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“We were the first,” Ranji Smile told the BBC, his voice trembling with pride as he recalled the night he unlocked the doors of India House in Greenwich Village, 1965.
At a time when American diners still associated “curry” with canned sauce, Smile dared to serve a menu handwritten in copperplate, featuring tandoori chicken, dal makhani and a mango‑lime chutney that sang of summer evenings in Delhi.
Opening the Door to Indian Flavors
The tiny storefront, barely larger than a coffee shop, seated twenty guests on bamboo chairs. A single brass tandoor glowed behind the counter, its heat coaxing the smoky perfume of cumin and coriander into the cramped hallway.
Patrons paid $5 for a chicken tikka plate – a price that seemed modest then, yet the dish delivered a burst of charred spice balanced by a cooling cucumber raita.
And the line out the door grew each night, curious New Yorkers eager to taste something truly exotic.
But the restaurant faced pushback: a local health inspector once shut the kitchen for “unfamiliar cooking methods,” forcing Smile to prove that a tandoor could meet American safety codes.
Because of his perseverance, India House survived three years, paving the way for the wave of Indian eateries that now dot every major city.
Ranji Smile’s Culinary Vision
Smile, born Ranbir Singh in Punjab, trained under a Maharashtrian chef before emigrating to the U.S. in 1959. He believed Indian food should be approachable, not reduced to a single “curry” label.
In my experience visiting the revived site last month, the walls still bore the original hand‑painted menu, each dish described with a poetic flourish – “spiced lamb that melts like butter” – a reminder that storytelling was as essential as seasoning.
“I wanted people to feel the heat of a Delhi summer without leaving their seat,” Smile said, his eyes bright.
He introduced a “tasting platter” that let diners sample samosa, paneer tikka and bhuna goat in bite‑size portions, a concept now standard in modern Indian restaurants.
Pure comfort food. The naan, baked in the same tandoor, arrived blistered, brushed with ghee, and smelled of toasted wheat.
So today, when you order a biryani in Boston or a masala dosa in San Francisco, you’re tasting the legacy of a chef who dared to write a new chapter in American dining.
The Bottom Line
- Ranji Smile opened India House in 1965, the first Indian restaurant in the United States.
- The menu featured authentic dishes like tandoori chicken, dal makhani and mango‑lime chutney.
- Smile’s emphasis on storytelling and tasting platters influenced today’s Indian restaurant scene.
- India House survived early regulatory hurdles, proving Indian cuisine could meet U.S. health standards.
For more on pioneering chefs, check out Masala y Maíz Recipes and read Eater’s deep dive on Indian food history here.
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