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This humble Indian eatery picked a tough neighborhood. The eight-table restaurant, with its slapdash décor of Ganesha wall carvings, Christmas lights, and plain wood tables has to compete with rarefied establishments like The Little Owl, Wallsé, and The Spotted Pig. Good thing, then, that the food is so good. North Indian specialties like tandoori dishes (including more than a dozen varieties of naan and paratha breads) and karahi entrées (cooked in India’s version of the wok) dominate the menu. The murg malai kebab’s chunks of white-meat chicken, marinated in yogurt and ginger then baked in the restaurant’s clay oven, arrive sizzling and smoky on a bed of thin-sliced green peppers and onions; the shahi paneer pairs cubes of house-made cheese with a slightly piquant tomato sauce. Best of all is the chana saag, a spicy dish of finely chopped spinach and stewed chickpeas. — Sarah Gold

Murg malai kebab, $13.95; chana saag, $10.95; shahi paneer, $10.95