Paratha Roll

Let’s start with the Paratha. That thing was vintage, it was a former Paratha. You could sell it as a shabby chic coaster on Etsy. The «cubed lamb» in my roll was microwaved gyro meat. You can cut a gyro into a square, but it doesn’t make it cubed lamb.

NOTE: This place is closed, and has been replaced by Arabian Breeze (
), not sure if it’s the same owner or not.
They had — as the name suggests — Paratha Rolls (it’s a bit like a gyro, but with a Paratha instead of Pita, and fillings depend on the kind of roll), among other regular Indian food items (biryani, various curries etc.).
Food was good. Perhaps a touch too oily for most people, but that was fine by me. I like the fact that the food was spicy, Indian food can’t be had any other way.
The downside is that dine-​in is borderline impossible, because the place had very bad ventilation, so it’d always smell… well, smoked out (from a kitchen that’s been at it all day). For takeouts/​deliveries it was great. I liked the place a lot. Too bad they shut down… and was replaced by yet another Hookah joint in University City (God knows there’s too many. Aloosh is the only one we really need…)

I finally tried this place after walking by it everyday. I liked the mango lassi but otherwise everything was just okay. Variety of filling choices. Price wasn’t bad at all. But the inside was dirty and drab. It is nearly always empty.

Food tested: chicken paratha roll, mango lassi, mixed lamb/​chicken over rice platter
Positive: white sauce in the platter was decent and the owner seemed nice
Negative: depressing atmosphere, not much taste in the meat, paratha seemed like it was a roti, and place was empty
Overall: Great concept but not worth going to until they upgrade their parathas and add some spices in the meat
Revisit: no
Health tip: food at this place is not fit for people with high cholesterol. Ask for a roti roll instead of paratha to decrease calories and oil fat.

I think this spot is great. The lamb paratha roll (I get it extra spicy, no tamirin, with white sauce) is delicious and has a ton of lamb for the price (~$ 7). The chaat papri and samosas are also very good. I haven’t tried their curries yet, but I know they have recently expanded their menu beyond what they originally printed.
At this point it’s not a sit-​down Indian restaurant, but grabbing a paratha roll (which has tons of flavor, whatever Lenny Z saya) with an order of samosas makes for a great meal!

I was so excited to try Paratha Roll. it reminded me of a spot in NYC called Kati Rolls.
While Kati Rolls are smaller, and you need two or three to get a meal out of them, Paratha Rolls are burrito like big.
There is so much potential here. I love the concept. The roll was okay. The big problem is the insides are bland. They need more seasoning. They need more flavor. It was a complete bust. I might as well have mixed cardboard and rubber and eaten it.
The only reason I give it two stars is because the Samosas and Mango Lasi were pretty good. Otherwise, stay away from this place.

This is innovation my friends. Finally, our two great takeout loves piled into one. Sweetly spicy Indian wrapped like the good ol’ burrito. And the bread is perfect. Somewhere between naan and a great homemade tortilla. Just thick enough to satisfy your bite when you break through to the tender meat and delicious spice inside. Go there before you have to listen to some girl from the burbs bragging about it at work.

We didn’t know anything about this place but decided to give it a shot, and we were in for a pleasant surprise. We tried the lamb gyro sandwich, chicken paratha and chaat. The food tasted amazing, had a lot of flavor and was fresh. Also the restaurant had a fair amount of seating. Overall we loved the place and will definitely return and recommend it to others. Also get the mango lassi!

If you’re looking for a place to take a first date, this ain’t it. If you want some delicious pratha rolls, this IS it. I didn’t come for the décor, I came for the chow, and it’s good. Great for take-​out.

Summary: 3 Don’ts — Eat in, Expect much, EVER come back
Went to Paratha Roll, a relatively new place in UC Philadelphia, on recommendation from a few acquaintances. Most mentioned that the inside is relatively drab, but the chaat was good and the rest of the food decent for a UC Indian eatery.
When the folks said drab, they were mildly rephrasing a different word: disgusting. For a brand new restaurant, there is no reason that the place should be so dirty on the inside, that there should be a dead cockroach near the ordering counter, or that the place should smell like something died inside (well, beyond the cockroach).
Cleanliness aside (which immediately killed the place’s appeal for me), the food is okay. Definitely better than some of the other UC Indian joints, but still nowhere close to actual good Indian food. The only place in the area to actually experience good food would be Bensalem, followed by Oak Tree Road in Iselin, NJ.
With the sub-​par food, disgusting interior, and high-​prices (7 $ for a roll), I’d recommend that folks just stayed away from this place. After all, if there’s a dead cockroach in week 2, god only knows how much worse this place can get.

My wife and I have been trekking over to Desi Chaat House for some time because the other three U. City Indian places are more Americanized greasy buffet-​type places. I doubt we will do that much longer. This place isn’t high cuisine, but it’s extremely tasty, nicely spiced, and cheap. The paratha rolls are superb and really can’t be had anywhere else. The chaat was a bit drowned in sauce but still really quite good. The puri were light with a nice light sauce to accompany.
The décor is pretty shabby, but we did take-​out (delivery begins next week), and Saunders Park is a block away if it’s a nice day.
All-​in-​all, it’s worth a trip.

So being the first reviewer for this place, my only hope is that the people who run this business would pay serious attention to this review. This place has a lot of potential, but is just not attractive. I just happened to visit a friend nearby and decided to try this place.
The appearance was too shoddy for a newly opened place. The restaurant had seating, but the tables and chairs simply looked used; some chairs even had holes in them. The floor was full of dirt.
Speaking about the food, my friend and I ordered Samosa Chaat and Chana Paratha Roll. The Samosas in the chat had a really strong smell of cooking oil, and were hardly warmed up. The Chana roll had chana masala, lettuce, and yoghurt in it. The chana masala was just edible — and had a lot of gravy in it. That made the roll too soggy and difficult to eat.
Also, being an Indian, I have struggled at Indian restaurants in Philly. They just do not get the difference between spicy and hot. Spicy is more flavor, hot is burning your mouth with chillies. When the server asked whether I wanted more «spicy», I was hoping he really meant «spicy», and not «hot». Yet again, I was disappointed.
I am very sure I am not visiting this place again unless I know or have heard that it has gotten better.
The one extra star is for the effort of the owners to start a new business.