Farida

When you walk into Farida, a subterranean Central Asian halal restaurant in FiDi, you’ll feel like you’ve been transported somewhere that definitely isn’t NYC. The room is ornate, dark, and windowless, and there’s no real way to tell what time of day it is (just like how you feel when you’re at a casino). The whole first page of the menu highlights their umka pies, which are little flaky pastries filled with pumpkin, spinach, beef, or chicken. All varieties are great, so we suggest trying every one. Both the chicken thigh kebabs and the Uzbek plov with chunks of beef and lamb are recommendable, but if you have to choose one, go for the chicken.