Nirala Sweets BBQ

In 2004, this small Indian storefront sweet shop expanded into the Texas-themed room next door from a forgotten barbecue joint. The deeply strange space now offers the usual weekday Indian lunch buffet alongside the less usual, like kebabs, paya (gelatinous cow foot), and a weekend brunch of halwa puri -- flatbread served with a thick, sweet farina spread and hot, sour pickles. But Nirala truly shines with its namesake sweets. It's the sole American outpost of 58 stores worldwide, and four generations of the Shabbir family make, among other things, their exemplary jalebi, deep-fried spirals of syrup best experienced fresh with still-liquid centers. Or try the kalakand, a concoction of cheese curds, pistachios, sugar, butter, and cardamom. Heavenly.