Chowrastha is the path to the best Indian food
A new Indian restaurant opens up in Nashua.
March 29, 2023
The word chowrastha means “four paths” in Hindi. In Nashua lies a recently new path to any food lover’s heart. Illustrating the different landmarks of India through paint, Chowrastha is a fast-paced and colorful restaurant. Chowrastha has a lively and busy atmosphere on weekends, and has an atmosphere similar to a fast food restaurant. It is located near the Home Depot in Nashua, and is the very first of its chain to be set in Massachusetts; the other restaurants are scattered in Texas.
Just from pulling into a parking spot, my dad and I already knew that there was no way we would be able to get a table. It was so busy that there was not even enough space to wait in line to order food, so we decided to get take-out instead. Since it was so busy on a Friday night, my dad and I had to wait about 45 minutes for the food to arrive. That is even longer than what it should take when one is dining in a restaurant. However, the menu consisted of a good variety of dishes, with many options for both vegetarians and non-vegetarians. My dad ordered the Chicken Dum Biryani, and I ordered the Paneer Tikka Masala and the Black Forest Cake for dessert. The paneer curry came with pulav, white rice with cumin.
The Paneer Tikka Masala ($13.99) curry was properly seasoned and mild in spice, but the spice tolerance could also be adjusted to anyone’s liking. I like that they have spice preferences because it is accessible to all people’s spice tolerance, rather than one certain spice level. The paneer was in reasonably sized Indian cheese cubes, not too big, nor too small, making it easy to eat, and there was definitely enough for leftovers. The cubes were submerged in creamy tomato gravy. The curry was a little on the salty side, but it was barely noticeable.
The Chicken Dum Biryani ($14.99) included saffron rice, two big chicken legs, and some vegetable garnishings (red onions and lime). On the side, my dad got gravy and raita, a yogurt-based sauce that can be poured into the biryani. According to my dad, the seasoning of the rice and the chicken was excellently done, and the chicken legs were tender. My dad got his biryani at medium spice, since he has more of a spice tolerance than I do. The quantity was definitely enough to eat in multiple sittings.
A slice of the Black Forest Cake ($3.41) had cut-up maraschino cherries in alternate layers of vanilla filling. The cake was made up of chocolate and coffee flavors that were rich and strong. The coffee was definitely noticeable after the first bite and was soft and dense, but the white icing was artificially sweet and had chocolate spiral confetti that melted in my mouth.
The prices of each dish were not too expensive, and they aligned almost exactly with other restaurants’ pricing, even with the higher prices of today. Overall, I think this restaurant experience was excellent and I would most definitely go back again. I would recommend Chowrastha to anyone who enjoys trying new foods, or even just likes Indian food.
9/10
