Pongal

We tried the Thalis - Mysore Thali and Madras Thali- since they did contain pretty much everything. Both were pretty good, but being a native South Indian, I can get a bit picky, but I have to say it was definitely not the best. I have had better South Indian / Indian food in other parts of the country, not sure if this is the best New York can offer though. But hey, don’t get me wrong! Do give it a try!

If you are craving for pure vegetarian South Indian food then, this can be your go to place!! It’s in a walkable distance from the Empire State Building. If you want to taste good masala dosa then definitely you are in the right place! Vegetable biryani was out of the world but if you are not used spicy food then I would not recommend this! They do have all types of chaats, sweets, Monday to Friday vegetarian thaali. If I come to New York again, I will definitely visit again!

After a few months hiatus, we returned to Pongal, our all time favorite Indian restaurant. This time we were a group of 7, including kids and teenagers. Everyone enjoyed themselves! As always, delicious and fresh food with excellent service - strongly recommend! Their Thali platters (#93, 94, 95 on the menu) are the best!

Bajji Platter - Not good. Onion Masal Dosa- So good. Spinach Dosa - Good Chutney and sambar - can be less watery Chai - So good. The place was smelly once you enter. It’s very congested. Every time you get in and get out your place, you hit the next table. Don’t forget to tip even you like the food , the service or not. Else you will end up confronted by the owner lady in front of everyone for not tipping.

I’ve lived in New York my entire life, and can say with absolute confidence Pongals is my all time favorite place to eat in the city. The ambience is really fantastic. The service is phenomenal, welcoming and truly heartfelt. If you’re not very familiar with South Indian cuisine, or have dietary restrictions, the staff are always super happy to advise - especially Tipu. I often eat here multiple times a week - the menu has so many options I’m always discovering new things. The Dosai are fantastic, but I’m also particularly partial to the Channa Masala.

The best Indian food I have ever had! And the vibe is much nicer than most Indian restaurants. The coffee is insanely good (they import it from India.) The palak paneer is out of this world- the owner explained that because they are Southern influenced that it is lighter than others. I highly recommend the samosas also. And the chappati was fantastic. Highly recommend! I will definitely be back. (And amazing that it’s kosher! Thank you.)

Good South Indian food, not ultra vegan friendly place though The menu said most items can be made vegan and overall the restaurant had good reviews, so we were super excited. When we actually tried to order, the service staff seemed very dismissive about vegan options and they seemed a bit unfriendly even. Since we were South Indians we patiently dealt with the situation and were able to get good options after some persistent discussion. We got Mysore Thali with regular sambar replaced with Jain sambar, which is apparently vegan too. We had to let the dessert go in the Thali. Then we ordered a Aloo Gobhi with phulka. Finally when the food arrived, we found the taste of the South Indian items in the Thali to be fantastic. Aloo Gobhi was average. I guess the chef is actually a good South Indian person and we should’ve stuck to their specialty. Overall the food was less oily and felt very nice. The chutney, sambar everything was fresh and very tasty. Towards the end the service folks treated us nicely. I guess they were just very defensive about facing vegan customers initially and later warmed up when we said the food was nice. Anyway, I just wish they were nicer from the very beginning, but we enjoyed the food.