially, McDonald Avenue—has a stretch known as Little Bangladesh, which includes a handful of community institutions. Sonia’s samosas and piyaju are worthwhile, but most people make the trip to the café for its fuchka (crisp semolina cups with a spiced potato filling). Suchana has the best selection out of the neighborhood supermarkets. And for those with a sweet tooth, Radhuni has you covered. It’s also the best place in the neighborhood for Bangladeshi seafood dishes and killer beef tehari.
Courtesy, Art of Tabla
Learn Indian percussion at Art of Tabla
Brooklyn’s Art of Tabla is a music school dedicated to teaching and performing tabla (hand drums) and karnal (a long, straight trumpet). Hosted by Surya Sound Temple, a meditation center in Bushwick, the school features classes, events, workshops and performances. The organization draws inspiration from Shabd and Naga yoga. Founder Siddhartha Mehta says, “The yogic part of it has to do with learning and understanding how to sit down or stand up while playing and understanding the body mechanics.”
Try elevated South Indian food in the Village
While many are familiar with Indian food, most curry shops reflect North Indian tastes. Outside of dosas, not many South Indian specialties have found a big audience in the US. That changed to a degree with Semma, which was recently awarded a Michelin star for highlighting regional fare.True to its restaurant group’s name (Unapologetic Foods), Semma does not cater to American palettes, instead putting out dishes the way chef Vijay Kumar experienced them back in Tamil Nadu. Try the Goanese oxtail seasoned with cardamom, cumin, cilantro and cinnamon, or, more daring, Kudal Varuval, aka goat intestines spiced with garam masala. For something more traditional, opt for the gunpowder dosa or an uttapam (pancake made from rice and lentils) with fresh vegetables.
Check out an East Village institution for cab drivers (and everyone else)
Kulwinder Singh founded Punjabi Grocery & Deli in 1993 as a place for overworked cab drivers to feed their chai habit, get sustenance on long nights, chat with each other and be able to use a restroom in a city with few public ones easily available. Thirty years later it remains a neighborhood institution.After a late-night show across the street at Mercury Lounge, nothing hits like the affordable food here. Favorites include channa masala, chickpeas with onions covered with tamarind chutney and yogurt, served over a piping-hot samosa. Singh’s son, Jashon, and other young South Asian Americans successfully petitioned the City for a cab stand to maintain his father’s legacy of providing a welcoming place for taxi drivers.
Rubin Museum. Photo: Filip Wolak
Take in art at the Rubin, a one-of-a-kind museum
The Rubin Museum of Art is dedicated to the collection, display and preservation of the art and cultures of the Himalayas. Located in Chelsea, the museum originated from the private collection that Donald and Shelley Rubin started assembling in the 1970s. Spanning 1,500 years and some 3,500 pieces, the collection includes sculptures, paintings, installations and reproductions of murals from Tibet’s Lukhang Temple. The original six-story spiral staircase was left intact from the Barneys department store space the museum took over in 2004. Stop by the shop for books, robes, prayer flags and other goods made in South Asia.
Frequent a store that puts the “curry” in Curry Hill
A specialty grocer-café known for Indian and Middle Eastern spices, teas and other global food items, Kalustyan’s was founded by an Armenian immigrant back in 1944. As immigration from South Asia increased in the 1960s and 1970s, Kalustyan’s started catering to that growing community, and other establishments in the area followed, helping give the blocks along Lexington Avenue in the high 20s the name Curry Hill. The spice blends, herbs, hot sauces and such are sourced from suppliers in 80 countries—and what they don’t have, they can track down. Spending time in the vast store can make it easy to forget you’re in New York City, though where else would you find such a place?
Courtesy, Chai Spot
Head to a colorful, cozy respite in downtown Manhattan
Half tea lounge and half social enterprise, Chai Spot makes for a relaxing break from navigating the city streets. The vibrant space has colorful cushions on the floor, on which guests work or wind down. A portion of the café’s total profits go to empowering women and children in Pakistan. Head over with a laptop to enjoy their chai and welcoming ambience, but don’t be surprised if you doze off in the comfortable digs.
Taste a fusion of Indian curries and Mexican tacos
Taco Mahal takes classic Indian dishes, like chicken tikka masala, and turns them into tacos, putting the fillings in tortilla-like naan or roti. A family affair, Danikkah Josan’s Indian taqueria occupies the West Village newsstand space her father worked out of for 30 years. Thanks to her Indian father and Puerto Rican mom, Josan grew up around Indian and Latin spices. The years she studied in Texas getting by on tacos inspired her to start Taco Mahal. Like the food fusion, the decor features Indian and Latin American influences.
Enjoy a luxury fashion experience in the West Village
Though not a household name in the States, Sabyasachi represents the pinnacle of Indian luxury fashion. Sure, there are the goods—handbags, jewelry, caftans, saris, evening gowns, gender-fluid coats—but the setting is equally worthy: high ceilings, complex woodwork, intricate wallpaper, chandeliers said to have cost almost a million dollars. Housed in the Archive Building on Christopher Street, the store elegantly fuses East and West.
Lakruwana Restaurant. Photo: Kyle Deitz
Hop on the Staten Island Ferry for Sri Lankan food
Less than a 10-minute bus ride from the St. George ferry terminal lies Sri Lankan restaurant Lakruwana. The interior is decorated with carved wood and ornate furniture shipped from Sri Lanka, along with quinceañera-like photos of the family establishment’s host, Julia Wijesinghe (the daughter of the owners). Try one of the lamprais, which pairs a curry (choose from the likes of lamb, fish and vegetable) with basmati rice, seeni sambol (spicy onion), eggplant moju (pickled eggplant) and more, cooked in a banana leaf. On the weekends, enjoy one of the City’s best lunch buffets and visit the nearby Sri Lankan Art and Cultural Museum, founded by Julia.
