Delia Nagar is as bossy as she is nosy—she sees everything and misses nothing from behind the counter of this West Indian walk-up. Seeing a customer about to toss a not-quite-empty bottle of house-made pineapple juice into the trash, she upbraids him: “Drink up! Don’t leave my drink.” A customer wanders in for a plate of channa, the long-cooked chickpeas that Nagar’s place specializes in, explaining, “I’m too lazy to cook for myself.” Nagar snaps back, “Don’t you go bragging.”

All of which might seem overbearing if this weren’t some of the best West Indian cooking around. The specialty is buss up shut—so named because after the flat fry bread called roti is smashed up with two spatulas on the griddle to make it easier for tearing, it resembles a busted-up shirt. A version with a bone-in chicken curry is superb, and the goat curry is not far behind. Each comes with the rib-sticking channa and another side of curried potatoes. To wash it all down? A bottle of the nutmeggy Irish Moss or any of the wonderful juice blends.

You’re not likely to finish it all—a fact that Nagar is sure to point out.

Open daily except Sunday for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.