(credit: NYSF)
We had a chance to spend a few minutes yesterday with Tony from the Famous Dal Wagon. If you enjoy Indian food, but are not familiar with the Famous Dal Wagon, definitely stop by their cart on 39th St just east of 6th Ave. Just make sure you do it by the end of the month, or you’ll have to wait until next spring.
(credit: NYSF)
Recently we’ve talked about halal carts that serve Indian style cuisine instead of the Middle Eastern fare you expect. The Famous Dal Wagon is not one of those.
Its beautiful Indian decor helps it stand out from most other food carts in the city, and they are a true Indian food cart. You won’t get chicken over rice at the Famous Dal wagon, but you can get keema masala, puri bhajji, chicken tikka masala, and of course dal.
The Famous Dal Wagon was on 32nd St & Park Ave for a number of years, which was a difficult area for us to get to during lunch. They recently moved to the NE corner of 39th St & 6th Ave, only a block from Bryant Park. That’s much more convenient for us.
If you’re don’t know what dal is, it’s basically an Indian lentil stew, and there are many variations. If you’re a vegetarian, you might be familiar with dal, but if you’re not, it’s worth trying.
We ordered chicken tikka masala for $7, at which point the proprietor asked if I’ve ever tried the puri bhajji. When I said no, he offered me one to try for free while he put together my lunch.
(credit: NYSF)
I’ve known about The Famous Dal Wagon for a while, but on the NW corner of 32nd St & Park Ave, it’s pretty inconvenient for me. However, after enjoying kati rolls from the Desi Truck last week, and receiving a comment from Terianne that the Desi Truck and The Famous Dal Wagon were each owned by two brothers, I re-doubled my efforts to get to The Famous Dal Wagon.
Regular New York Street Food readers know one of my basic rules is that when a dish is featured in the name of the place, to try that dish first. If the vendor is putting a specific dish in the name, it’s usually one of their specialties. This goes for restaurants too.
On that basis, Today’s Lunch is 2 types of dal and rice from The Famous Dal Wagon ($4). Was the dal worthy of the cart being named after it? Find out after the jump.
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