One of my college roommates told me about this place right in the middle of Macdougal Street. I’ve even to Macdougal literally hundreds of times, since it’s probably my dad’s favorite place on earth. He lived there for 15 years and prides himself on knowing the in’s and out’s of the neighborhood. Macdougal Street is full of incredible places to eat every few feet, and Bleecker Street right beside it just makes it all the more difficult to choose a single place to eat. NYU students take advantage of their close proximity to the area and liven up the entire neighborhood, and have the special privilege of living near some of the greatest foods on earth. 

Despite walking on Macdougal Street so many times, I never noticed Kati Roll before. It’s a small place, with a few tables and chairs to grab your bite to eat. There is a student discount for NYU students, and they seemed to be pretty lenient about giving a student discount if you’re a college student in the city in general. 

  
I absolutely love Indian food, so I looked forward to giving Kati Roll a try. There’s a simple menu with various Indian options, including Aloo (potato) and, my favorite, paneer (cheese). I’ve always loved vegetarian Indian foods, especially when I was a vegetarian for a little under a a year. My mom and I got 3 of them to try and to share — paneer, chicken tikka, and aloo. The size of each Kati roll is decent – it’s not too big and not too small. It’s perfect for a quick bite to eat. ”

The decor inside is reminiscent of some Indian culture and is essentially what I would image the interior of Kati Roll to look like.
   
 
They wrap your Kati Roll, which to me looks like a very skinny burrito, and place it in a tasteful paper bag with aluminum lining inside. The Kati Rolls themselves are quite good, with my personal favorite being the paneer (shocker!). The aloo was my last favorite, as I thought it lacked flavor or depth. Both the chicken tikka and paneer Kati Rolls had a good spicy kick to them, and I just love paneer in general. I’m surprised they don’t seem to offer any side sauces or chutneys, and I think they’re definitely missing from the equation. I also think that perhaps Kati Roll should allow for the ability to customize your meal (this is sounding more and more like Chipotle). 

   
 
All in all, I think that Kati Roll is a satisfying bite to eat, but I don’t think it’s astounding or over the top. Their rolls are generally pretty simplistic and similar to one another, with no customization or additional flavors possible than the ones they’ve created. They do the job, but in brutal honesty, they could do it a little better. Would I have another Kati Roll? Yes. Do I go crazy over them? No. I think that realistically there are much better options around the place, at least on Macdougal. It’s all a matter of personal taste, but Kati Roll nevertheless is a good stop for some Indian paneer, which I’ll never truly turn down.