Pakwan

About

Pakwan is as stripped-down as a restaurant can be without seating their customers on the floor, which may present a problem for the few who refuse to set their own tables and pick up their own food from the counter - that's right, there are no waiters and barely any busboys. This no-frills Pakistani-Indian restaurant doesn't even have a liquor license, though the staff seems to have no problems with BYOB. What it does have, however, is delicious and cheap ($5 - $6 an entree) Indian food that is among the best in the city, featuring traditional lamb and chicken dishes like curry, tandoori and tikka masala. Specialties are rare, but although the menu might be fairly standard for an Indian restaurant, the flavor, whether mild or (by request) blazingly hot, is not. For Indian food, it doesn't get much better than Pakwan, and dollar for dollar, it doesn't get much better in the city. Just don't expect a waiter to bring you more water.

- by Josh Drimmer