I was sort of wondering about that based on this discussion… For people who immigrated to the US decades ago, they may have a relatively static idea of what their native food “should” taste like (esp if they don’t visit their home country very often or have a steady influx of new immigrants over the yrs). Of course, food preferences and prep can change fairly dramatically in the native country, so the “new” stuff may taste rather different from the old.
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So bomb
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Details?
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Yep, they nailed it just right for the neighborhood. And there’s plenty of spice to be had… you just have to order it.
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Weird experience to be sure, but I agree this is the best Punjabi food I’ve had in SoCal.
Thanks for this gem @Eater15! Got the daal, muttar paneer and a stack of roti up to my chin. Best part was the pickle though. Should have asked for more mango.
Came before dinner time so only had all-veg options. Really nice lady working and the shade structure, misters and swamp cooler all helped to mitigate the 100 plus heat.
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Thanks for the update. Just trying to figure out exactly what the above means. Were they out of meat options for the day, or is it just that they don’t serve meat dishes during in-between hours, or something else?
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They said they’d have chicken at 7pm but it was 5pm when I got there. I get the sense that what they may have on any given day is pretty variable.
Basically I think you need to go there totally open minded and without expectations. They didn’t have a menu when I went and spent a bit of time trying to figure out what they could serve us. But the kindness of the young woman was memorable and the food was very good. No restrooms, I peed on the side of the highway. The fact that this place is discussed on this site is evidence of what an incredibly obsessive food site this is. I think I am an obsessive eater but some people on this site win the prize.
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Three of us are going out to Bakersfield tomorrow hoping for a walk-in vaccine. We are two adults + one teen.
Afterwards I had thought of this place + maybe Dewar’s. We’re driving from Eagle Rock, and can stop anywhere on the way back. All good vibes and suggestions welcome. I’m a little curious about the brisket place, too.
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would highly recommend this spot. Also love Loncheria Otro Rollo, and Dionysus brewing is very solid if you want a beer (unsure of their pandemic setup, haven’t been since 2019 or so).
Good luck getting the jab! A friend was able to get it this way a couple days ago.
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We did this (shot + Punjabi Dhaba in that order). The food was great and the woman was nice. One word of warning in case it affects your route, but no one in the little truck was wearing a mask. I’m going to assume they all got the jab already, and it’s been more than a week since I ate there and I’m fine.
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Unfortunately working in Bakersfield once a week these days. Finally found myself under 10 miles from here so i had to finally go. I have zero clue what i got. Something with tofu. Got a samosa and I don’t know what was all over it, but it was fucking incredible. Both dishes incredible. Way too much food for one, but worth the detour to the truck.
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Yeah!! I went here beginning of the month after my CSUB Covid shot. My driving companions are very patient with my wanderings, we got A LOT of food that was all a similar color, but all delicious. We also got the samosa with indeterminate toppings and loved it.
Afterwards we went to https://calmzoo.org/. Zoos are not my bag usually, but this one has a stronger rescue mission, so there are animals who have traumatic injuries (several one-winged birds).
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Cheese curd, not tofu i think
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Yeah, probably paneer.
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Probably. I am sorry I am not the most familiar with Indian, Usually so basic. But i will be making it a regular visit on my weekly work days there.
Finally made it to Punjabi Dhaba a couple of weeks ago. They were out of my favorite Indian dish (butter chicken), and although they had chicken tikka masala, I instead opted for Dal Makhani, along with some thin pancakey things (I forget what they were called, but they weren’t naan – maybe roti?). Anyway, it was excellent and very flavorful – I want to go back next time I’m passing through and try something different. Nice lady too.
I also tried the BBQ place for a brisket sammich. The meat was fall-apart tender and had a nice bark, but I didn’t notice any smoked flavor at all. I don’t think I’d return, as I’ve had better BBQ in Tehachapi (also on the route), and in Vegas as well.
Finally tried Punjabi Dhaba this weekend and glad we did! We almost didn’t because we were driving to Sacramento after work and cautious of any delays but it worked out great. Foodwise, nothing particularly unusual that we didn’t recognize but pretty well made from my inexpert opinion. Among several other things I particularly appreciated the chole was damn near perfect texture with no chalkiness at all.
Not much to contribute but a few observations I found interesting/cool:
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We arrived at 6:30PM on a Friday and there was zero crowd. The owner said it would take 20 minutes to get the food out and it actually took less than 10. We paid after eating and he refused to take more than a $2 tip on a $38 meal
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I thought ordering ahead of time might be tricky because the menu is different every day but he said most locals do takeout. I also saw him take calls while we were there and he was very open to explaining the menu so we may well try and call in an order next time
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Even if you do show up in person the menu might need some explanation, though. It was literally a postcard sized piece of paper without any context. For example: “dal”. What kind of dal?! Turns out dal tarka although they also had dal makhani and I don’t even remember how that appeared. One item was literally an acronym but hey, as long as he’s fine explaining each item we were fine ordering. We probably would’ve asked anyway because we needed some vegan items which he was happy to point out
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After we ate he wandered over and talked to us about the business and the food. Sorry if this is covered earlier but apparently he started the business as a retirement plan from trucking because of his health. It’s the same food as he eats and he seems to take sourcing ingredients pretty seriously. He also seemed to really appreciate the NY Times and other attention which has been a real boost to the business
All in all, a great experience. I could see it getting a little hectic if it were crowded but we’ll gladly check it out again.
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