Pongal Restaurant

(212) 355-4600

1154 1st Ave
New York, NY 10021 40.7622 -73.96

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Neighborhoods: Upper East Side, Midtown, Lenox Hill

Hours:

Mon-Fri 12pm-3pm, 5pm-10:30pm

Sat-Sun 12pm-10:30pm

Price:

$

Last updated 9.11.08

Category:

Restaurants

Payment Methods:

Diners Club, Discover, Visa, MasterCard

Restaurant Special Features:

Romantic Dining, Special Occasion Dining, Business Dining, Lunch Spot, Cheap Eats

Cuisine:

Kosher, Vegetarian, Indian

What People Are Saying About Pongal Restaurant

Featured Review

Contributor

Contributor

Freshly prepared South Indian vegetarian restaurant (that's also kosher) with weekend specials and traditional beverages.

food quality
90.0% positive
  1. My favorite dish is the onion rava masala -- like a huge, crispy pancake filled with delectable morsels.
  2. Still, recommended if you like south Indian food.
  3. Everything is very fresh, with none of that overwhelming aroma/spice you'll find in many Indian restaurants.
  4. found another south indian vegetarian kosher restaurant called chennai on 86th and 1 st ave. It is a smallplace but the food is good and has got good reviews from ZAGAT.
  5. The food at this place is great, no doubt.
overall
100.0% positive
  1. discovered the original Pongal on Lex and 27th a few years ago, and it quickly became my favorite Indian restaurant.
  2. pongal was my favorite south indian restaurant but unfortunately it went out of business.
value
100.0% positive
  1. My favorite dish is the onion rava masala -- like a huge, crispy pancake filled with delectable morsels.
3 Star Rating: Average

11/22/08

gone out of business

by chandermohan

pongal was my favorite south indian restaurant but unfortunately it went out of business. was a great shock for me. i found another south indian vegetarian kosher restaurant called chennai on 86th and 1 st ave. It is a smallplace but the food is good and has got good reviews from ZAGAT. S o folks go and check out this place. the best part is they deliver too.

4 Star Rating: Recommended

06/30/06

Great Food

by camille_again

The food at this place is great, no doubt. The price is moderate. The service is a little on the rude side. Still, recommended if you like south Indian food.

  • Pros: The Food
  • Cons: The Service
5 Star Rating: Highly Recommended

11/11/05

My all-time favorite Indian restaurant

by helenbonnie

I discovered the original Pongal on Lex and 27th a few years ago, and it quickly became my favorite Indian restaurant. I was so pleased to learn the Pongal team had opened another restaurant on the UES, within walking distance of my apartment!

My favorite dish is the onion rava masala -- like a huge, crispy pancake filled with delectable morsels. The other standard Indian classics, such as the chana masala and the saag paneer are fantastic, too. Get the masala tea for dessert (like a chai at Starbucks but a million times better). Everything is very fresh, with none of that overwhelming aroma/spice you'll find in many Indian restaurants.

Don't come here expecting anything fancy. The atmosphere is only ok and the service is so-so. It is wonderfully cheap, though!

  • Pros: delicious food, inexpensive
  • Cons: so-so service

The Details on Pongal Restaurant

Place Categories:

  • like south indian food
  • huge crispy pancake
  • favorite south indian restaurant
  • overwhelming aromaspice
  • fantastic other standard indian classics
  • favorite dish
  • delectable morsels
  • very fresh everything
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