Desi Shack

Fresh, quick, and absolutely tasty. They are using the chipotle model to do Pakistani food and it actually works. Similar to Maoz and Chipotle, you decide whether you want a bowl, salad, or «roll», then pick your protein, veggies, and sauces. The store itself is tiny and they are catering to people taking their food to go, but the water with cucumber is a nice touch. Amazing value for $ 9.

This place is quick, conveniently located, and satisfying. I came on a Thursday evening at 6:45pm and there was barely a line. The menu is super simple and straightforward; as others have said, it’s essentially a Pakistani chipotle.
Having read good reviews about the paratha bread, I ordered a paratha roll. I was going to order beef, but when I looked at it it basically looked like spiced ground beef you’d get in a taco. So I asked the server what he recommended and as I expected he said the chicken. I went with his recommendation, and also added chickpeas and tomato salsa with the red spicy sauce to my roll.
The roll was definitely messy to eat — paratha bread is flaky and doesn’t roll well — but really yummy. The hot sauce was HOT (a good thing) and the fillings were flavorful (but a little bit too salty for my taste). I really loved the bread though! Next time I will order a bowl with a piece of paratha on the side.
Plain lassi was good but nothing too special. I wish it could have been thicker.

Better than Kati Roll and even Thelawala. Loved the paratha bread that they use for their rolls. Loved the chutneys and found all the ingredients in general to be really tasty. This will definitely be my go-​to place for quick Indian eats when I’m in the neighborhood. I hope they expand soon.

What a great concept, it’s like a Desi version of Chipotle, instead of a tortilla, you get a flaky, crispy paratha. They fill it with your choice of marinated chicken, cheese (paneer) or ground beef and fresh vegetable toppings (only two per paratha roll, choose wisely!). You can also choose to get a rice bowl, which is similar to a burrito bowl, with a meat or cheese and veggies, topped with chutney — sauce.
This place has a lot of potential, the paratha tasted really fresh. I wanted more from the meat and toppings. The chicken lacked the flavors of tandoori I am accustomed to, and the ground beef tasted like it only had two spices. In general, I love middle eastern/​Southeast Asian food because of all the fresh/​dry herbs and spices but the ingredients here lack it. The chutney was also very watery, it added nothing to the dishes.
I love the cool and sweet man at the register, gave us extras for free. :) I must come back to try the paneer!

food was alright, I went with my Pakistani friend and he approved~
kinda small, and if you sit in, be prepared to carry the smell of cooking on your clothes with you.
the wall of writings are rather cute, we spend a good amount of time looking at others’ writing.

This review has been due for a while.
The food is awesome and a good fusion. I loved the variety of options and quickly getting in and out.

This place is SO delicious. Although it isn’t 100% authentic Pakistani cuisine, it’s id very unique and tasty. It reminded me of a middle eastern version of chipotle — you get a bowl and you choose your mean, veggies, and sauces, and it usually costs about the same as chipotle. Portions are large and definitely shareable, and the food is consistently delicious. Definitely recommend!

Great place, good food! They always let me customize a lot since I like mixing all the contents in my bowl and eating it the traditional Pakistani/​Indian way. But roll format was also really good! Service was good too. Just wish they had whole wheat paratha as well but other than that, I have no complaints.

Trendy environment, chipotle styled Pakistani food.
If you’re looking for a new place to try for snacks or a light lunch this place will do.
Doesn’t live up to Authentic Pakistani cuisine. If that’s what you seek, this place is a waste of time.

I had some hopes but was let down. The food wasn’t very good. For one the paratha didn’t taste like a paratha it tasted somehow chewy and over fried. The food was not even close to spicy enough even with the green chilis and red-​garlic chutney. The chicken did not taste fresh but more processed, too chipotle like. I agree with other reviewers rating this place as bland. It lacked flavor in the spice department. I always would recommend fresh onions as a topping option and a green sauce that had more cilantro and less coconut. Also tamarind, where was it? Fresh onions are better than pickled onions for indian food. It tasted too Mexican to be Desi.
Something was missing. Bland Bland.

My boyfriend took me here for lunch the other day because we needed something quick and I was in the mood for something spicy. It’s a Chipotle-​style Pakistani place, which could be good or bad, depending on what you are in the mood for. There are definitely not enough «fast food» Indian places, so I think this is a good addition to the area and a good idea in general.
They have a limited menu, but everything seemed to be good. I had a basmati bowl with chicken tikka, every vegetable, and cucumber chutney. My boyfriend had two rolls, one with beef and the other with potato. He had one with the «really spicy red sauce» and we were warned by the girl who served us that it was really hot. I have a pretty low tolerance for spice — I max out at mild buffalo sauce — but this was something even I could tolerate. My boyfriend who has virtually no spice threshold barely felt it. It was delicious, but definitely not something that needed a verbal warning beforehand. A bigger menu would be nice in the future and maybe some dessert options or combo meals.

