First Look: City Market Cafe Becomes Indus Express, Serves Giant Kati Rolls

There is no shortage of generic delis here in Midtown, and we’ve got our decent share of fast and cheap Indian steam tables too.  Combine the two, and then you’re talking craziness!  Walk into what used to be City Market Cafe on 48th btw. 5+6th, and you will find the latest in worktime lunch’ing ingenuity.  Keep the set-up, change the food seems to be the motif at the newly christened Indus Express, the latest cheap, fast food Indian place to open in Midtown.  I haven’t tried anything yet, but early word from a tipster is that the saag paneer is “pretty good”.

They don’t have printed menus yet, so I don’t know exactly what the scope of their offerings will be or how much everything will cost, but they did have a list of basic steam table pricing.  $7.95 gets you two veggies, dal, rice & bread,  $8.95 gets you one meat, two veggies, bread (and I’m assuming rice, although it doesn’t say it),  $9.95 gets you two meats, two veggies, (rice), and bread,  and $10.95 gets you fish with two veggies, and bread. 

They also have a steam table full of nice looking pakoras and samosas.  

But a steam table alone will not pull lunch’ers away from already established Midtown Indian food favorites.  For that, Indus Express is bringing out the big guns, which I have photos of, after the jump…

Too big to be a kati roll, too Indian to just be called a standard Midtown deli “wrap”, this could be what separates Indus Express from nearby mainstays like Minar, Sukhadia, & the downstairs take out table at Utsav.

Because of the whole menu thing, I’m not exactly sure how much they cost, but I’m pretty excited to try one of these naan wraps.  If it’s as good as it looks, we might have a new winner on the Midtown Lunch’ing circuit.  Full report coming soon.

For big fans of the generic Midtown deli, don’t be too upset.  The salad bar from City Market Cafe still remains intact on the right,  and if you don’t want to get your lame salad from an Indian deli, there’s always Variety Cafe or Bagelfeller or Europa or Cafe Metro or…

Indus Express/City Market Cafe, 48 W. 48th St. (btw. 5+6th), 212-840-2733

10 Comments

  • Chicken tikka on naan…….lovely.

    Add Mango chutney and riata….heaven.

  • Think I will try them on Friday when I go back to work. :o)

  • I had lunch there yesterday. The chicken tikka is a little too sweet side, but it’s not bad. (Minars is still the best Indian in the area).
    And I confess that I saw you there taking these pictures yesterday at lunch time.

  • The Naan role thing was very good and not a bad deal at $7.53 with some shoestring fry things. The steam tray Indian looked pretty good too…nice to have another Indian option.

  • Tried them they day they converted — very good.

  • ow…. i like food so so much too many choices and all looks grate. i just love food .i will visit with my friends soon.you can also visit the place.lovely indian food near my job place.

  • The food was much better than I had expected. The Chaats were well done, the fish both fresh and tasty and the desert authentic. What surprised me most, though, was that they had south Indian food — Dosas, etc. — which looked very good. Didn’t try them this time, but will the next.

    Also, the tables in the back were clean and readily available.

  • hey …..i never tried like that good food there .i can say that newyork’s best indian food .best that minar,ustave .such a nice place and clean in back. well when i was there a lot people were having lunch soask for delivery.good and fast delivery.

  • Food was excellent both days I went last week. Good enough that I’m debating on having it twice more this week.

  • Food was awesome, where can you get a fresh plate of chaat for 5 bucks???? and the pani puri not bad! fresh and clean, which you cant usually say about curry hill!

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