I finally got a chance to check out Desi Chaat House after months of wondering what exactly was being served up inside that eye-catchingly garish orange and pink building on the corner of 42nd and Baltimore. I’m happy to report that the food is as vibrant as the store itself!

Chaat is Indian street food, and it’s bursting with flavor. It’s not stuff that you’ll find on the menu of a typical Indian restaurant (though the shop does offer up some classic fare as well, like biryani and samosas). Rather, chaat uses some different spices and is always flavored heavily, be it sweet, sour, hot, tangy, or salty. It comes in innumerable iterations, some well known in only certain parts of India and Pakistan, while others are favorites across the whole region. Tons of the dishes are vegetarian, but there’s some chicken and lamb on the menu as well. The Chaat House’s sign advertises the food as “mild to wild” – just tell them how hot you want it when placing your order. A word to the wise, though: don’t go for mild. The essence of this food is the power rather than the subtlety of the flavors.

Hassan, the loquacious owner who’s always happy to help you choose a dish, told me that eating chaat is something of a social event on the streets of Indian cities, and groups of women often hit up the stalls before going shopping, lining up with students on their way home from school or men heading to the movies. It’s a favorite snack, and everyone from that part of the world has their favorite chaat. This is evident after just a few minutes of sitting in Desi Chaat House, watching people of Indian or Pakistani descent come into the store, ask for a particular chaat by name, and light up when they hear that it’s being offered.

Desi Chaat House was opened this winter by the owner of Desi Village, on 45th and Baltimore. Though Desi Village is ideal for a real sit-down meal, the Chaat House is perfect for grabbing a quick bite on the go, or when you only have a few bucks to spend. A dish of chaat goes for just four or five dollars, and you can even throw in a dessert and a drink (do yourself a favor and have a to-die-for mango lassi) without hitting the ten dollar mark. The fridge is stocked with Indian drinks, and coming next week there will be homemade Indian ice creams as well.

Try it out. You’ll wish you’d done so sooner.

Desi Chaat House
501 S. 42nd Street (42nd and Baltimore)
Philadelphia, PA 19104
(215) 386-1999
www.desichaathouse.com

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Related Category: Dining + Food

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by UCD Neighbor on April 27, 2010

I love this place. The food is totally different than anything that I've had in a traditional sit-down Indian restaurant, and everything that I've had there has been quite tasty. The best part about Desi Chaat House is the feeling that you're being welcomed into someone's home--the service is super friendly, the owner and his staff are happy to help you decipher the menu and give suggestions, and the food is prepared with care. Definitely a local business worth supporting.

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Desi Chaat House: Indian Food with the Flavor Kicked Up a Notch and the Price Dialed Down

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