This place really confuses me. It’s best described like others have said as a chipotle style place for pakistani food. For the price paid (~$ 13), I really rather have just eaten chipotle. Primary reason for dislike is their portion sizes. FINE you’ll be full but satisfaction rating very low… Perhaps I sucked at picking the toppings but still, I felt I barely got any meat. I had the chicken tikka rice bowl with cilantro mint, onion, chickpeas, roll on the side (I think this cost extra) which seems to be the most popular option based on Unilocal rec’s. Kinda spicy, kinda cold because of the sauces, but otherwise, flavor was not so memorable.

Not very good. Cold, bland and what tasted stale food. A lot of options and nice atmosphere, very casual, but not worth it if the food isn’t up to par. I had the rice bowl with chicken tikka, and the aloo (potato), but it lacked major flavor. Something south Asian food is not supposed to lack. Maybe the Kati roll is better but I don’t think I will be back, thumbs down from me.
AND the amount of mango lassi was extremely small too.

While the concept of the food is interesting, as well as the interior decoration, I felt like there wasn’t much substance to the bowl that I had. I like how they allowed us to mix our options so we were able to try the different meats in one bowl, but the taste didn’t stand out to me regardless. I was not satisfied with the portion size, either. I thought that the price was too much for such a small portion. Would I come back? Perhaps, but probably not.

You’re no doubt standing in front of Desi and Dos right now, contemplating your dinner move with the sincerity of Aziz Ansari in Masters Of None. You’ve got your beloved burrito bowl waiting for you at Dos Toros, but what if a BETTER bowl is waiting at Desi? Well, it is. I’m so glad I took a chance in giving it a chance. Had the basmati bowl with beef keema, tons of veggies, and the spicy red chili garlic sauce. One of the best «chipotle concept» meals I’ve had yet. Get in here.

Desi Shack is another small restaurant taking the Chipotle concept while changing the food. In this version, the meats and veggies have Pakistani spices and flavors. Get your rice bowl, add your meat or veggie stew, top with lettuce, tomato and other garnishes. Everything is fresh and tastes good. The place is small, about the same size as Dos Toros next door. My problem is that other than the seating, it’s hard to compete with the rice/​halal chicken dish being sold right from the truck outside. Moderately recommended.

I should start out that I’m not a fan of Chipotle, which is the concept apparently that Desi Shack is going over after. I do like the idea of «fast food» Indian food, and applaud this business endeavor. I just have something against eating food out of cardboard containers… it feels like the cardboard soaks up all the flavor.
I had a very safe chicken tikka over rice bowl with a chopped vegetable salad on top. The spice was there but the rice was just warm and the cold chopped vegetables on top didn’t help. Maybe it was because it was Sunday 1pm and I still felt like having eggs and bacon. I do like my creamy sauces, I like my curries. This is a great place to get a quick snack, but for Indian food I would go to other places.

The Chipotle brand model is accurate in both good and bad.
Interior is designed with the industrial rustic motif with cliché faux weathered surfaces and imitation hand drawn wall graphics. Then there is that common social ruse pinned on the wall to feign interaction with clients. Are these what Desi Shacks look like? From a branding aspect, it’s expected and quite frankly, so boring. Best part of the «décor» is the cucumber water dispenser that is fortunately free. Regardless, most are not going to have an elongated sit down inside anyway.
The food is not bad. I still get the vibe of Latin inspired American chain food with a Pakistani twist. Sometimes you taste that Desi twist, sometimes not depending on what you scoop up with the fork. But it is not bad.
Had the beef keema in a basmati bowl. You get your money’s worth with the filling of the bowl.
Don’t be too afraid of their spice meter. I’ve had the melt-​your-​face-​off spicy Pakistani food they love so much. I purposely went for their spiciest, and it was just right. Spicy enough to give an excellent kick, but not enough to cause pain and turn you away from the flavors.
I’d come here regularly, perhaps as an intermittence from Chipotle.

Stop eating Chipotle. Eat here instead.
The assembly line burrito, which is a roti wrap in this case, serves you much better with their awesome spices and optional chutneys, which are fantastic.
You’ll leave here feeling great about what you just ate for the price.

