The Bite: Beyond the Buffet

Exploring Albuquerque’s Indian Street Food Scene

Welcome to the only source for artful, bite-sized stories and diverse perspectives on the New Mexico food and drink scene. This week, we set off on a quest for Indian snacks, chaat, street food, and more in Albuquerque.

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A Different Kind of Indian Food Experience

Admission: I don’t particularly like the buffet—not even the most widely loved of all buffets, those at Indian restaurants in the United States. This can make me a disagreeable dining companion, one who either grumbles about caving to the pressure to “just get the buffet” or insists on ordering off the menu even when no one else at the table is doing so.

The upside is that I tend to notice the dishes that rarely make it into warming trays. That includes a whole world of snacks, chaat, appetizers, and street food. Even familiar favorites like samosas and pakora are best served fresh and eaten immediately, making them less buffet-friendly and, for me, far more exciting.

What makes these dishes memorable is the layering of textures and temperatures—sweet and spicy, crunchy and creamy, warm and cool—all in the same bite. Some diners might call that “interesting.” Others might even say “gross.” I call it addictive.

Rediscovering Chaat in Albuquerque

I love makhani and korma, rogan josh and palak paneer, all the rich and complex sauces of northern India. Vindaloo once became my stand-in for New Mexico red chile while living in the Pacific Northwest. Later, in the Bay Area, I discovered the bright, lively textures of dishes like bhel puri.

But after returning to Albuquerque—where Indian dining still leans heavily toward buffets—I found myself eating Indian food less often.

That changed with Tikka Spice, the once-roving food truck now permanently located at High and Dry Brewing in Nob Hill. Owner Basit Gauba drew inspiration from Pakistani street food, creating dishes packed with texture and flavor.

“Chaat literally means to lick or to taste. It will be so good that you will be licking your fingers afterward,” Gauba explained in a 2022 interview with edible New Mexico.

Their samosa chaat layers chickpea curry, yogurt sauce, mint sauce, red chile chutney, tamarind chutney, pico, cilantro, and crispy chickpea noodles into a dish that somehow manages to be sweet, spicy, tangy, creamy, savory, and crunchy all at once.

Taste of India and the Joy of Pani Puri

Almost by accident, I later discovered chaat at Taste of India, tucked into a quiet strip mall near Juan Tabo and Indian School.

I started with pani puri: crispy hollow wheat puffs filled with tamarind, potato, and chickpea, served alongside shot glasses filled with seasoned water. After hesitating briefly over whether I was eating it correctly, I poured the water into the puff and ate it in one bite.

Crunchy. Cooling. Tangy. Gone in seconds.

A server explained that in Delhi, pani puri vendors offer endless variations of flavored pani, or water. Like an amuse-bouche or a shot, the experience is fleeting—but unforgettable.

On another visit, I finally gave the buffet a chance—though not without ordering chaat first. Their bhalla chaat papri combined lentil fritters and crispy wafers with whipped yogurt, chutneys, spices, cilantro, sev, and fried lentils.

The contrast between the chilled yogurt and warm fritters, paired with sweet, sour, savory, and aromatic flavors, made every bite feel layered and alive.

The Expanding World of Indian Street Food in Albuquerque

The more I searched, the more Indian street food seemed to appear everywhere.

Taj Mahal includes chaat among its appetizers. Royal Hyderabad features entire sections dedicated to snacks and South Indian specialties. Curry Leaf dives into Indo-Chinese dishes like chilli paneer and chicken lollipops alongside classic pakora and mendu wada.

These menus tell stories of cultural intersections:

• Samosas trace their origins to Persia.
• Manchurian dishes reflect Chinese influence in India.
• Mirchi bajji connects South Indian cooking with chiles introduced by Portuguese traders centuries ago.

Food Trucks, Parking Lots, and Hidden Gems

No story about street food in America would be complete without a food truck parked somewhere unexpected.

That’s how I found ABQ Desi Bites in the Quick Track parking lot near Lomas and University.

The menu ranged from ponganalu—tiny fried dumplings made from leftover dosa batter—to dosa, uttapam, mirchi bajji, and Nepali-style momos.

The tagline printed on the truck read: “Every bite, a memory.”

It fit perfectly.

One helpful tip: if you order pani puri to go, be prepared for some careful assembly at home.

A Final Stop at Vada Chennai

My last stop was Vada Chennai, located at the ABQ Food Park near San Antonio and Louisiana.

Focused heavily on South Indian cuisine, the menu featured dosa, uttapam, biryani, and idly sambar—soft steamed rice dumplings floating in a flavorful vegetable soup rich with tamarind, fenugreek, and coriander.

Then came Chicken 65: crispy, spicy fried chicken bites that may or may not have been named after the year the dish first appeared at the Buhari Hotel in Chennai.

More Than Just “Indian Food”

This small snack tour reminded me just how vast Indian cuisine truly is. At times, I’ve wondered whether it even makes sense to speak of a single thing called “Indian food.”

What I found instead was an endless range of flavors, histories, techniques, and regional identities—all hiding in the corners of menus most diners skip past on their way to the buffet.

And somewhere along the way, I found myself excited about Indian food in Albuquerque again.

For now, I’ll keep exploring—from the overlooked snacks at the edges of the menu back toward the center. Though lately, I’ve started drifting toward another underappreciated section entirely: Dessert.