A First-Timer's Guide to the Menu

Our menu is short on purpose. There are rolls, bowls, momos, a few sides, lassi, chai and one dessert. But short is not the same as simple when you are standing at the counter for the first time, so here is where we would start.

One thing to know first: not every section is on every store's menu. Kingfisher, for one, is poured at only three Manhattan stores. Each store page links to that store's own menu and ordering, so check yours before you go.

Start with a classic roll

A kati roll is a skewer-grilled filling rolled in a hand-made flatbread and finished with lime-cilantro chutney, onions and our own chaat masala. If you only try one, make it one of these three.

• Chicken Tikka Roll: chicken breast marinated in yogurt and spices, then grilled. The one to try first.
• Achari Paneer Roll: Indian farmer's cheese marinated in spicy pickle and grilled. Tangy, a little hot, and vegetarian.
• Shami Kabab Roll: a croquette of minced lamb and lentils with aromatic herbs and spices.

Every roll comes on your choice of bread: paratha, layered and lightly fried on a cast-iron griddle, or roti, whole durum wheat and roasted. If you cannot decide, read paratha or roti, or just take the paratha. It is the traditional choice.

Halal, all of it

All of our meats are certified halal, and our chicken is antibiotic and hormone free. That covers every meat on the menu: the chicken tikka, the Steak Tikka Roll of cubed beef grilled on a skewer, the lamb in the Shami Kabab and the mutton shami in the bowls. Everything is marinated daily, and we never use pre-packaged foods or sauces.

Vegetarian picks

We do veg good. Half of our six fillings are vegetarian, and each of them is as much a part of the menu as the meat.

• Achari Paneer Roll: paneer in spicy pickle, grilled.
• Chana Masala Roll: chickpeas with tomatoes, fenugreek and blackening spices.
• Aloo Masala Roll: a mashed potato patty with tomatoes, green peppers and spices.

If you eat egg

Every filling also comes unda, on a flatbread layered and grilled with freshly beaten egg. The Unda Paneer Roll, Unda Chana Roll and Unda Aloo Roll are vegetarian with egg, and the plain Unda Roll is just the egg-layered bread.

If you eat vegan

Our parathas are made with butter, so ask for the roasted whole wheat roti, which is vegan. The Vegan Momos, filled with cabbage, carrots, greens and traditional spices, are vegan as written. For anything else, ask the team at the counter.

Bowls, when you want a fork

A bowl is the roll's filling with everything around it. Every bowl comes with paratha wedges, spicy mashed potato and a colorful salad with lime cilantro dressing, topped with white raita, green chutney and caramelized red onions. Rice bowls sit on aromatic biryani rice; salad bowls are the same bowl without the rice.

Pick from five: chicken tikka, steak tikka, mutton shami, achari paneer or chana. The Chicken Rice Bowl is the place to start, and the Chana Rice Bowl pairs blackened, spiced chickpeas with the spicy mashed potato.

Momos and sides

Momos are Indo-Tibetan dumplings, steamed or pan-fried, and served with a trio of sauces: spicy red chili, tomato sesame and soy vinegar. Choose Chicken Momos, with cabbage, herbs and aromatic spices, or the vegan ones.

On the side, the Spicy Potato Chips are fried and seasoned in-house. Add extra green chutney or green chili if you want more heat, or a cup of Raita Sauce, our classic mint and yogurt white sauce, if you want less.

Something to drink

Lassi is a traditional Indian yogurt smoothie, and we make our own yogurt for it every day. The Alfonso Mango Lassi is the one to order with a hot roll. If you would rather have something warm, Masala Chai is Assam black tea brewed with ginger and cardamom. At MacDougal Street, 39th Street and 53rd Street there is also Kingfisher, the Indian lager.

Save room for one thing

The Gajar Halwa Cake Bite puts all the flavors of gajar halwa, the Indian carrot dessert, into an eggless mini cake: fresh carrots, cardamom and ghee, topped with almonds. It is small, and you will want it.

A first order, if you want one

• Two rolls on paratha: one Chicken Tikka, one Achari Paneer.
• Spicy Potato Chips to share.
• An Alfonso Mango Lassi.
• A Gajar Halwa Cake Bite to finish.

Then come back and work through the rest. The full menu, with every filling and both breads, is on our menu page.