Peppino’s Dosa

This isn't just one of the best Indian restaurants in New England, it's actually two of the best Indian restaurants in New England, and they're both located under the same roof. We are in Waltham, Massachusetts, and whether you're a lover of Indian cuisine or it's a type of food that you don't really know anything about, this is the perfect place to get it. Welcome to Peppino’s Dosa on Moody Street.

I've been to a lot of restaurants in my time, but I have never seen any other place that operates like they do it here. One side is all vegetarian, and one side serves meat. They have totally separate menus. There are two completely separate kitchens, but the one common denominator throughout the whole space is you're going to get highly seasoned and highly delicious food. Peppino's Dosa is actually a family owned and operated restaurant. There's Chef Pepino, there's Chef Jay and Chef Laddi, and all together, these three have combined their skills and their experience into creating some of the most addictive Indian food you can find.

The name of the restaurant is Peppino’s Dosa, and dosa is definitely the star attraction here. Dosa is a very popular street food in southern India. It's basically the Indian equivalent of a French crepe. So it's a super thin pancake that can be stuffed with all kinds of savory or spicy fillings. Then you have a nice, piping hot broth with some lentils and vegetables to dip it in. And then there's some nice, cool, creamy sauces as well. You have some coconut or you have some tomato. They're all different styles and all different flavors. This is a traditional dosa with some potato and spices. This red one here is a spicier version, and they'll even make a super sized version. This is what's known as the Paper Dosa. It is a four foot long, super thin and super crispy, Indian style pancake. Now this is a lot to get through, if I just start on this end, I think I'll be done by dinner.

Even if you don't know anything about Indian food, you're probably familiar with naan. Naan is some of the finest, freshest and fluffiest bread you can get anywhere in the world, and it's one of their specialties here. This dough is made fresh every single day. They roll it out nice and thin, and then to cook it, you take that naan and you literally stick it right on the side of that Tandoor oven. There's a traditional plain naan. My favorite is definitely the garlic naan, and they are not shy with the garlic at all. As an alternative to the naan, you should check out the bhatura. It's basically the equivalent of fried dough. You just rip it and throw on some chickpeas and pickles and onions, and this thing is like a meal unto itself.

For a starter, you definitely need to try the samosas. Samosas are basically an Indian style dumpling or a turnover. These are the vegetable samosas, crispy fried dough on the outside. This has a mixture of potatoes and peas on the inside. Loving the texture difference between the crunchy outside, the nice soft inside, little bit of sweetness from the peas that is Samosa-licious.

There are some creative fusion dishes on this menu as well. Just check out the spicy garlic noodles. This dish is actually prepared just like a Chinese style noodle dish. It's all cooked in a pan, but they're basically using it like a wok. The flames are really shooting off of this thing. It's basically an Indian style lo mein, but the flavors are super intense, very intense. I'll tell you one thing. When you're at an Indian restaurant and it says ‘spicy’ on the menu, trust them, this thing is no joke. All the dishes I just showed you, every single one of them, are completely vegetarian.

Now let's head on to the other side of the menu and go to the kitchen that fires up all of the meat based dishes. Of course, we got to start with the tandoori chicken. Tandoori chicken, to me, is like the gateway drug to Indian cuisine. It really hits all of your senses. You smell it, you can hear it, you can see it, and of course, you can taste it, and then you're gonna wanna taste more and more and more.

Another popular chicken dish is the Butter Chicken. It's made with chicken thighs, so you get all that tenderness and a little extra flavor out of it. And it's cooked along with some tomatoes, fresh herbs, spices and cream, and, yeah, some butter, a lot of butter. It's the kind of dish you'll have one scoop, and then you'll have another and another and another.

Rice is a big deal in Indian cooking. Of course, basmati rice is what you get with most of the dishes. For me, if I'm getting Indian food, I'm getting Chef Laddi’s Special Biryani. Biryani is sort of the Indian equivalent of a Chinese style fried rice. So the base is rice, and then you have some chicken, some lamb, and beautiful jumbo shrimp. They're using saffron rice. And the key to this dish are the crispy fried onions. It's almost like a caramelized crispy onion ring. I like to pour some of the yogurt sauce over the top. Keeps it cool and refreshing. It's kind of like fried rice. It's also almost like a paella, and I'm here for it.

So whether you're a vegetarian or you're a meat eater, if you know a lot about Indian food or you know nothing about Indian food, I guarantee you'll have an unforgettable experience here at Peppino’s Dosa.