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Nostrand Ave (A, C)
Franklin Ave (C, S)
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When the sun is setting over Bedford Stuyvesent, and the songs from the muezzin in the nearby mosque fill the air calling the faithful to prayer, there is no better time to file into local favorite Ali's. And as the name suggests, you would be a fool to ignore their glorious, heaping mounds called roti.
Ali's is definitely not the place to expect kind and courteous staff. Ali himself (guess?) struggles to run back and forth between order and pickup windows, jotting down orders and trying to make sure the cooks have all the right info. It seems like every order needs to be said at least twice no matter who says it though, a real comical gap in communication exists here for some odd reason. Hope though that he takes your order, as if he's around the corner and you have to scream through the window to the ladies in the back, your order is effectively being broadcast for everyone to hear, and don't even think about asking questions! It's all fun and quaint somehow though, and makes procuring your delicious snacks that much more rewarding.
The major two panels of the menu are split between "rotis" and "dinners," but one of these gigantic rotis, which all range between $4-6 is more than enough to be called dinner. The curry chicken roti ($5.50) is filled more with potato than anything else, but does have a couple big chunks. Interestingly enough, the pieces are still on the bone and have to be pulled out and eaten separately with your hands like fried chicken. The curry is up to par with the best Trinidad cuisine in this city has to offer, and it is obvious the chicken has been slow cooking in that stew all day as the meat falls off the bone.
The cheapest option on this side is the potato and chana roti ($4), which is basically the same thing without the chicken pieces. The beef, oxtail, and other options are all strong and worth the good variety in life if you return for multiple visits.
Meanwhile, the alou pies and doubles are better around the corner at A & A. Unfortunately you will have to wait until tomorrow, as you're stuffed beyond belief by Ali.
Roti, roti, they like to party, they don't cause no problem, they don't bother nobody.. So last night we done headed over to Ali's Roti shop..
I really did not know what to expect.. What is a roti, what's the restaurant look like, what else can you get besides a roti..
Lets start with the decor.. Very bare bones..You walk up and you are screened off from the woman making the food and the man taking the cash and orders.. It kind of looks like one of those bullet proof glass set ups but, its just plain glass.. There are a few tables and chairs but, it seems like a take out spot..
What is a roti?
Well a roti can be described in laymen's terms as a West Indian Burrito.. It is kind of like an eggy, crepe-y, wrapper that houses stewed meat, potato, in some sort of curry sauce.. I think you can get other vegetables but, a standard one comes with potatoes.. Last night I had a goat roti.. Tender fall of the bone curry goat with perfectly cooked potatoes.. Liked that the wrapper soaks up the curry sauce..
What is a doubles?
A doubles is a fry bread sandwich that houses a spicy mixture of chickpeas.. They are super cheap, super filling, and freaking awesome.. This is a must to order..
One more important thing:
I am a sauce guy.. Any kind of extra sauce, I always like to try.. Their tamarind sauce is outrageous. Spicy with whole chunks of tamarind.. It really helps break up the doubles but, it's great on the roti too..
They also have a pretty fantastic hot sauce.. The tamarind might be considered a hot sauce to some but, the hot sauce, is pretty intense.. Not chemically hot most likely scotch bonnet pepper.
Lots of good ginger beer, lemonades, and other drinks from Trinidad to explore.
Dinner was a lot of food and was only like 8 bucks.. I am a fan and will be back soon.. Really nice people in there..
I LOVE Ali's Roti shop and have been getting Roti from him since I was a teenager. Over the years I became a vegetarian so I went from Curry Chicken Roti to Veggie Roti and it still gives me my fix. I also love the Bussup with veggies.
I crave Ali's about once a week lately!! SOOOO yummy!!!
It does feel a little like going to the Soup Nazi... Seinfeld fans will know what I mean! But its so worth it hence the 5 stars.
I've been eating Alis since i was a kid. I love it here but I do agree with the huge bones being an issue in the roti, and they are cheap with the tamarind sauce for the pholourie! Ali's was better back in the day however I'd still reccommend them.
It's not only THE ONLY curry I trust (as far as street food) but it's as close to Trinidad I can afford :-)
the doubles are sooooo inexpensive! i buy about 4-6 every time i come here!
the downside is that they don't have cucumber sauce :(
i need the trifecta of cucumber/tamarind/hot pepper to make it a five star rating.
