Pakistan Tea House

Surprisingly good. They give you moderate portions. Skip the side dishes if you can and just opt for bread and a meat dish. The lamb is delicious. These dishes can be quite spicy. I usually order to go since the teahouse is about the size of a small walk-in closet and has about enough seating for 8 people.

No chili pepper lights hanging from the ceiling, but the food’s a lot better.

The line tells you there’s something going on here – superbly savory hot or mild chicken, fluffy, crispy naan made to order over hot coals, a rotating selection of veggies – go for cauliflower, deceptively spicy spinach, or kickin’ potatoes – and several colors of lentils over fragrant rice. The various dollar-a-bag fried veggies are worth a trip on their own. Perhaps the best thing below Canal Street. And that line moves fast.

They have a wall with a list of combos you can order, with one choice of meat in a curry sauce (lamb, chicken) or in kebab form, with your choice of two vegetable sides (spinach w/cheese, black chickpeas, normal chickpeas, some sort of yam) and choice of seasoned rice or white rice. Tiny place, not good for eating in, but great for takeout. Tasty as heck, not that spicy (I’m comparing everything spicy to this hotpot I had in China and nothing’s spicy anymore). They have AWESOME na’an, it’s pretty dang delicious with the curry sauces. Decently priced too. Yumyum.