What a difference a couple of months can make. As recently as early June, the commercial building at 4252 S. Howell Ave. was home to Marsel’s, a short-lived Italian eatery in the Bay View-adjacent Town Of Lake neighborhood that—prior to that all-too-brief tenure on the property—was previously the site of Dino’s Pizza Restaurant.
Before July rolled around, Marsel’s was winding down, plans for a new Pakistani-Indian restaurant were announced, and the incoming operation wasted no time making its impending presence known with new exterior signage. Last weekend, the new restaurant quietly opened its doors to the public. Yes, Baithak Of Punjab (414-763-0033) is now officially open. The Howell Ave. eating establishment celebrated its grand opening on Saturday, August 2, and has been open 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. every day since.
After seeing the news on Instagram (currently the restaurant’s only online footprint) earlier in the week, we decided to stop by Baithak Of Punjab yesterday to confirm last weekend’s opening wasn’t just a one-off “soft opening” event and that the business is, in fact, open open. Readers, Baithak of Punjab is not only fully open for business, it’s also extremely good.
Though we try to give new restaurants a little time to work out the kinks before embarking on a full-on review, the non-writer in us simply wanted some Pakistani and Indian cuisine—even if it wouldn’t result in any content. Well, after dining in yesterday and having a few menu items, we’re fully ready to accompany what could’ve just been an opening announcement article with oodles of praise for this days-only restaurant.
Admittedly, we had never visited Marsel’s, but given the lightning quick turnaround between businesses (and some paintings of wine bottles and Italian scenery that are still present), we can safely assume Baithak Of Punjab’s interior doesn’t really differ much from that of its predecessor. The tiled flooring and walls seem relatively new, there’s a nice “sober bar” with a respectable variety of N/A offerings that stretches almost the entirety of the north-facing wall, a spacious dining room with close to 20 tables, and five more tables on the front patio that looks out on bustling Howell Ave.
Within 15 minutes of placing an order, our food arrived. To be clear, we were the only customer in the restaurant during the entirety of our visit yesterday, so your experience might differ depending on what you order and how busy the restaurant is during your visit. Once again, with this being more of a first impression/early look instead of a full-fledged review, we kept things pretty standard on this maiden voyage.
The Butter Chicken ($19.99) was a heaping platter filled with numerous chunks of tender and juicy halal pulrty that’s slathered in a rich, dense, velvety, and (as the name suggests) buttery seasoned tomato-based curry sauce. It comes with a bowl of fluffy basmati rice.
That order alone would satisfy most, but we couldn’t resist sopping it all up with some Garlic Naan ($3.99 for a four-piece order), which was puffy and oily in all the right ways and elevated everything it touched with the extra dash of garlic goodness jammed into each bite.
No matter what you order, make sure to get some Garlic Naan (or Onion Naan, regular Naan, or the Afghan-style Kandahari Naan) for the table.
Finally, we finished our feast with an order of Punjabi Samosa ($5.99 for three), which is a veggie alternative to Baithak’s beef or chicken samosas. The semi-spicy blend of potato, peas, chili pepper, and other spices encased in a fried dough pouch were exceptional on their own, but truly stood out when a mint sauce and a sweet chutney were added.
While we left extremely stuffed for less than $30 before tax and tip, we honestly barely made a dent in the menu. Aside from the aforementioned samosa and naans, Baithak Of Punjab has a range of appetizers that includes spring rolls, chicken and fish pakora, and fusion items like onion rings and fries. Entrees include an amalgam of rice- and curry-based offerings with halal protein preparations like chicken, beef, lamb, and goat. There’s barbecued fare like boti and kebabs aplenty, as well as a few vegetarian options.
For those in your dining party who aren’t in the mood for what the restaurant’s owners refer to as “authentic Pakistani-Indian cuisine,” Baithak Of Punjab also offers some Americanized standbys like fried chicken, wings/tenders/nuggets, and even a cheeseburger. They also nod to the building’s recent pizzeria past by putting five specialty pizzas on the menu, including the especially intriguing Chicken Tikka Pizza that we just might have to add to our next order when we inevitably return when another craving strikes in like 10 days.
On one hand, yes, the restaurant could probably benefit from a little extra time to get their interior vibes locked in, get their servers fully trained (though we were very happy with our service, to be clear), finish their website, get on food delivery services, and knot up any other loose ends that come with opening a business. Then again, their food is pretty awesome already, so maybe get there immediately to enjoy it and just be patient as all that other stuff eventually falls into place. That’s up to you to decide, but just know that Baithak Of Punjab is now officially open and ready to feed you.