I come here almost every weekend for my fix of doubles and pholourie, plus the occasional roti or alou pie.
Their doubles and pholourie are absolutely great: fresh, plump, and flavorful. Even better with tamarind sauce. Their rotis, which are quite large in size, tend to be a bit dry for my taste, but are otherwise solid, although they could use more spice.
Although you can give them your order on the phone and then pick it up, the line is constantly busy. Be prepare to wait: the line can get very long on weekends, and it doesn't serve food before 12 noon.
Oh man. After wanting to come here for the longest time, I was disappointed with the food. (As a disclaimer, this was my first time trying a west indian roti so I may just not be a fan of them in general.)
When I got to the shop, I was super excited to see the long line of neighborhood locals (my friend and I stood out like sore thumbs). I ordered a vegetable roti that I couldn't bring myself to eat more than a few bites of. I asked for it spicy, but found it to be really bland. I have no idea what the yellow flakes were all over the roti itself, but they made the it taste mushy on top of the chewy texture- and there was way too much of it. The filling was overcooked and had a really bad aftertaste- maybe it was cooked in some kind of meat fat that I wasn't used to. Who knows.
My friend who got the chicken roti also found hers to be bland. Of course, they were a good value for the $ - $5 for huge Chipotle sized rotis. Obviously, people who are familiar with w. indian rotis love this place so it must be good- I just wouldn't recommend it to vegetarians or people who like spicy food.
What am I doing wrong?! Under the Roti menu the one "veggie" option I saw was potato which was absurdly bland... what is this elusive delicious "veggie roti" you are ALL yelping about!
Ali's has several locations and are pretty consistent. I tend to think the curried potatoes are a tad overcooked, but the curry chicken is always perfectly done. At the location on Utica, you can order a boneless chicken Roti which is way better, no mess, no fuss. I can't tolerate the big hunks of bone either, it takes away from the whole experience. Overall, the Roti is soft and fresh, but the fillings are somewhat bland.
Its reasonably priced, line is usually long but its good for a quick bite to eat.
Authentic, Trinidadian Street food Joint .......just like in Trinidad !
Veggie Roti would not be my first choice in any other west Indian restaurant or Roti shop, but, they have the veggie roti I can't resist.
Love their home made hot sauce.
Don't forget to try their Doubles and Plourie.
I stop here to get my fix, everytime I go back to New York!
Miss it...can't get this in West Coast....
**sigh**
Carryout Trinidadian treat on the cheap. I like it.
Kind of a wacky place, a roti shop with a general store for decoration (has anyone ever bought a copy of the poetry book on sale? It is something like Ghetto Stalin: the soul of a street poet.).
You go in, there is often a line but it move sort of fast. The menu is above you but doesn't list any prices. There are a variety of Roti ($5) and dinners over rice, exotic sodas and a few nice side dishes. The real treat is the thing called Doubles ($1), which are a channa curry between two pieces of fried flat bread.
I am still new to roti and in the honeymoon phase. Ali's is supposedly the best in my neighborhood and definitely one of the few real destinations in my area for food. At the end of the day I probably think the Ali's down by Prospect Park is a tad better but really this is a fine distinction mostly based on one veggi-roti I had down there. (It is a pain to get down there so I don't know when I will ever get back.)
Quick guide for newbies:
Roti: Big piece of fried flat bread wrapped around a choice of fillings. Chicken and goat come with bones in. You may first think it is a burrito and something to eat on the go, but really you want to sit down with it, unravel it and peel off pieces of bread to pinch mouthfuls of filling. How else you going to deal with those bones? There is a crumbly flake that comes off the roti (corm meal?) that I like to think of as Roti Dust.
Doubles: A channa (chick pea) curry in an Indian vein between to smaller pieces of a thicker fried flat bread. A treat.
Aloo pie: A potato filled pastry in the tradition of a samosa.
Phoolori: Fried dough balls with tamarind sauce.
Everything seems to be influenced by a Indian style curry vibe but organized into a portable format. I also hear not everything is available all the time, but there is no way to know without asking.
You can ask for hot sauce or tamarind sauce to spice up or sweeten up your order as you like.
Really 4.5 stars for being second to the other Ali's but I'll give it that other half a star cause it brightens up the food options near Clinton Hill significantly.
