A Taste of Home: Vik's Chaat Corner

I've found a little taste of home in the East Bay. It's called Vik's Chaat Corner in Berkeley and it's awesome. Tucked into an unassuming warehouse near the corner of 4th and Allston Way, this restaurant dishes up Indian street foods reminiscent of Bombay's Chowpatty. You should go. Soon.

It was a great place to quench my cravings for real Indian fast food - from papri chaat to dhokla and chole batura - even good old South Indian specialties like masala dosa were on offer! Vik's isn't a well kept secret either - it was packed the Sunday that I went with family with college kids, Berkeley residents and, of course, Indians. The latter audience is a living testament to the quality of the place!

The eatery is totally casual and laid back. In real Indian style, you can wait in line at a register surrounded by super hot stoves and men rushing around to make your food, yelling in Hindi (and Spanish), all the while staring at a display of mouth-watering Indian mithai.

For those of you who feel especially inspired by your eating experience, you can also step next door into Vik's Distributors, the neighboring Indian store, to pick up ingredients and try recreating the Vik's experience at home.