Tea on Devon Avenue is rich, ambrosial Indian masala tea, muddy brown and laced with enough cream to form a skim on top–different from the tea at Starbucks, to be sure, but not wholly unfamiliar.
It’s a little exotic to my neophyte tongue.
And it’s served really, really hot. Scalding, McDonald’s lawsuit hot.
Live and learn.
My dining companion for the evening is Bhavesh Patel, owner of the Annapurna vegetarian fast-food restaurant we’re sitting in, and he’s drinking plain old American coffee. Bhavesh has generously agreed to give up his Friday night to play tour guide for me, a Devon Avenue newcomer. My singed, uneducated tongue tells me I could use one.
Lit up by storefronts and restaurant signs at night or peddling its wares during the day, Devon feels like somewhere else, as though you’ve traveled farther from the Loop than a mere 9 miles. The signs and conversations in the street are as likely to be in Hindi and Urdu as English.
It’s not New Delhi, but no longer the Chicago of da’ Bears and Belushi.
From Damen to California Avenues, and in particular the jam-packed, bustling eight blocks from Western Avenue to California, Devon remains home to the city’s Indian and Pakistani immigrant communities. They’re communities with roots and traditions, as well as younger voices bilingual in the cultures of old and new.
This “Little India” is the stretch where food fans come for Southeast Asian cuisine. Also here are jewelers, grocery stores, travel agencies and sari boutiques, all competing for sign and sidewalk space, as well as immigrant families, many first-generation and some second.
Bhavesh’s family is well-known on Devon. The Patels own the Annapurna, Mysore Woodlands and popular Indian Garden restaurants, as well as the landmark Patel Bros. grocery store and a sari boutique.
If it wasn’t for the stores, bhavesh says, he wouldn’t even he on Devon on a Friday night. Because he’s 23 years old.
“Everyone knows downtown is the scene,” he says, looking very downtown himself in hair highlights and a stylish black turtleneck. Indian restaurants are OK sometimes, he says, and Devon is the only place to get Indian music and cinema. But it’s not like he hangs out here.
“My generation comes here for the food and music, that’s it,” he says. “I can tell you for a fact.”
Devon is the center of Chicago’s Indian and Pakistani community, except when it isn’t.
It’s a story as old as the generation gap.
Indian and Pakistani immigrants first settled on Devon in the early 1970s, many as physicians and engineers in the country on work visas. Before that, the West Rogers Park area was a mix of cultures, primarily Jewish Orthodox. The street got its name from even earlier arrivals from Devonshire, England. Clearly it’s a stretch of road that’s seen a bit of the world.
The first South Asian residents sent for their families, and the current business district grew up around them, expanding from a few stores to several blocks in the ’90s. Many have remained rooted in the area, buying homes and opening storefront enterprises.
And many still shop here for things they may not be able to get elsewhere. Devon Avenue has grocery stores stocked floor-to-ceiling with Indian foods and spices. Its electronics stores carry 220-volt appliances, just like those back home. General stores sell everything from cricket bats to cookers that create lovely, fluffy basmati rice. Boutiques spill their colorful wares onto the sidewalks even in December. The displays, joined by a clamor of signs advertising silks, sales and henna hand painting, make stepping inside hard to resist.
This road, it ought to be said, is home to other groups as well. There’s an outpost of Russian businesses around California Avenue, some Bangladeshi stores, and one or two newly-arrived Middle Eastern restaurants. A small Jewish Orthodox community thrives near the Kedzie Street intersection.
But although articles about Devon often rhapsodize about its “around the world in a dozen blocks” appeal, in truth the community is by and large what locals term Indo/Pak.
“We’re here to stay,” says bank manager Rohit Maniar at National Republic Bank of Chicago, 2615 W. Devon Ave. And there’s a cultural reason for it. Indians put a premium on owning, rather than leasing, their places of business, he says. Then there’s no landlord to move them on.
In the daytime, Devon Avenue has a quiet bustle of foot traffic. Most of the stores are open Wednesday to Monday, closed Tuesdays, just like the business week in Asia.
Jewelry stores are plentiful. Walk through the thick glass doors of Raj Jewels, 2652 W. Devon Ave., and you’re dazzled, surrounded by cases of wedding necklaces, fabulous bracelets and earring sets. Almost all of it is hand-crafted in heavy, intricate 22-carat gold.
Almost all, but not all.
It’s that generational thing again.
Raj proprietor Divyesh Damji shows off his ranihar pieces, or gold necklaces traditional for brides on their wedding day. If you think wedding dresses are a stiff one-time expense, these ornate crescents practically surround a bride’s face in 22-carat gold, and cost thousands of dollars.
The downside for Damji is that fewer of today’s brides want them.
The younger generation still wants jewelry, he says, but today’s Indian women want a more American design. A display at the back of the store has new interpretations of ranihar–lighter necklaces cast in platinum and white gold, with a modern shape that only suggests the large crescents of the old.
