{"id":1631,"date":"2026-04-27T16:24:08","date_gmt":"2026-04-27T20:24:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/openlab.macaulay.cuny.edu\/nyfoodatlas\/?post_type=locations&#038;p=1631"},"modified":"2026-04-30T12:14:41","modified_gmt":"2026-04-30T16:14:41","slug":"taste-of-india-ii","status":"publish","type":"locations","link":"https:\/\/openlab.macaulay.cuny.edu\/nyfoodatlas\/locations\/taste-of-india-ii\/","title":{"rendered":"Taste of India II"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Taste of India II brought a new wave of flavor and spice to Staten Island. Introducing the landmark of South Asian cuisine to the borough in 1990<\/span><sup data-fn=\"a54f954e-13de-4115-b79f-047eac6c5d9e\" class=\"fn\"><a href=\"#a54f954e-13de-4115-b79f-047eac6c5d9e\" id=\"a54f954e-13de-4115-b79f-047eac6c5d9e-link\">1<\/a><\/sup><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, Taste of India serves Indian food that is not just accessible; it is every last bit authentic. Amongst the diversity of New Dorp Lane, it has undoubtedly stood out for over three and a half decades as the island\u2019s first, and arguably best, Indian restaurant.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Although the rest of New York was no stranger to Indian cuisine, there was a noticeable lack of diversity in the food culture of Staten Island leading into the 90s. When Taste of India first opened, owners Raman Kumar and Baldev Malhotra had to be creative in marketing something in a place where it had no demand.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Food was not the only thing that Taste of India brought to Staten Island. As owner Kumar put it, \u201cwe created an experience.\u201d<\/span><sup data-fn=\"9e5f0eec-bd0a-497b-8dc4-107533c263c9\" class=\"fn\"><a href=\"#9e5f0eec-bd0a-497b-8dc4-107533c263c9\" id=\"9e5f0eec-bd0a-497b-8dc4-107533c263c9-link\">2<\/a><\/sup><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> The restaurant itself is clad in traditional decorations, from intricate figures to vibrant patterns on the wall, and a distinct atmosphere that feels like stepping into another part of the world.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Upon sitting down, pappadam (thin, cracker-like bread) is provided for the table along with three sauces: a refreshing cilantro-mint sauce, a tangy tomato chutney, and a sweet tamarind sauce. And to order, one may start with a wide assortment of flatbreads, including flaky, buttery paratha. The menu has a strong focus on meats and vegetables. As for entrees, the biryani is an ever-so-popular choice; it is a blend of rice, marinated meats, and vegetables. Other options include curry, chicken tikka masala, and chicken vindaloo. And for dessert, dishes such as Kulfi (ice cream) and Kheer (rice pudding) are, \u201ca nice way to end a meal,\u201d<\/span><sup data-fn=\"87a15307-d035-4acb-907e-2301ee3636bc\" class=\"fn\"><a href=\"#87a15307-d035-4acb-907e-2301ee3636bc\" id=\"87a15307-d035-4acb-907e-2301ee3636bc-link\">3<\/a><\/sup><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> as Kumar said.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Taste of India II is more than a restaurant; it is an experience. From the atmosphere and smell to the food itself, it is easy to get submerged and lost in a culture originating so far from Staten Island. Especially for those who have never had Indian food or been exposed to Indian culture, I would highly recommend getting a taste of India.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group alignwide has-global-padding is-layout-constrained wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-placepress-block-map-location alignwide\" aria-label=\"Interactive Map\" role=\"region\"><figure><div class=\"map-pp\" id=\"placepress-map\" data-lat=\"40.5722406\" data-lon=\"-74.1126881\" data-zoom=\"12\" data-basemap=\"carto_voyager\" data-type=\"single-location\"><\/div><figcaption class=\"map-caption-pp\">287 New Dorp Ln, Staten Island, NY 10306<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"ghost\">By Kodi Tancredi<br>Have a taste of India\u2014the country behind Staten Island\u2019s first Indian restaurant.<br>Campus: College of Staten Island<br>Professor: Jane Marcus-Delgado<br>Location: 287 New Dorp Ln, Staten Island, NY 10306<br>References:\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">[[1. \u201cTaste of India II.\u201d <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Taste of India II<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.tasteofindia2.com\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">https:\/\/www.tasteofindia2.com\/<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.]]<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">[[2 &amp; 3. \u201cInternational Flavor.