Anarbagh – LA

With only three tables occupied in a dining room capable of accommodating at least 10 more groups, the Los Feliz location of Anarbagh – a storied chain of five Indian restaurants spread across Los Angeles – is moving at snail speed, as a single person handles all of the front-of-house duties and seemingly one cook prepares all the meals. The room’s temperature continues to rise, though the temperature outside peaked at 71 degrees, and the only restroom is labeled “out of service.” As we gaze out the large glass windows, a fight breaks out in the adjacent parking lot between a shirtless man and a couple armed with something threatening enough to make him exit the small plaza, which is also home to a 7-Eleven, and at times, other shirtless men. Nothing about this experience feels particularly good or welcoming, and after 45 minutes, we’re still waiting for our meal to arrive.

The best thing we can say about our meal at Anarbagh, which we’d been planning to try for two years before making time on a Saturday afternoon, is that it wasn’t bad. When our meal finally arrives, almost all at once, the peshwari naan is overly fluffy to the point of crumbling, but sweet from its ample coconut and raisin filling; a plate of the house special Anarbagh lamb – described only as having “spices” and peppers – looks muddy and gray but is generously portioned, tender, and rich enough in meat and onions to be filling, which isn’t always the case at Indian places these days for a $20 entree.