Thelewala
“between the two, I prefer a Chicken Tikka roll from Kati Roll, but I'll still enjoy a Thelewala treat anytime.”
“We stop by at least once a month and our favorites are the Chapli, Thelewala chicken, and lime paneer.”
“I usually go with the Thelewala Chicken roll, Chapli roll or the Chicken Malai roll.”
Thelewala
Delivery: Yes
Take-out: Yes
Accepts Credit Cards: Yes
Bike Parking: Yes
Good for Kids: Yes
PokéStop Nearby: Yes
Price range.
$ Price range Under $10
8 reviews
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Really good little spot for some post drinking munchies. This is Indian (specifically Calcutta style) street food done right!
Make sure to try their chaat, jaal moori or one of their rolls. I personally like the rolls here more than the ones at Kathi Roll across the road. They also have some good plated dishes like the tava chicken, and the masala chai is solid as well.
Really small place so don't expect much seating. Good place for a small bite.
Really tiny place with just few seats…Good to get food to-go, but not really eat inside.
Ordered the chicken malai roll & the thelewala roll to go. Waited about 15 min for the food to be ready. The rolls were just okay… not really that memorable. And after a couple bites of the chicken malai roll, felt something hard and I spit it out and it was some kind of seed. I think they forgot to take it out after cooking with it…I wish the portion was bigger for its price.
Thelewala has no choice but to be good. In this area? Right next to Kati Roll company?
Thelewala offers delicious rolls for good prices. They rolls aren't very large, but they are surprisingly filling, as they are packed with a decent amount of fixings. The are priced at around 4-6 dollars for one, and usually two will do the trick for your hunger!
If you like Indian food, you'll definitely love Thelewala!
Overrated spot on MacDougal street. Kati rolls have gotten ever so popular over the past 5-10 years and now more and more spots are popping up (which is a good thing). However, I believe the quality has gone down tremendously, while the price for kati rolls have continuously increased.
Thelewala is in the heart of a busy MacDougal St. It's extremely tiny, and once you open the door, you walk up a few stairs to enter into the restaurant. The restaurant itself can hold, maybe, and I'm being generous, about 10-12 people. There's some seating along the wall for a few folks, and you order the counter. It's typically a take-out or late-night spot, so that doesn't matter too much, but don't let the size of the restaurant fool you.
I stopped by here last night before a comedy show and ordered two kati rolls:
Gobi roll – this was decent, but there wasn't a lot of gobi in the actual roll itself. I wasn't a big fan of their paratha's, as they tasted pretty bland and undercooked (similar to the frozen paratha's you buy at the store and grill them on your pan at home). The roll itself was actually pretty large, bigger than other kati rolls I've had, but it didn't have as much "stuff" inside. I was expecting a bit more gobi in the roll, in addition to some spices, but it just didn't hit the spot.
Paneer roll – this one tasted better and I was actually pleasantly surprised at how well the paneer was grilled and the flavors that it was mixed with.
Overall, not the best, and maybe I'll come back for a late night bite, but there are other better spots to go to if you're craving a kati roll.
I've been here twice now and while what I've had has been good (chicken phall roll and chicken malai roll), it's also been wholly forgettable. For example, last night I had the chicken phall roll (which includes a HABANERO sauce) and a mere 12 hours later I can barely recall even the level of heat. Granted, this could be because I have not acquired a taste for Indian food in general (the spices are taking some time for me). However, even if that was the case, the time to serve these fairly small wrap-like entrees was puzzling as well. At 9 pm, with no other customers in line, it shouldn't take 10+ minute to prepare one measly roll, especially for an establishment that purports itself as "street food." Despite the negativity that I've expressed thus far, I would probably come back if I was in the area. It's serviceable and good for a quick snack. I'd definitely call ahead though.
The claustrophobic interior – anywhere where rents aren't as sky-high as in the village would use this space as a closet – unwittingly brings to mind the crowded markets and stalls where wallas sell this sort of Indian street food back in the home-country. Thankfully, the food is also of a similar quality.
The malai roll is carefully placed on a small grill from a marinating pouch below the stove. Everything is very neat and it's a very high quality piece of poultry placed on the stove. One can't help watch the meal being prepared (you are squeezed to the side of the counter while waiting for the order). It is garnished with spices and egg and then placed on a flaky paratha before serving.
My chaat is freshly shaken before placed in a to-go center. All of which is roughly how it would be done on the Subcontinent, minus all of the vintage, thick-filament light bulbs that hang from the ceiling.
It's not a pleasant experience, but I have no real complaints about the setup or processing. It seems that Thelewala is doing as good an effort as possible to deal with a huge amount of volume in a larger space.
I hope the lines mean that a larger space – and perhaps more seating – is in the cards for the new year. Certainly more people deserve to enjoy these great snacks.
This tiny storefront on Macdougal offers up a wide range of kati rolls (think: a small Indian burrito) and other snacks.
At $4-6 a roll, you'll get a thin layer of paratha bread rolled around some savory, spicy fillings (egg, chicken, paneer, potato, et al). No matter your choice (the lime paneer and aloo paneer, both made with fresh cheese and plenty of coriander, are recommended), it makes for a tasty light lunch or snack to fuel a stroll around the Village.
Not as well known as the pioneering Kati Roll company across the street, skip the lines and pull up a stool at Thelewala.
This is my favorite meal in all of NYC! I don't care where you are in the city, but you need to stop by this place