Doaba Deli

A very surprising restaurant, looks small and simple, but has a large amount of original Indian cuisine.
I have to say most of the food I ordered that day are delicious, except one — which is too strong in flavour…
I’m sure I will come here again and explore the other foods here.

Best traditional home cooked Punjabi food in NYC, and basically the best Punjabi food I’ve had outside of India, Canada, or London.
Ignore all the haters saying its weird (because they are used to eating at Bangladeshi owned Punjabi style places that underspice and use cream, not butter or ghee) or dirty (it’s 8 bucks a PLATE, did you expect a sommelier?)
This is the best food out there of this style. Ignore the haters

This spot offers vegetarian options only, though they were quick to point out that we could go across the street to Curry King that has meat options.
My mate and I stayed to try the dishes anyway, and we split the $ 8 platter — which gets you 4 dishes to select from the buffet area, and a piece of naan. The naan was great, and they offered these with or without butter. The dishes though left much to be desired. I’d characterize the dishes as more plain than flavorful, and more watery than thick sauces. I’ve come to equate Indian food with hearty curries that I can dip my naan in or pour over rice, and this just wasn’t it.
As for the space, there are three tables with about 4 seats each. Mostly self-​service.
I wouldn’t be back, though I appreciated the polite service. I might try the Curry King next.

Fresh, homely, healthy, fast, cheap, filling. No other restaurant can meet these criteria.
Best Indian Food one can get in Manhattan.

I forgot to bring cash but they let me eat anyway. Won’t be much trouble to pay them back because I’m definitely returning. Delicious!

$ 8 will get you a TON of food (full meal + a full meal of leftovers). It’s vegetarian, and has a «B» rating. Good variety of veggie dishes/​curries, just don’t think about how long the dishes may have been sitting out.

I love hole in the wall restaurants. After a visit to Dil-​E Punjab Deli in Chelsea (my favorite cheap Indian/​Pakistani place which is also a hole in the wall), I was excited to travel uptown and try Doaba. This seems like a place where taxi drivers frequent given the number of taxis parked outside. It’s got about 3 tables inside that seat 4 people each with additional counter space to stand up and eat.
For $ 8, you get a choice of four vegetarian sides and either rice, naan, or roti. I chose four sides including some curries and saag. The rice was flavored with spices and was nice. However, I was a bit disappointed with the sides — the saag was pretty much tasteless and didn’t have enough salt or flavor. The curries — one was mushroom, one had lots of vegetables in it and the other I’m just not quite sure what it was. That’s the beauty of eating at places like this as a foreigner — it gets you outside of the box! I preferred the curries over the saag, but they all pretty much tasted the same except one was tangy — I liked this one the most. However, it just didn’t quite satisfy my Indian craving as much as I wanted it to… probably something about the flavor not being strong enough. By the way, the curries are quite spicy — make sure you know that before you order!
Free chai tea with your meal!

Doaba Deli is my go-​to for healthy, filling, and delicious cuisine at any hour of the day. The vegetarian platter includes two fresh baked naan or roti, choice of four curries including matar paneer and chick peas, a small salad, and a glass of delicious chai with sugar and seasonings if you choose.

Home made Paranthas made my day :)
A must visit for economical home made Indian food.

This is definitely not a book to be judged by the cover. This place looks kind of dingy, and looks combined the B rating on the front window had my wife saying «Oh hell no!» I had read all the amazing reviews on Unilocal so I had to try it. The guy behind the counter doesn’t seem to speak much English, and they only have VEGITARIAN options (so if you are looking for meat head somewhere else) but the food was AMAZING!!! I prefer vegetarian dishes anyways so this was a plus for me.
The dinning area leaves a little to be desired, especially if you are looking to dine with your family. However it kind of fits the personality of the shop. Its all about the food and it is a superstar. If you are looking for Indian in NYC this is the place; delicious offerings and a VERY reasonable price. I will be back for sure!

Doaba Deli is one of my absolute favorite places to get Indian food close to Morningside Heights. Seriously: do not miss the $ 8 deal. It comes with 4 dishes, naan/​rice, salad, and chai. The dishes are beautifully authentic and reminds me of my mother’s and grandmother’s cooking. There are so many fantastic options that sometimes it’s hard to choose just four. And they’re portioned just right — it’ll fill you up, but you won’t feel like you’ve overeaten. The naan is always made fresh. The salad is basically just lettuce, but come on — if you’re coming here for the salad, you’re making a grave mistake. The chai is piping hot and very tasty (if you like chai tea lattes at Starbucks, you should definitely give it a shot!) And it’s so well priced. If you’re nearby and craving Indian food (or even just craving an affordable dinner), you’ve gotta try Doaba Deli.
PS: cash only!

