Chicago Curry House--Nepal in the South Loop

It's hidden away off-the-street in the entrance to Dearborn Park, so it's easy to miss, but this would seem to be a good addition to the South Loop's slowly expanding collection of ethnic options. I've only had one take-out so far, a Lamb Tikka Masala, and although I'm not knowledgeable at all about SE Asian cuisine, it was satisfying and fresh enough for me to want to return.

The place has a pleasant (dare I say "cozy"?) curry-infused ambience, bar service, a Tandoori oven, and a very large menu with Nepalese specialties and many, many vegetarian offerings. Here's the website with menu. There's a luncheon buffet, altho I'm not usually attracted to those.

http://www.curryhouseonline.com/

Chicago Curry House
899 S. Plymouth Ct.
Chicago, IL-60605
Tel: 312-362-9999

Thanks for the heads-up and the link. I'm occasionally in the vicinity and always on the lookout for good Nepali food. It can be had in the suburbs more readily (though it's still not common*) and this looks worth a visit.


*The two that pop to mind are Mt. Everest in Evanston and Himalayan Restaurant (?) or some such in the Four Flags Plaza up on Golf Road.

It's great to have a decent Indian (and Nepali!) option in the area. There's India Grill on Wabash, but my one trip there didn't impress me too much. On my one trip to Chicago Curry House, though, I was quite pleased. Wanting to take advantage of the Nepali part of the menu, I orderd the Khasi ko Maasu (Goat Meat with Bone) and couldn't have been happier with it. Servicewise, the owner was circulating and was quite friendly, but once we were ready for the check, our waiter disappeared and the other waiters refused to help, even when we asked them directly. Spending an extra fifteen minutes there trying to pay and leave certainly put a damper on an otherwise positive experience, but I'm sure we'll be back.

I went there as soon as I read about them in the Redeye. Before anyone trashes me for reading the Redeye, I gotta read something while riding the CTA to work!

I had the Vegi Appetizer platter. The Cheese Pakoras were fantastic. The Onion Pakoras were overfried. But the Samosas were to die for. The filling was really trasty. Usually the filling always leaves me cold as it is too 'potatoey'. But this was complex, tasty, mashed potato mix. Next time I will just order the Cheese Pakora or the Samosa separately.

I had the Nepali Vegetarian Thali as it had a tasting of all the nepali vegetarian menu dishes on it. It tasted really good. The Potato curry was different than most North Indian curries as it had Bamboo Shoots. Maybe the Bamboo Shoots were canned so that may have given the dish a tangier taste. But whatever it was it blended well with the dish. The Dal was also spiced differently. It did not have the ubiquitous Garam Masala taste that you get in most North Indian Dal preparations. Milder, but it tasted good. The Spinach curry was a revelation. It was spiced very sparingly so the spinach taste really came through. And if they do not use good Spinach, this would have been a disaster. But they used fresh spinach so the dish really worked. The Thali comes with Roti. Now for my money, Roti is just too dry for my South Indian Palate. Maybe I should have ordered a Nan or Paratha separately.

I also tried Indian Wine for the first time. Sauvignon Blanc. Not bad. I would look for it in Sams or Binny's next time I am there. Not exactly Loire Valley quality, but as good as the NewZealand stuff I have quaffed.

Pricewise, it is more to the Tiffin level; which is what you would expect Downtown. But for the money you are given good value. I will try their Indian dishes next time as I was impressed with their hand with their Nepali dishes.

This is the "sister restaurant" of the Curry Hut in Highwood. I'm a big fan of the Curry Hut and it's our go to place for Indian.

Khasi ko Maasu (Goat Meat with Bone--Nepalese style) = Double yum. Almost made the "best dish" thread."

definitely the better of the two Indian place in the area if anyone is in the neighborhood and got the Indian itch, IMO.

Had my first dinner this past weekend. (You can't beat it if you're going to the Jazz Showcase)
I'd been reluctant to try because I'm not a fan of the Curry Hut in Highwood, but I was very pleased with all the dishes and the breads, as well.
My only footnote is that we were asked about spice level and said medium. I'm not chili head, but if we go back we'll ask for full spice.
The food was very flavorful but it needed that final kick of a bit of heat, and had virtually none.

Jonah

I thought breads were exceptional here (especially plain old naan, extremely flaky and elastic), buffet pretty tired, entrees-to-order above average, but we could not detect anything special or different in the Nepalese section of the menu (we ordered all of it) from the Indian, other than bones-in vs. deboned in the chicken and lamb. The room is appealing and conversation-friendly and the staff was attentive. Good lassis and Indian beer list. Bhel puri was abundant and crisp but more oddly perfumed than usual and over-onioned. Any particular successes with other menu items here lately?