a day in Jackson Heights Queens

It was super cold and many of the restaurants were quite cold too but we went to Jackson Heights to experience the neighborhood which is a melting pot of Argentines, Columbians, South and East Asians. Everytime I do this it makes me love NYC even more.  The diversity of each neighborhood throughout the boroughs of NYC can sometimes feel like you just got off a flight out of JFK and landed in another country.  

Our first stop was Patel Brothers.  A one stop shop for all of your Indian grocery needs.  I have never seen these frozen goods in the freezer section at my local grocery store.

Loads of Partha, flat breads.

Karela which is esentialily a type of sour gourd that has multiple health benefits.

I love the rows of beans, flours and spices at really great prices.  

This branding of soup is brilliant.  They know who their customer is.  

I even bought some of the chips.

We walked across the street to a store that sold used cell phones and other electronics at 37-50 74th Street.  Inside all the way to the back is a small dumpling shop.  We ordered a round of vegetable dumplings and the woman made them for us from scratch.  

They were delicious.  Fill with a variety of greens.  

Our next stop was Bombay Chat.  The place seemed a little run down but we went with it.   They supposedly have the best pani puri.  We asked for a plate and the lady running the store just smiled. She filled up the small crispy balls from a bowl of rice, potatoes and chick peas.  It appeared to come straight from her kitchen.  

We sat down at a table and the man eating his lunch told us what to do.  Pour a little of the darker sauce that was like a vegetable broth on top and then a little of the chili sauce.  Eat the entire thing in one bite.  Delicious!

We took a walk around the streets popping into the fast food food hall where a large tv hung showing an Indian channel.  We walked into another place that had a buffet.  We ended up at Phayul.  Located on the 2nd floor of a building.  We both had a soup.  The beef broth in this soup was delicious and perfect for a cold day.  

Rajbhog Sweets was next.  The colors of all the desserts are amazing but would be helpful go to with someone who actually knew what to pick.  

We got in our car and drove over to Cositas Ricas for a cup of coffee.  Not sure coffee is what to get here but this place is a classic diner.  Some people were eating steak with rice and vegetables while others were eating sweets.  Donuts are also available.

Our last shop before returning to the city was Cannelle Patisserie.  Located in an outdoor shopping mall.  Even the bakery felt a little bit like being deep in the suburbs but the desserts were really good.  A true French bakery.  We tasted a few things like the lemon tart and the pound cake and got more than plenty to bring home.  

We missed out on one place I really wanted to go to which is Cevicheria El Rey because we hit the savory wall but looking forward to returning when the weather warms up.