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Best Indian restaurant in Queens?

Any recommendations?

I'm looking for someplace that's really, really incredible. Tableclothes/atmosphere are completely unnecessary.

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  1. That's a hard call. I personally don't care in the slightest about my decor and prices are a big issue to me so I'm a huge fan of Ghoroa. Other posters are less enthusiastic, but I think they do everything that Deshi Biriyani and Spicy Mina does for a hell of a lot cheaper. It's Bangladeshi, by the way. I haven't been able to go yet, but you might be very interested with what you find at Mumbai Express in Floral Park (also close to Ghoroa if you wanted to take the F train to Ghoroa, eat, and then bus it to Floral Park for round two.) Ghoroa is basically a lunch canteen for Bangladeshis so it's nothing special, but their tandoori items are good, their fish is generally very good, etc. At least for a place that cooks things in batches.

    Give it a shot. I'd personally like to do a Ghoroa to Mumbai Express run in the future myself.

    1. Try Southern Spice on the corner of Bowne and 45th Avenue, Flushing, NY.

      Southern Spice
      1635 Hillside Ave, New Hyde Park, NY 11040

      1. Southern Spice, definitely. Best in Queens? Maybe the best Indian in all of NYC.

        With our input they will keep the spice levels UP and do a thriving buisness. Its location is obscure, but if buzz is created this fantastic place will live a long life.

        Try the biryani and chicken 65.

        4 Replies
        1. re: NYJewboy

          My current favs are the Lamb Vindalo and fish curry.

          1. re: NYJewboy

            We were there yesterday and Manny excitedly told us that Southern Spice was packed with more non-Indian people than Indian locals. I hope he knows that everyone comes for the beautiful spice and does not compromise the taste for "American" palates.

            Glad you love the restaurant too!

            1. re: mushimushi427

              He made a good point to me yesterday - the spice level is necessary not just for balance but to actually bring out the other flavors. So, the spice works from the point of view of pure flavor, not just heat in and of itself. It would seem to me that the non-Indian enthusiasm and patronage is based on, and not in spite of, Southern Spice's non-compromising approach. Otherwise, why would people go to this relatively remote corner of the city? If they want compromised food, it's all too easy to find in trendy neighborhoods in Manhattan.

              So, call me crazy, but I'm confident that this joint, if it succeeds, will do so mostly on its' own terms.

              1. re: Polecat

                Yes Polecat, I agree. However we cannot tell him enough that we feel this way.

          2. Spicy Mina is the only Indian restaurant in NYC that has made me very, very happy.

            They make the best biryani I have eaten in this county.

            I also like their messy samosa chaat.

            17 Replies
            1. re: Yaqo Homo

              Mina can cook quite well sometimes, but she is wildly inconsistent. Even at her best I would not put her in the same class as Southern Spice. I have had some inedible meals at Mina's, and a few very good ones. Southern Spice is dead on every time, they are true culinary professionals.

                1. re: NYJewboy

                  Correction: Mina cooks exceptionally well most of the time. Wildly inconsistent? Not in my experience, not by a long shot. If it's consistency you require, however, you may as well just throw in the towel and stick to the chain eateries to be absolutely on the safe side. As an enthusiastic fan of Southern Spice, I'd assert the two have entirely distinct virtues and need not be ranked or stacked like so much cordwood. Mina and Manny each makes me glad to live in New York. I'd say there's room enough for both.

                  1. re: burton

                    I would say 'wildly inconsistent' because out of 10 to 14 or so meals I ate there (before I stopped going) only about 2 were excellent in every way. However the bulk of them were mediocre or below average. 2 or 3 were inedible. She sometimes uses the worst meat I have ever been served in a restaurant.

                    1. re: NYJewboy

                      Are you sure you had the correct address? I find it hard to believe we're speaking about the same place. I find it even harder to fathom why you'd return '10 to 14 times or so' to a place you found 'mediocre..below average..inedible' I guess some things may just have to remain mysteries.

                      1. re: burton

                        Well, on the positive side, when Mina's was good it was pretty great. One particular meal I had there with about 6 friends (and a lot of dishes) gave me such a good taste of what she can do that I kept wanting and hoping to repeat that great meal. It came close another time or so, but never got as far as that really good one. I still think (regional differences aside) that Southern Spice way way outclasses Mina. No comparisan. AND it is really consistent.

                        1. re: NYJewboy

                          Certainly no useful comparison. The two places are distinct in many respects. On that at least we can agree!

                          1. re: burton

                            Burton: I am curious what other Indian places in NYC you put up there with your luminaries, in any borough, any price range.

                          2. re: NYJewboy

                            what do you think of Saravanaas Bhavan? I have really enjoyed the thalis and rice dishes Ive had there (dosas are in a different category because I feel you can get dosas from quite a number of sources)

                            Is meat a necessary meal component for you?

                            1. re: jen kalb

                              If you are referring to the Saravanaas on Lex in manhattan, I love it dearly. My favorite dosas in NYC. They do a specific thing very very well and do not attempt anything else. My only complaint is that it is tough to have a well rounded meal there, unless you are satisfied with dosa-type items. I wish they had more vegetable dishes. I am fine without meat when the bar is set that high.

                              1. re: NYJewboy

                                Agreed that SB on Lex is really good at what it does (Bisibelabath!) but the range seems quite narrow. There is a sameness to many of the dishes that ultimately dampens the appeal somewhat. In JH, I enjoy Kabob King and Kababish. In Jamaica, am a fan of Ghoroa. Haven't made it to Indian Oasis yet...

                                1. re: burton

                                  Indian Oasis is gone. There is another restaurant there but i don't know much more about it . Kabbaish , the little stoefront, is my go to place for quick takeou.t on my way home. I still love Mina's. My one meal last Sunday at Southern Spice was a small sample but I did not think it was nearly as special as others. I will be back soon as I barely scratched the surface of all they have to offer.

                                    1. re: stuartlafonda

                                      Oops - meant to refer to Mumbai Express in Floral Park. Thanks for the correction.

                                  1. re: NYJewboy

                                    the thali meals change components a fair amount, and for example they make a dynamite curd rice. havent tried the bisebalebath. I think if you are a vegetarian, the range is not narrow! think of what you would be eating if you were living in andhra Pradesh and didnt eat meat.

                                    The dosas are very good but they do not send me , here or at their store in Delhi- I like the dosa cart guy better (the old Jackson Diner made great dosa in the day - maybe I am just jaded now.

                                    1. re: jen kalb

                                      I always thought of it as a dosa place. What do you get besides the thali and the curd rice?

                                      1. re: jen kalb

                                        Love it . "Think of what you'd be eating if you were a vegetarian living in Andhra Pradesh..." For that matter next time you place a take out order contemplate if you will the part-time pescatarian who is resident full-time in Chhattisgarh. Puts things in quite a different perspective for sure. Now try quickly repeating 'Bhubaneshwar Bisibelabath' 3 times with a straight face. You'll feel much better.

                      2. Santoor on Union Tpke in Glen Oaks. Consistent dishes, great service.