We knew it was over the moment we made eye contact with the two Indian men standing at the top of the metal stairs. They started waving and yelling passionately at us to come into their respective restaurants the instant they realized our intentions to venture in for some Indian. The Panna II guy caught me off guard as he rushed forward to give me a hug and say, “Welcome back miss!” Was this deja vu? Had I been here before to warrant such a warm welcome from the host? I played along, smiling and being led into the restaurant like I had been there countless times in the past.

The eclectic display of fire hazardous Christmas lights dangling precariously close to your head as you eat is definitely one of the unique draws of this restaurant.

A lot of the entrees, including our tikka masala, was in the $7-9 range. We even got complimentary mango ice cream at the end of our meal. We went pretty early in the evening (weekday), so the restaurant wasn’t as crowded and our waiters were quite attentive. We had the opportunity to witness their infamous birthday celebrations when the waiters presented this little girl with mango ice cream topped with a glowing candle in the middle, the restaurant’s crazy Christmas lights flickering to the beat of this funky Indian birthday tune. If you are coming to 1st ave and 6th st area for some Indian food, you must try this place out at least once. Don’t let the forward Indian waiters scare you off. :)