PONGAL
Vegetarian restaurant · Kips Bay ·
Kosher vegetarian South Indian cuisine, crispy dosas, flavorful thalis
Kosher vegetarian South Indian cuisine, crispy dosas, flavorful thalis
"With dozens of Indian restaurants along Lexington Avenue in Kips Bay, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed by choice. We’ll make it simple. Just head to Pongal, a vegetarian restaurant with a novel-length menu that you can order blindly from and still leave happy. Most of the dishes can also be made to suit vegan and Jain dietary needs, which makes it an ideal spot for groups. The under-$15 lunch special is one of the best deals in town, and you’ll want to return repeatedly to try all 12 different kinds of chaat. We also love the Pondicherry masala dosa. There’s not a lot going on here in terms of decor, but you won’t miss it, because you’ll be very focused on your food." - molly fitzpatrick, bryan kim, neha talreja, carina finn koeppicus, sonal shah
"Pongal serves some of the best and crispiest dosas in NYC, with an extensive selection of 31 lentil and rava dosas. Focus on the specialty dosa menu. This is one place where you can deviate from the usual onion masala and paneer varieties, with options like a creamy spinach or cheese spring dosa—which don't become too weighed down and soft like a European-style stuffed crepe. Alongside every specialty dosa, you’ll get sunny yellow turmeric whipped masala potatoes, a dense coconut chutney, and a tangy tomato chutney that we wish came in the same big portion size as the sambar." - neha talreja
"There are a ton of Indian spots along Lexington Ave from the high 20s to the low 30s, including the majority of the city’s kosher Indian options. Pongal, a vegetarian spot named after a popular harvest festival in South India and also a sweet rice dish, stands apart from the rest. The menu here is endless, but get a couple of aloo parathas, dosas, samosas, and the vegetable uttapam and a mango lassi to wash everything down." - anna rahmanan, will hartman
"With dozens of Indian restaurants along Lexington Avenue in Kips Bay, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed by choice. We’ll make it simple. Just head to Pongal, a vegetarian restaurant with a novel-length menu that you can order blindly from and still leave happy. Most of the dishes can also be made to suit vegan and Jain dietary needs, which makes it an ideal spot for groups. The under-$15 lunch special is one of the best deals in town, and you’ll want to return repeatedly to try all 12 different kinds of chaat. We also love the Pondicherry masala dosa. There’s not a lot going on here in terms of decor, but you won’t miss it, because you’ll be very focused on your food." - Carina Finn
"I ordered a mysore masala dosa ($12.95) and carried it to Madison Square, where I carefully unwrapped my package and noted its contents: a container of the spicy lentil soup called sambar, peanut and coconut chutneys, a separate tub containing the potato filling, and a foil-lined bag that held the giant pancake." - Robert Sietsema