Pumpkin!
bring a fork. don't get all excited and bite into one of these things unawares- you'll straight up break your teeth on a bone.
i ordered a chicken roti. the chicken was perfectly done, the meat fell right off the bone, it blended nicely with the curry, and there is no way in hell i'd have been able to gracefully consume it without a fork and a trash can at ready for all the cartilage, bones, and unidentified sticks. yes. sticks. teeny branches for flavor? dunno. before this, i thought spaghetti was the worst 1st date food ever. wrong. these things are crazy. i felt as though i needed tweezers at several points throughout the meal.
the hot sauce we ordered was essential. it really needed that extra flavor. i think my favorite thing about the whole experience was it was truly different than other foods i've had. the soft, roti breading was delightful. the meal was extremely inexpensive, which is always good in a crap economy. there are only 3 or so tables in the whole place, probably best to get it to go.
also, the veggie roti was absolutely delicious, and also devoid of bones.
There is a reason there is a line out the door almost all the time. Ali's is great food on the cheap.
I typically get my West Indian food in South Richmond by JFK(another Caribbean neighborhood) because I work at the airport, but I've made Ali's kind of a destination on my way to prospect park on my bike.
Their dahl pourie is yummers stuffed with Chana and a ton of hot sauce. Get the pholourie too, and bask in the delicious tamarind dipping sauce as you're whisked away to a white sand trinidad beach.......or an explosion of commotion known as fulton street. Better yet ride your bike up to prospect park and sit on the lawn while you stuff your face. That's what I do.
4 stars? Really?
I picked up two rotis tonight, one goat one chicken, they were out of doubles. I started with the chicken and first noticed the bones. I'm not talking tiny bite sized ones, there was practically a whole leg of chicken in there. So I plucked the meat off, then I noticed the flavor. Pretty bland for roti, if you're on a low-sodium kick you'll love it. Same story with the goat, though I was praying for a miracle. They're sitting half eaten in my fridge as I post.
I've had better roti at Golden Crust, the caribbean fast food joint within walking distance. Better yet, go to Soule, for two bucks more you can get a savory mouth watering roti that's twice the size.
This famous take out spot is right off the Nostrand Ave A-C stop. For under $2.00, you can purchase one of their famous doubles. Doubles are the cheapest and freshest NYC meal deals you'll ever find. A double consists of chickpeas stuffed between two pieces of thick,fried bread. I highly recommend ordering one with Tamarind sauce, which adds a nice, sweet flavor. After one warm double, you'll be hooked.
Although I salute Ali's for keeping their prices extraordinarily low, they could use a little more punch (or salt, for that matter) into the curry that goes into their roti. The roti skins themselves were also a little too thick for my taste.
I've had the vegetarian roti and the doubles... I wouldn't suggest getting the doubles as I felt they were underwhelmingly bland. The roti had more flavor, but for all the ratings, I don't think it really stands up to the reviews. Sorry. I also had the tamarind sauce (tasty) but that didn't make up for the okay roti.
veg roti is ON POINT.
phlourie are good.
get an order of doubles for good measure.
Yes goat rotee, yes, the goat bones are all in there for flavor and are only a minor inconvenience anyway; the potatoes are for value. Get that tamarind sauce; get that pepper.
Some praise from the Voice, too:
http://www.villagevoic...
The phlourie will make you smile.
So my BF has been talking about these doubles for weeks now, and he really wanted me to try one, so finally, this past Saturday, we ventured in to get some doubles and other treats. OK...so when we walked in, the line was out the door! There is one line for placing orders, and one line for picking up orders. The line for picking up orders was backed up and no one was taking orders for a long time! I was getting impatient, and wondering to myself, what the H? But then the lady in front of said, "well you know its got to be good, because there isn't a line like this for bad food." And then I thought to myself, yes she is absolutely right and ignored my impatience. When we finally ordered (about 15 minutes later), we decided on a few doubles, a norder of phoulorie and also some pepper mangoes. I have to tell you, I was pleasantly surprised. I am in love with doubles!! They are so tasty and I love the chickpea filling, and also the tamarind sauce. And...I never thought a flour ball could taste so good, but Ali has changed my mind! I liked it so much, that I wanted to get some on Sunday and take it home with me to boring LI, however, Ali's isn't open on Sundays :( Will definitely be back to get my Trini fix :)
Delicious and fresh, definitely stands out even in a neighborhood full of roti shops. I love the bread they use for the roti as it's thinner than at most places so you get more of the curry in each mouthful. It's right near the subway so no making excuses that there's nothing to eat nearby!
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