It’s Raj Jewels meets Marshall Field’s, Damji says.
Back on the street in early afternoon, a parking lot on the corner of Devon and Rockwell is bustling. Idling cars wait for spaces, and show why the single biggest issue on the minds of local merchants isn’t changing traditions. It’s parking.
Parking spots on Devon are hard to find; side streets have been zoned to protect against gridlock. Ald. Bernard Stone says he has a plan for a multistory garage on the same site as the lot, with three levels of parking and two of condos. A developer has won the bid and is ready to go, he grumps, but the planning commission has been sitting on the blueprints for six months. He wants a green light.
“And if I don’t get it by the new year, the next step is to go to the mayor,” Stone says.
One of the larger businesses on Devon is Patel Bros. grocery store, at 2610 W. Devon Ave., the Dominick’s of Indian food stores. Spices this aisle; dal, rice flour and oil that aisle. It’s a big store. Patel Bros. is actually a nationwide chain, with stores in dozens of Indian communities. The first was here in Chicago in 1974. That store, at 2542 W. Devon Ave., isn’t like this newer one, says Swetal Patel (Bhavesh’s cousin). It has a simple counter and cash register, and is kept open for those locals–older or recent arrivals–who don’t feel comfortable with the flashy barcodes and beeping scanners of the big store.
“It’s small,” Swetal says. “People cling to it. There’s a hominess to it.”
Of course, the Indian grocery business isn’t all fresh ingredients and folklore. Swetal helps run his family empire’s food business, which makes their Swad store brand. His hottest new seller? Frozen Indian dinners.
“In the past five years it’s exploded,” he says. “We’ve gone from two coolers to 20.”
Behind the frosty glass, there’s mixed vegetable curry frozen dinners, Rajma Masala, Dal Fry, dozens of varieties. All are in colorful cardboard boxes and ready to take home, zap and eat.
By the time night falls on Devon on an early winter evening, most stores signs are already illuminated.
I wander away from Patel Bros., down to Western Avenue and back. Indian and Pakistani families are seating themselves in restaurants or finishing up their day’s trade at the stores. Most stay open until about 8 p.m., the restaurants until 10 p.m.
Four “Americans”–again, a local term, for someone not from Devon–stand outside Gandhi India at 2601 W. Devon Ave. and discuss its merits versus another restaurant nearby.
A silver BMW with custom wheels cruises by, broadcasting uptempo Indian club music.
Aromas from a Pakistani kabob restaurant waft out into the street.
On the next block, the corner of Fairfield, an establishment stands out. Casey’s Corner Tap at 2733 W. Devon Ave. is an ordinary neighborhood pub, a blue-collar hangout that couldn’t look more out of place.
Inside, bartender Joan Flyn offers a little history. The bar has been there for 70 years and seen a lot of changes. No, she hasn’t managed to hold on to many of her longtime customers.
“It keeps changing,” she says. “Many people have moved to the ‘burbs. Many have died.”
It’s a very integrated neighborhood now, but there are no racial problems, she says. “Actually, it’s kind of peaceful.”
Casey was indeed the owner, until two years ago when the bar changed hands.
The new owner?
“Mr. Sabu,” she says.
Devon’s weekend dinner hour is bustling. Many restaurants are busy. There are Indian and Pakistani families and older couples dining out. Many are here from their homes in the suburbs, Swetal Patel says. “People come here as a meeting place.”
Swetal’s cousin Bhavesh’s predictions also prove true: There are relatively few groups of young Indian professionals eating out here. In upscale spots like Indian Garden and Tiffin, at 2536 W. Devon Ave., American diners sometimes outnumber locals. Bhavesh sees the potential for Indian cuisine to be the next boom, like Thai food.
Some Devon spots are all-vegetarian, which is popular with Americans. Northern Indian restaurants have more wheat-based menus and can be more spicy. Southern has more rice-based dishes, which draw heat from side sauces. In general, Indian restaurants serve alcohol, Pakistani do not.
Restaurants with signs and decor that look the most Westernized, such as Indian Garden, often get the most “American” customers. But the restaurants don’t change their menus; they just sometimes make the food less spicy for American customers.
“We’re on Devon street. We’re in the Indian community,” Bhavesh says. “We’re not really going to cater to an American palate. Don’t expect food to be anything but Indian.”
And yes, Bhavesh says, even he can get a craving for Devon’s restaurants.
Bhavesh is a concert promoter on the side, and says that “if you threw a party here, nobody would come.” So he rents out downtownclubs like Le Passage to host Indian deejays spinning Indian club music.
Sometimes, though, the best thing to do at the end of the night is to come back to Devon and hit the cheap, 24-hour places for an Indian meal.
It’s very casual and the menu choices are few, Bhavesh says. “People know service is going to be [bad]. And honestly it’s not the best quality food. But where else can you get food like this at 5 a.m.?”
