Say Devon Avenue, and you think Indian food. Say Indian food, and you think curry. The transitive property of sweeping generalizations says dining on Devon Avenue equals downing spicy bowls of curry. That, of course, would be embarrassingly narrow-minded.
Still, few outside the neighborhood understand this milelong stretch between California and Damen avenues, confounded by the Indian and Pakistani restaurants here and the regional differences — consider, the menus of two neighboring restaurants might not share a single item.
Dining at one of the 43 restaurants here — exactly eight miles into Chicago's North Side — isn't just about butter chicken or pink antacid. It's not just about burning face-on-fire spiciness (though it can be). Let us help you demystify Devon.
Breaking down the menus
North Indian (non-vegetarian)
What we generically label "Indian food" is an amalgam of cuisines from the country's northern states, exported to England before arriving to American shores as the chicken tandoori, saag paneer (tangy cheesy spinach) and butter chicken we recognize today. Trying to find region-specific restaurants on Devon is a losing effort. Chefs may serve a dish or two from their hometown, but those are lost in a greatest menu hits of tikka masalas (chicken cubes in a creamed tomato sauce), samosas (meat- or potato-filled fried pastry shells) and pakoras (craggy deep-fried fritter; think vegetable tempura but crunchier). There's also an overlap of Pakistani/Indian-Muslim dishes (see below). Flatbreads are the starches of choice, the most popular being chapatti (flat like a tortilla), paratha (unleavened, thicker than a chapatti, fried crispy in a skillet with butter) and naan (leavened, puffy, crispier, baked in a tandoor, a round clay oven), all tailor-made to dip in the heavy, cream-rich dishes.
Pakistani/Indian Muslim