Very few places can serve delicious south east Indian food with ease. Desi Shack fits the bill. A chipotle style Pakistani restaurant, it serves vegetarian and meat plates. The menu consists of 2 rolls, a basmati rice plate and a salad plate.
I find the food impressive. The aloo masala tastes amazing! It melts in your mouth! The basmati rice pairs off very well with all the vegetarian options. Eating the food turns into a delightful event. It tastes fresh and fills me up quickly.
Even though this place is small, the taste makes up for it. The décor looks awesome. As you enter in Desi, the left side of the wall contains small post-​it messages left by customers. Based on the little messages left by customers, people like this place. It gives off a strong community feel.
On the right side of the wall gives you the origins of Desi shack.
Located in the heart of Union Square, come to this place to enjoy this gem. Near shops, schools and the AMC movie theater, this places makes for an ideal meeting place. This place will not disappoint epicureans and cultural enthusiasts alike.

I haven’t been in the union square area in a while, and was pleasantly surprised by this little shop. I love South Asian food, paneer in particular. So naturally, I offered the paratha roll with paneer. The paneer was flavored to perfection, with a mango chutney glaze. This is basically all of my favorite flavors in one dish, so I’m pretty excited about this.
I would highly recommend ordering a paratha roll. It’s very crispy, and I feel like it compliments all of the potential fillings. I don’t really have a high tolerance for spice, so it was really nice to see that they have sauces that cater to my tastes (especially considering that South Asian food is notoriously spicy).
If you’re not completely starving, I would only recommend buying one paratha roll (even though Desi Shack recommends buying two). I was pretty full after one roll and a mango lassi.

Think a Pakistani version of Chipotle, but even better.
While this place was pretty small, I thought the food was delicious and the service was great. I got the basmati bowl with beef, with the cucumber sauce. Portion size was decent and the bowl tasted flavorful and just the right level of spicy for me.
Had a pleasant experience here, and would come again.

I commented on my check-​in that this place reminded me of a Pakistani Chipotle, and then reading through some of the reviews noticed that I wasn’t the only one who thought that. Is that a good thing? I never considered Chipotle a 4-​star worthy establishment, so I’m not a huge fan of those who try to strive towards that. It is a fine place to go for a higher-​end fast food, but that’s really what it is. Would I pay $ 9 to eat higher end fast food at Chipotle, or eat fast food at McDonald’s for $ 6?
I love Desi food, and I was interested in trying how the Chipotle concept might be carried off for this type of cuisine. Well it turns out, pretty much the same way. Again, it’s perfectly fine and good for that quickie when you are in the mood for Desi but not for sitting. But my Basmati plate with ground beef and veggie toppings, along with a can of soda, came out to $ 12. I recall having a fantastic Indian buffet for $ 17 and thought it was worth it, and I would have that any day of the week for $ 5 more. Now if this was $ 9, I would be more inclined to frequent this place as the food is perfectly good, Chipotle level eats. But at that price I’m not sure I’ll go back. Heck, Curry-​in-​a-​Hurry is cheaper and you get more food, and it’s much better. Too bad it’s 15 blocks north.
Okay, I don’t want to sound like I’m bashing this place, as I am giving it a perfectly fine 3-​stars for the food, really nice manager/​owner (?), and a small, cute set-​up that has a great view of the crowd walking by outside. I’m sure this concept will hold, as it seems to be popular for those looking for quick but relatively healthy meal. Perhaps I will see Desi Shacks all over the country in a few years. Yay…
Table-​for-​1 Factor: Not gonna bother, it’s fast food.

This is the Pakistani Chipotle!
The food was flavorful, with lots of choices of fresh vegetables, and sides such as samosa and drinks like lassi and masala chai. If you like Chipotle and sometimes get tired of burrito bowls, come and try a basmati bowl with meat or veggie here!

I’ve been meaning to try this place since I heard about it and I happened to be milling about in Union Square looking for something to eat so I popped in. And I’m glad I did! It was like an Indian version of Chipotle. You pick your format: salad bowl, basmati bowl, or paratha roll. Then you choose a filling: beef keema, chicken tikka, aloo masala, or achari paneer, and then veggies/​beans, and a chutney.
I opted for the achari paneer salad bowl and it was delish! Of course it’s not totally authentic. As an Indian person, I would never go home and eat paneer in a salad but nonetheless everything was seasoned really well just like mom makes. I will definitely be back.
My only beef? The people working there pronounce the name WRONG! To all non-​desis (people of Indian, Pakistani, Sri Lankan, and Bangladeshi descent), it’s prounouced DAY-​SI. Not DEZ-​EE like Desi Arnaz. I don’t expect a random person to know this but at least the people working there should. It was like hearing nails on a chalk board.