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Tours of Devon, by day and by night
Devon shows one side during the day, another at night. For more about businesses on Devon, visit www.devonavenue.com.
Day
Viceroy of India, 2516 W. Devon Ave., 773-743-4100:
The restaurant is divided into the daily lunch buffet in the main dining room, $6.95 or $7.95 Sat. and Sun, and the fast-food counter next door. What to order: If you decide to dig into the buffet, the rogan josh–meat in a curry sauce–is made with goat meat, not lamb, as Indians prefer it, manager Ajmer Lakhen says.
Patel Bros. grocery story, 2610 W. Devon Ave., 773-262-7777: This supermarket is the flagship store for a nationwide chain. What to get: American customers come for the Basmanti rice and Indian and Pakistani ingredients, store co-owner Swetal Patel says. But common spices such as cinnamon and paprika can also be had for cheap.
IQRA’ Book Center, 2751 W. Devon Ave., 773-274-2665:
One of several Muslim bookstores on the street. IQRA’ (ik-ir-ray) is one of the largest, and is run by a non-profit Islamic organization. There are books on Islamic faith and history, and gift items as well. What to get: Leather-covered book sets are beautifully bound, but expensive.
The Russian Oasis, 2746 W. Devon Ave., 773-761-3233: It’s one of a half-dozen businesses on the California Avenue intersection. The Oasis’ novel circular sign spells out that it carries Russian music, books and collectibles.
The Indo-American Center, 6328 N. California Ave., 773-973-4444: This nonprofit center provides immigration assistance, and language and computer courses to new arrivals from India and Pakistan.
Raj Jewels, Ltd., 2652 W. Devon Ave., 773-465-5755: This store specializes in 22-carat gold handcrafted pieces, as do the other Indian jewelers on Devon. What to get: Indians have long had their own take on the larger, suddenly-hip chandelier earrings.
Kaveri Indian Handicrafts and Gifts, 2657 W. Devon Ave., 773-274-8300: A floor-to-ceiling array of imported crafts, mostly intricately carved wooden pieces. These are no mere knickknacks. Images of deities, four feet high and carved by artisans from a single mango tree, are $1,250. What to get: My favorites are the carved wooden elephants. Elephants are symbols of prosperity, store owner Tommy Poovathu says, “because to have one in India, you must be rich.” Cool. Call them BMWs of the subcontinent.
Taj Sari Palace, 2553 W. Devon Ave., 773-338-0177: One of the first sari boutiques to open in the area, in the 1970s. A rainbow of saris is on display in styles from traditional to more contemporary sleeveless. What to get: Americans buy saris as home decor, manager Shoaib Aziz says, or you can find Kurti tops, which are now being knocked off by Guess and Kenneth Cole for hundreds of dollars more.
Night
How to do justice to Devon’s choice of restaurants? We can’t possibly; here are just a few.
Indian Garden, 2548 W. Devon Ave., 773-338-2929: Popular with Indians and non-Indians alike. Bhavesh Patel, whose family owns the restaurant, says he likes the Dal Banjara, “with the Tadka,” he says, or dried peppers in oil. It’s spicy.
Annapurna Vegetarian Fast Food Restaurant, 2608 W. Devon Ave., 773-764-1858: Simple menu, many dishes deep-fried. Hey, it’s fast food. What to get: The tea, which is served hot.
Gandhi India, 2601 W. Devon Ave., 773-761-8714: Authentic food and a friendly staff. What to get: Chicken Badami has a white gravy with nuts.
Tiffin, 2536 W. Devon Ave., 773-338-2143: Upscale surroundings and a reputation for fine dining. More expensive, but I’m told each dish is made from scratch. What to get: I opted for Chicken Tikka, a popular dish of chicken in a tomato cream sauce available at many Indian restaurants.
Andhra Cuisine Sizzle, 2509 W. Devon Ave. 773-761-7777: OK, you want spicy? Here it is; this spot if known by locals for its hot food. What to get: I leave this up to braver souls.
After dinner, check out a movie. Bollywood, or the Indian cinema industry, makes more movies per year than Hollywood. Atlantic Video and Music, 2541 W. Devon Ave., 773-338-3600, has them for rent on DVD, and a wide selection of Indian music as well. What to get: “Monsoon Wedding” and “Bend It Like Beckham” are two modern titles that American audiences have embraced.
Don’t end a visit to Devon without trying one of the sweet shops. Sukhadia’s Sweets, 2559 W. Devon Ave., 773-338-5400, will be bustling with a young Indian crowd on a weekend night. Owner Jayant Sukhadia says he has plenty of American customers too. “They like to try all varieties, a little of that, a little of this.” What to get: The suterfeni is a house specialty, and you can see it being made during the three-hour process. This candy’s fine, almost straw-like texture is spun like thread from rice flour, saffron, sugar and butter.
— Doug George
