Punjabi Dhaba, Richmond Hill's 20-year-old vegetarian favorite, opens a second Queens spot on Hillside Avenue
The family-run restaurant, known for chole bhature and Punjabi sweets, is now at 259-11 Hillside Ave. in Glen Oaks, near 268th Street, after a grand opening that drew more than 1,000 people.
Photo: Punjabi Dhaba (via QNS)
- Punjabi Dhaba opened its second location at 259-11 Hillside Ave., near 268th Street in Glen Oaks, Queens, on Sunday, Oct. 18, QNS and Eater NY reported.
- The original, opened in 2006 by brothers Karnail and Gurmit Singh, both former taxi drivers, is one of the first South Asian restaurants in Richmond Hill.
- The menu is vegetarian Punjabi comfort food and sweets at low prices; owner Navdeep Singh, Karnail's son, runs the new spot with his mother, a cousin and his sisters.
- The grand opening and block party drew more than 1,000 people, with a prayer, live music and a free buffet, according to QNS and the restaurant's statement.
- Hours for the Glen Oaks location were not listed in the opening coverage, so call ahead before making the trip.
One of Richmond Hill's longest-running Indian restaurants has crossed Queens. Punjabi Dhaba opened its second location on Sunday, Oct. 18, at 259-11 Hillside Ave., near 268th Street in Glen Oaks, QNS reported. Eater NY listed it among the month's openings, calling the restaurant a Queens institution for 20 years.
What to order
Punjabi Dhaba is known for traditional vegetarian comfort dishes and sweets at prices that won't break the bank, according to Eater and QNS. The signature plate is chole bhature, spiced chickpeas with a puffy fried bread, and the family makes its own laddus and other sweets. At the grand opening, Arts4All Foundation founder Sumita SenGupta described the kitchen as a family affair: a mother cooking the laddus, a cousin making the chole bhature, a son taking orders and a sister packing the food, QNS reported.
A family business, second generation
Brothers Karnail Singh and Gurmit Singh, who both started out as taxi drivers, opened the original on 101st Avenue in Richmond Hill in 2006; it bills itself as one of the first South Asian restaurants in the neighborhood, QNS reported. Both founders have since died. Karnail's son, owner Navdeep Singh, is running the new location with his mother, a cousin and his sisters, according to a restaurant statement reported by the South Asian Herald. Singh told QNS that all food is cooked by family members using recipes passed down through generations.
The Oct. 18 ribbon cutting doubled as a 20th-anniversary block party, with a prayer, live music, an ice cream truck and a free buffet; more than 1,000 people came, QNS reported. Rep. Tom Suozzi and Assembly Members Edward Braunstein and David Weprin attended, and Weprin presented a proclamation. Restaurant leaders said the expansion reflects the growing South Asian community along Hillside Avenue in northeast Queens, which Braunstein called the new Little India.
Before you go
Hours for the Glen Oaks location were not listed in the opening coverage, so call ahead before making the trip.
- QNSPunjabi Dhaba, iconic Indian restaurant in Queens, opens new Hillside Avenue location
- Eater NYNew NYC Restaurant Openings, October 2026
- South Asian HeraldPunjabi Dhaba Brings Family Recipes to New Glen Oaks Restaurant
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