The natural starting point for my exploration was the Jackson Heights-Roosevelt Avenue subway station, which is surrounded by brightly lit shops selling Indian and Middle Eastern groceries, Tibetan and Nepalese restaurants, Halal restaurants, Indians restaurants, and much more. About two blocks north of the station, near a Bangladeshi shopping mart and an Indian sweets store, I found Dosa Delight, which had been recommended to me by a foodie friend. It has a modest storefront, looking a little like a laundromat, and would have been easy to miss if I had not been looking for it.
A sign by the front door informs us that the food is “diabetic friendly,” and describes the health benefits of vegetarian food. Within, the dining area is on the small side and slightly claustrophobic, with little space between tables and little to look at besides other diners. Happily, there were plenty of diners. Many of them seemed to be locals, some of them eating alone.
The menu consists of South Indian foods (all vegetarian), featuring prominently–you guessed it–dosas! If you haven’t had them, dosas are thin, light pancakes made from a mixture of ground rice and lentils. Apparently, they have been mentioned in ancient Tamil texts, so they have a venerable history.
I ordered a masala dosa and poori bhaji. The masala dosa was basically chunks of masala-spiced potato wrapped in a giant dosa. Here is a picture:
The dosa was slightly crisp but still soft. The poori bhaji was excellent–soft and buttery. Unfortunately, I devoured it before I had a chance to photograph it. Frankly, I ate too much, as I only realized waddling home.
Dosa Delight
35-66 73rd St
Jackson Heights, NY 11372
(718) 397-1000
11:30am-10:00pm every day