\u201d <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Industry Magazine<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/industrym.com\/international-flavor\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">https:\/\/industrym.com\/international-flavor\/<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.]]<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<ol class=\"wp-block-footnotes\"><li id=\"a54f954e-13de-4115-b79f-047eac6c5d9e\">\u201cTaste of India II.\u201d <em>Taste of India II<\/em>. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.tasteofindia2.com\/\">https:\/\/www.tasteofindia2.com\/<\/a>. <a href=\"#a54f954e-13de-4115-b79f-047eac6c5d9e-link\" aria-label=\"Jump to footnote reference 1\">\u21a9\ufe0e<\/a><\/li><li id=\"9e5f0eec-bd0a-497b-8dc4-107533c263c9\">\u201cInternational Flavor.\u201d <em>Industry Magazine<\/em>. <a href=\"https:\/\/industrym.com\/international-flavor\/\">https:\/\/industrym.com\/international-flavor\/<\/a>. <a href=\"#9e5f0eec-bd0a-497b-8dc4-107533c263c9-link\" aria-label=\"Jump to footnote reference 2\">\u21a9\ufe0e<\/a><\/li><li id=\"87a15307-d035-4acb-907e-2301ee3636bc\">\u201cInternational Flavor.\u201d <em>Industry Magazine<\/em>. <a href=\"https:\/\/industrym.com\/international-flavor\/\">https:\/\/industrym.com\/international-flavor\/<\/a>. <a href=\"#87a15307-d035-4acb-907e-2301ee3636bc-link\" aria-label=\"Jump to footnote reference 3\">\u21a9\ufe0e<\/a><\/li><\/ol>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Taste of India II brought a new wave of flavor and spice to Staten Island. Introducing the landmark of South Asian cuisine to the borough in 1990, Taste of India serves Indian food that is not just accessible; it is every last bit authentic. Amongst the diversity of New Dorp Lane, it has undoubtedly stood [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":1632,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"portfolio_post_id":0,"portfolio_citation":"","portfolio_annotation":"","openlab_post_visibility":"","api_coordinates_pp":"40.5722406,-74.1126881","footnotes":"[{\"content\":\"\u201cTaste of India II.\u201d <em>Taste of India II<\/em>. <a href=\\\"https:\/\/www.tasteofindia2.com\/\\\">https:\/\/www.tasteofindia2.com\/<\/a>.\",\"id\":\"a54f954e-13de-4115-b79f-047eac6c5d9e\"},{\"content\":\"\u201cInternational Flavor.\u201d <em>Industry Magazine<\/em>. <a href=\\\"https:\/\/industrym.com\/international-flavor\/\\\">https:\/\/industrym.com\/international-flavor\/<\/a>.\",\"id\":\"9e5f0eec-bd0a-497b-8dc4-107533c263c9\"},{\"content\":\"\u201cInternational Flavor.\u201d <em>Industry Magazine<\/em>. <a href=\\\"https:\/\/industrym.com\/international-flavor\/\\\">https:\/\/industrym.com\/international-flavor\/<\/a>.\",\"id\":\"87a15307-d035-4acb-907e-2301ee3636bc\"}]"},"tags":[14],"location_types":[17],"class_list":["post-1631","locations","type-locations","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","tag-staten-island","location_types-location"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/openlab.macaulay.cuny.edu\/nyfoodatlas\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/locations\/1631","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/openlab.macaulay.cuny.edu\/nyfoodatlas\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/locations"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/openlab.macaulay.cuny.edu\/nyfoodatlas\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/locations"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/openlab.macaulay.cuny.edu\/nyfoodatlas\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/openlab.macaulay.cuny.edu\/nyfoodatlas\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1631"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/openlab.macaulay.cuny.edu\/nyfoodatlas\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/locations\/1631\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1641,"href":"https:\/\/openlab.macaulay.cuny.edu\/nyfoodatlas\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/locations\/1631\/revisions\/1641"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/openlab.macaulay.cuny.edu\/nyfoodatlas\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1632"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/openlab.macaulay.cuny.edu\/nyfoodatlas\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1631"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/openlab.macaulay.cuny.edu\/nyfoodatlas\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1631"},{"taxonomy":"location_types","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/openlab.macaulay.cuny.edu\/nyfoodatlas\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/location_types?post=1631"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}