Oh how I love Indian food!
The place isn’t the best looking from outside and it’s small and a little inconvenient inside to order because it’s not spacious. However, the food taste SO good! I ordered a platter of yellow lentils over rice with palak, vegetables and chickpeas on the side for $ 8! The people behind the counter and courteous and generous with their portions. Can’t wait to go back and try their naan.
Totally will return and introduce my friends to their cuisine.

You don’t appreciate book by it’s cover but by it story. Same goes for this place, don’t go by it look, food here is just too good.
I went here by Unilocal reviews and was not sure by look of restaurant but still gave a go, it was bingo. It’s homely cook food without any grimick, which taste awesome. 4 choice of curries, hot roti/​naan & milk tea (chai) for 7 $. It can be any better.
Advice for my American friends, try this as carry out place.

If u r looking for home made indian at ground-​shattering prices– dont miss this place. Both my husband and me have a complete meal (4 vegs of our choice and 3 breads of our choice) for 8 dollars!!! Authentic indian tea only 1 USD!!! I havent cooked since I moved to upper west side because this place is only a few blocks with almost 24 hour fresh food service.

Cabbies are always in a rush*, yet are somehow completely fine that this places takes its sweet time preparing small amounts of food… peculiar. That said, can’t knock it down to a 3 because the $ 3 aloo parantha was that damn good.
*Guess that explains why it’s open a truly odd 23.5 hours a day?

I come here every weekend for over a year now and it never fails. Everyone is friendly and the food is amazing. Best indian food in town! The eggplant curry is highly recommended, as part of the lunch plate with the naan they make on the spot.

The $ 7 platter is $ 8 now. I got bhindi/​okra, chana/​chickpeas, paneer and dal/​lentil. The flavors are good and some of the dishes are quite spicy. I am not a fan of the saag/​spinach here. Naan comes in big portions but the chai tea tastes watered down. 3.5 stars.

Showed up around dinner time on a cold night and the place was empty except for a small party at one table. The man behind the counter told he’d call me when the bread was ready. Fresh naan, tasty! The sides were also tasty, if a bit on the greasy side.
I followed up the meal with an order of the gulab jamun; it was dry and cold, not anything like the amazing versions I’ve previously enjoyed elsewhere.
When done, I asked for the tab — he charged me $ 8 for the special and $ 2 for the dessert. No tea was offered. Maybe this was an off night; it sure was a cold night. I’ll try it again based on the other reviews, IF I’m in the area. I would not go out of my way for it.

Truly authentic Punjabi food. This is the best home cooked Indian food you will find in NYC. Not the standard restaurant stuff — but truly home cooked food. Everyone orders the vegetable thali, but I think the real secret is the on menu food. My wife and I came here for paranthas (stuffed indian flat breads) and they were excellent. All the vegetables were freshly cut, the dough made in front of us and they came Hot off the stove. When we asked for chai — they literally boiled fresh water and made fresh tea.
Lastly the price is right. Everything is priced super cheap and the owners are so generous and caring. I almost feel bad paying so little.

Maybe the best plate of vegetarian Indian food i’ve ever had! 4 vegetarian sides, a small salad, 2 large pieces of nann and a chai tea, all for only $ 7. What kind of sorcery is this?!
I did not foresee my favorite meal in NYC that weekend coming from a hole-​in-​a-​wall Vegetarian restaurant in the Upper West Side. I was initially a little bummed out about staying in the UWS, unaware of the food options in the area. However, I would stay there again just to revisit Doaba Deli.
I ended up getting the chana masala (chickpea), aloo gobi (cauliflower), mattar paneer (peas and cheese) and a dal (lentil) dish. All the items were flavorful, without being too salty or spicy. You get a choice between two pieces of naan or rice. I’d say go for the nann, they were generously portioned and fresh.
You know this place is legit, when there is a steady flow of cab drivers coming through the door every few minutes. That being said, there are only 4 small tables inside and it’s not the most comfortable sit-​down dining experience. With that said, the staff is extremely friendly. Doaba Deli should definitely be on your radar, if you happen to be in the Manhattan Valley area!