Indian Meets American At Pronti Bistro

When I first heard about the newly opened Indian-American fast food restaurant, I didn't believe there was any way they would have vegan options. American cuisine is one of the least vegan-friendly and the restaurant is located in Needham, MA, a small suburban town with absolutely no vegan demand. I was thus surprised when the owner promptly responded to my inquiry of options, declaring that the prontis can easily be made vegan.

The main attraction of the restaurant is the made-to-order prontis that begin with a vegetable or meat base and is customized with the addition of vegetables and sauces, all wrapped in paratha bread. It is essentially an Indian version of Subway. Not only are the parathas inexpensive, but the restaurant offers many coupons and is even featured on restaurant.com. My brother and I purchased a $10 restaurant.com gift certificate for $1, which required a minimum spending of $20. Thus, we both ordered prontis along with a soup ($10 each).

First, my lentil soup came out.

The soup was very savory and had a strong bean flavor. It was moderately spicy. The vegetables were soft and delicate and easy to chew. The soup was hearty and a great way to start the meal. It came with pieces of paratha that sopped up the soup very well.

Next, I had the main attraction: the Amritsar Pronti, which has a base of chickpea curry. I added bell peppers, onions, lettuce, tomatoes, cucumbers, and black olives. I opted for the sweet tamarind sauce as a chutney.

The pronti was exquisite. I wasn't sure what to expect from it, but it was absolutely divine. The chickpea curry was so flavorful and had a lovely kick to it. It had strong flavors of tomato and ginger. The vegetables were very crisp and crunchy and a great contrast to the soft, well-cooked chickpea concoction. The sweet tamarind sauce worked well to balance out the spiciness of the curry and made the pronti even more enjoyable. The paratha bread worked perfectly as a wrap, as it had a soft, flaky texture and sopped up the sauces so well. The accompanying salad was wonderful and was coated in a light, citrusy vinaigrette. The pronti normally comes with a dessert, but since the dessert was not vegan, the chef added more salad instead.

Pronti Bistro is such a cute place and I'm so glad I found out about it. The staff there are surprisingly knowledgeable about veganism and do their best to be accommodating. The pronti was so flavorful and even better, a healthy option. I love that this place is fast food, yet doesn't taste greasy at all. The atmosphere was very casual and fun. With the restaurant.com discount, we only paid about $12 total for our meals.