Photo by Ava McAlpin
Murray Hill in Manhattan has such a large concentration of Indian restaurants, it’s unofficially known as “Curry Hill.” The go-to place for many chefs looking for ingredients is Foods of India on Lexington Avenue and East 28th Street. The store has a huge selection and stocks harder-to-find spices.
Serious Eat’s Ava McAlpin discovered Foods of India’s popularity amongst cooks when she was compiling a list of stores for her Indian ingredients shopping guide.
Most people know about Kalustyan’s in Manhattan; it’s legendary for its wide array of spices and international goods, and is even a tourist destination. Although you’ll almost certainly be able to find what you want there, chances are their price is high and what they have is not necessarily the best quality to be found, according to Chef Suvir Saran of Dévi and author of Indian Home Cooking and American Masala.
Instead, Saran touts Kalustyan’s neighbor, Foods of India, as your best bet. Saran cannot recommend this place highly enough. In an email correspondence, he gushed about how it is the only Indian grocery store he would ever go to in New York City and how he trusts it more than all other stores in America. Pretty much anything on my list you can find at Foods of India; and if they don’t have it Saran assures me that they will order it for you.
A taxi driver told me he goes to Curry Hill for a taste of home when he’s eating out, but to shops in Jackson Heights for better prices. Saran says that he will venture to Jackson Heights for fresh vegetables, but for everything else he prefers the quality at Foods of India. He compares Patel Brothers to Sam’s Club, whereas he equates Foods of India with Dean & Deluca—though the prices are not as steep.
Foods of India
121 Lexington Ave.
New York, NY 10016
