I was really looking forward to try Indikitch, a fast casual chain serving Indian food that has been popping up across the city. So, on a Wednesday evening, we went there with Jodi and my nephew Valentin, in their Flatiron location. The place was not that crowded, quite spacious, with seats on the second floor. You could tell that lots of people went there before by just looking at the garbage cans that were overflowing, preventing people from throwing their trash and leaving it on tables. Or maybe the staff was too busy...Anyway, I do not know, but for sure, it does not look good for a restaurant...

They offer many different options for a meal:

The feast that is the choice of a main ingredient (see below) served with dal, rice, kachumbar (made with carrots, cashews, beet and cucumber) and naan, and a choice of a sauce (tikka masala, vindaloo, korma, kadai and saag).
Biryani that is a rice dish, served with a choice of main ingredient.
2 kati rolls, served with a choice of main ingredient. By the way, I went there for kati rolls, these Indian wraps made with Paratha bread that I love so much.
"Live fire salad" that is a salad that is sautéed with pickled onions, spices, coconut and coriander pesto.

The "main" ingredients are:

Chicken tikka that is roasted chicken marinated in yogurt and spices.
Pulled pork, that is slow roasted for 6 hours. I admit that it was surprising to see that on an Indian menu...
Lamb kofta that are roasted lamb meatballs.
Paneer that is cottage cheese.
Grilled mushrooms.

We ordered few dishes that they prepared in front of us, in the many pans that you can see in the back of the kitchen. After 5 minutes, our order was ready.

Valentin ordered the feast, picking the chicken tikka with tikka masala sauce, dal and rice, with the garlic naan. It was quite good, but I did not think the portion justified the name.

Jodi ordered the mushroom Kati rolls that she asked not spicy. Well, it had a bit of a kick! The paratha bread was good, but not as good as The Kati Roll Company. However, the mushrooms were delicious.

On my side, I got the lamb kofta kati roll that was also a bit spicy despite asking for mild. Again here, it was not as good as The Kati Roll Company and could have had more lamb in it.

I should mention that a great way to cut the spiciness of the food was the mango lassi we got that was good, with the right thickness.

Last, we ordered vegetable samosas (3 pieces per serving) that were good, the crust being crispy and the filling tasty, not spicy.

Vegetable samosas at Indikitch in NYC, NY

Overall it was good, but I admit that I was expecting more from Indikitch, especially for the kati rolls that were definitely not as good as The Kati Roll Company. Price wise, although reasonable and what you would expect from a fast casual place, it is more expensive than The Kati Roll Company and I am sure you can find places in Curry Hill serving better food at the same price point for lunch (dinner is another story). Will they be as successful as Chipotle (although that chain seems to be struggling)? I am not sure: many people cannot eat or do not like spices or, as they say "it is not that I do not like Indian food: it is Indian food that does not like me"...

Enjoy (I did)!

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Indikitch - 25 W 23rd St, New York, NY 10010

Indikitch, the Chipotle of Indian cuisine?

I Just Want To Eat!