Jackson Diner Lunch Buffet

We decided to hop the subway to the famous Jackson Diner for their all-you-can-eat Indian lunch buffet. The Jackson Diner is not specifically vegetarian but has vegetarian options. Located at 37-47 74th St in Jackson Heights, Queens, the Jackson Diner does a lunch buffet every day from 11:30 to 4:00 for $8.95 on weekdays and $9.95 on weekends.

Aloo Ghobi, Channa Masala, Potato Fritters, Rice

The vegan options at the JD lunch buffet vary from day to day. In addition to Masala Dosas (which Ev will tell you about in just a minute), they always have Channa Masala and Basmati Rice, and they usually have one or two other vegan dishes. On this day there was also Aloo Ghobi and Potato Fritters. The Potato Fritters were lightly-fried patties of spiced potato and onions that were great for dipping in tamarind sauce. The Aloo Ghobi was really delicious with just the right texture to the potato and cauliflower. The Channa Masala was rich and savory. I really dig how you can have different textures and flavors all on one plate at the Jackson Diner buffet, and the quality of the food is great. -Jim

Masala Dosa

As if all-you-can-eat Aloo Ghobi wasn’t enough, the Jackson Diner also had a man on hand to make you as many Masala Dosas as you wanted. I imagine there’s a similar set-up in Heaven, except maybe the man making them looks like Johnny Depp and calls you “Sugarbuns”. But I digress. The size of the dosa was a little smaller than usual, but every bit as delicious. The potatoes were creamy and spiced just right and the dosa had a perfect texture. They also had lentil sambar for dipping, but alas there was no coconut chutney to be found. Even coconutless though, this was one tasty dosa. -Ev
It's neat that you get to stand there and watch someone make a Masala Dosa for you, and it's even neater that you can go back and get as many as you want. -Jim

The Bottom Line

I'm bad at Indian buffets. I usually eat about three overflowing plate-fulls of food and get so full that I feel like I'm going to die. Die happy, perhaps, but still die. Fortunately that didn't happen on this visit. I had one plate and half a dosa and I felt fine. Getting lunch at JD is a bit of a gamble because you never know how many vegan options they'll have. But they always have Channa Masala and Dosas, which is actually enough to satisfy me, and plus they usually have one or two other choices. If you find yourself in Queens and you love Indian food, you have to try the Jackson Diner. -Jim
I, too, was happy I didn't overdo it today, though believe me the Aloo Ghobi was so good I was tempted to eat more. While the Jackson Diner has a great buffet, their regular menu options are also delicious. I especially love their Uttapam.-Ev