Where to Explore South Asian Culture in NYC

New York City is home to the largest South Asian population of any metropolitan area in the US.

Those who trace their roots to India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and other countries of the Indian subcontinent have made an outsize impact on the City's food, art, music and fashion, and neighborhoods such as Jackson Heights in Queens, Kensington in Brooklyn and Tompkinsville in Staten Island are practically defined by their South Asian influence.

Visit the epicenter for local South Asian culture

No South Asian experience in New York City would be complete without a trip to Jackson Heights, home to one of the City's oldest Little Indias as well as large communities from Bangladesh, Nepal and Tibet. It’s been the go-to for clothing, jewelry and food from South Asia for decades. In its anchor, Diversity Plaza, you’ll find Kabab King (Pakistani), Ittadi (Bangladeshi), Nepali Bhanchha Ghar (Nepalese) and Delhi Heights (Indian and Indo-Chinese). India Sari Palace is also in the neighborhood and has served New Yorkers’ fabric needs for decades.

Have a dosa at Flushing’s Ganesh Temple Canteen

The mile-plus stretch of Brooklyn’s Coney Island Avenue between Church Avenue and Avenue H is home to many Pakistani immigrants, who have arrived in waves since the 1990s. Stop by Lahori Chilli for Pakistani and Indian staples like tandoori chicken and kebabs, but make sure to try the beef nihari, an almost birria-like stew, with hunks of beef in a rich gravy thickened by whole-wheat flour. Walk over to Gourmet Sweets and Restaurant, which claims to be an outlet of Lahore’s famous Gourmet Resturant; whether or not that’s the case, it’s a fine place for tandoori, biryani and fresh sweets.