I smelled delicious for days after eating at Pub Royale. I’m not sure how fellow train riders felt about it, but fragrant axillae, redolent of cinnamon, clove, cumin, and ginger, are the gifts that keep on giving after eating good Indian food. And the food at Pub Royale, from Heisler Hospitality (Trenchermen, Nightwood, Sportsman’s Club, Bar DeVille, etc), is surprisingly good for a bar situated on a soulless stretch of Division Street in a neighborhood that lost its last vestiges of character around 1997.
Two of the more extraordinary dishes on offer feature house-made paneer unlike any I’ve ever encountered. As creamy as burrata, the cheese holds its shape just as long as it has to before dissolving on the tongue. It’s served both in a rich, buttery red curry and as an extraordinary saag paneer, a kind of Indian steak-house creamed spinach made with fresh—not frozen—greens and toasted spices. Meanwhile, conventional potato-and-pea samosas are accompanied on the menu by a variety that’s stuffed with an assertive salt cod brandade reined in by a tart malt-vinegar chutney.
2049 W. Division 773-661-6874pubroyale.com
