Quantity definitely triumphs quality when it comes to Pakistani food in the five boroughs of New York City. One of the world’s most populous cities, New York is home to a sizable Pakistani diaspora, which started settling here mostly in the 1970s and 1980s. Pakistani food and its various pass-through variations are not only easily available in the radius of South Asian neighbourhoods but it is also splashed in various forms in the mainstream New York food spectrum. However, there are very few places where one can find “authentic” Pakistani food.

Starting off with Brooklyn, there are countless restaurants on Coney Island avenue that are open as late as 4 am and which offer a variety of Pakistani food. Of these, a clear winner is definitely Gourmet Restaurant, which is claimed to be a franchise outlet of the famous Gourmet restaurant in Lahore.

This place has everything a spice craving Pakistani can wish for: from nihari and payay to biryani and kebabs. Gourmet also offers extensive varieties of traditional sweets and halwas. One warning though: it is very likely that eating here will upset your entire weekly calorie budget, as everything served in this restaurant is extremely rich in saturated fat. But what good Pakistani food isn’t?

My personal favourite though is a hole in the wall dhaba-like restaurant called Lahore. Situated in the heart of the up and coming Nolita neighbourhood in Manhattan, this place is so small that it barely fits all the customers at once but the food here touches all the right notes.

In the maddening rat race and consumerism of New York City, traditional and original Pakistani cuisine is found in unexpected corners

Lahore offers probably the best daal chawal combo in town and one can add some nicely cooked vegetable dishes on the side. Their roasted chicken and biryani are also very popular.

This place probably beats every other Indian and Pakistani food outlet in price and quality; it is also dirt cheap compared to any other South Asian eatery in Manhattan. There is no other place where one can get samosas under a dollar in Manhattan. In addition to being a favourite spot for a lot of cab drivers, this place also attracts many tourists and other mainstream New Yorkers.

The only downside about Lahore is its shabby appearance, from both outside and the inside. When you enter the restaurant, it is very likely that you may end up bumping into big pots of food on the floor. If you can get over that, then you are in for a treat.

My personal favourite though is a hole in the wall dhaba-like restaurant called Lahore. Situated in the heart of the up and coming Nolita neighbourhood in Manhattan, this place is so small that it barely fits all the customers at once but the food here touches all the right notes.

But perhaps the most authentic Pakistani restaurant in New York is Kabab King. It is located in the Queens borough of New York in a neighbourhood called Jackson Heights. This place has everything that a kebab lover can wish for: accurate spice levels, check; served straight off the grill, check; impressive range of kebab varieties, check. The prices are very competitive and the place remains open 24/7.

The only downside is that apart from kebabs, any other kind of Pakistani food is average at best, and one should probably just stick to ordering kebabs. This place is best for takeout as the restaurant proper is extremely cramped and crowded.

The Pakistani Tea House is another hole-in-the-wall takeout spot in “TriBeCa”, which gets pretty packed with office workers, car service drivers and students during regular lunch hours. This restaurant is one of the oldest Pakistani restaurants in Manhattan and has also been widely covered in New York’s mainstream press. The New York Times gives the restaurant a rave review; as per NYT’s Eric Asimov, Pakistani Tea House’s “…mildly spicy tandoori chicken is terrific, kept moist and flavourful by the yogurt marinade that layers the surface of the chicken. The vegetable curries are even better. Apart from the hubbub, the other thing you may notice in Pakistan Tea House is the delicious aroma of fresh-baked Indian bread…”

All in all, New York City has ample variety of Pakistani food but only about a handful food joints can offer authentic and tasty Pakistani food. Happy eating!

Published in Dawn, Sunday Magazine, November 9th, 2014