Bikanervala Indian sweets chain opens first NY location, in Hicksville

Pass the burfi — a new Indian sweet shop just landed in Hicksville and it's quite the experience. An international chain from Delhi, Bikanervala has locations in New Jersey but none in New York, until now. Tucked into a small shopping center on Broadway, the strip mall store is quite lively for a brand that's 120 years old. 

Bikanervala's origins date back to 1905 in Bikaner City, which is in the desert of northwestern India (and known for its majestic camels). According to corporate lore, the father-and-son duo Bal Mukundji and Ganga Dhar ji had a business selling sugary treats, seed mixes and savory snacks. The business expanded to the big city Delhi area in the 1950s and over the years has grown into a corporate brand with stores in countries from Canada to Qatar and Singapore.

The Hicksville shop has a similar vibe to the nearby Mithaas, a Newsday Top 50 restaurant. The neatly designed space is bursting with color and a long counter of Indian sweets of every shape, size and hue. There are neon green patties with nuts inside, sweets that look like turnovers, syrupy balls of gulab jamun and treats that look like European cheeses. Another wall showcases an open kitchen where you can watch cooks dishing up curries into plastic trays and forming beautiful breads to scoop everything up. 

Customers form a line and order from the sweets counter, then wait for their number to be called over an intercom. With lots of names and no explanations, the menu might be intimidating to people not versed in Indian snack food culture. A good way to handle this is to order the seasonal thali meal ($14.99), which is a sampler plate of flavorful dips and breads. It comes with a loaf of soan papdi, which is made from stringy layers of sweet gram flour that you pull apart with your fingers. At less than $15, this dish is a steal. 

From the North Indian curry section of the menu, a fiery baigan bharta eggplant and tomato dip ($14.99) is also a solid pick. But the most impressive single dish on the savory food menu has got to be the chole bhature ($13.99). This football-shaped puffy bread might remind you of the fried dough you get at a street fair. One poke and the piping hot bread collapses, because the center is filled with air. Give it a second so it doesn't burn your fingers, and then rip off a piece and dip it into the spicy chickpea curry known as chole that comes with it. It's a spectacular bite. 

Bikanervala, 594 S. Broadway, Hicksville, 516-704-0486, bikanervalausa.com. Open 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily.