Aparna R.
Yelp
A group of us had been meandering about the East Village, stomachs grumbling, wondering what to eat, when a friend mentioned that he had seen this place on TikTok. We decided to walk to the restaurant and order takeout in person.
It's an unassuming little joint. It shares a corner building with The Onion Tree Pizza Co, a pizza place that also serves Indian food (building's a big fan of fusion cuisine, I guess!). And although the two restaurants share the square footage and are not separated by a wall inside, Crispy Karma is decidedly difficult to find.
The Onion Tree Pizza Co's entrance wraps around the corner of the building and has distinct branding--its name is written in white on the building's black facade. Hard to miss. But Crispy Karma doesn't seem to have any clear signage of its own near the Onion Tree's main entrance on 1st Ave. Instead, it has a separate, more obscured door on a different face of the building.
Crispy Karma's entryway is stuck in a part of the building's wall that ends after its more conspicuous roommate's sleek, black facade. This portion of the wall is daubed with graffiti that is so busy and colorful that it's easy to miss the restaurant's logo and the word "Entrance" that's painted at the top of the windowless door. There's also a set of bright white lights sitting directly above the door, casting harsh shadows on everything else on the otherwise poorly-lit street.
This entire part of the building looks a bit like a poorly-maintained side entrance that is only open to employees, and we may have walked right past it if we hadn't decided to inspect the side of the building more carefully.
But don't be put off by its outward appearance, folks. BE NOT AFRAID! Good junk food awaits.
The menu is centered around a crispy fried chicken sandwich that can be made with different sauces, and there are a handful of options for sides.
I got the fiery karma sandwich. And demolished it. Quickly. (I was VERY hungry.)
Tamarind sauce and mint chutney are a classic Indian restaurant combination. And for good reason! It always works. I'm delighted that someone thought to put it on a fried chicken sandwich--it was delicious.
That being said, I do think that every sandwich should be served with a slaw or light, white sauce of some sort by default in order to cut the heaviness of the meal. I suspect I would have felt a lot less regretful and sluggish afterwards if it had this additional component.
The side of gunpowder fries I received were overcooked and almost burnt, so I couldn't really enjoy them. I suspect it's normally significantly better.
I would likely avoid this place most days (because of how heavy the food is), but I do think this would make for a fantastic drunk meal. Something to keep in mind...
