CHIReview
photo credit: Sandy Noto
Superkhana International
Included In
After watching three packed trains leave Merchandise Mart at rush hour, you’re finally able to cram onto one with enough space for someone about half your size. And since you forgot your headphones at the office, all you can think about is how your boss looked right at you when she talked about the exciting opportunities at the satellite office in Nebraska.
But even if you walk into Superkhana International - an Indian restaurant in Logan Square - feeling like a spiky ball of anxiety, at some point you’ll smooth out. Maybe it’ll be when the Jenga tower of crispy, thick-cut french fries drizzled with savory aioli and sweet Manchurian sauce comes to the table. Or when you head to the bathroom and hear “Waterfalls” by TLC on repeat, which finally dislodges the words “Omaha nightlife” from your brain. Eventually, Superkhana will pull you out of your own head so you can enjoy yourself.
photo credit: Sandy Noto
Superkhana’s menu is full of surprises. There’s that french fry Manchurian, or a Bombay sandwich filled with sliced beets, potato chips, and onions, and served with a tangy ketchup sauce for dipping. Bring a few friends, and you’ll start forgetting about whether Nebraska has any professional sports teams when you’re all talking about the giant pieces of fried naan that came out with the creamy eggplant dip, and how the vada pao (fried potato in between soft rolls) are like textural Russian nesting dolls.
photo credit: Sandy Noto
We’d recommend you focus on the smaller share plates, as the larger entrees don’t always work as well. The sliced coconut brisket comes with delicious jus, but we wish there were more than one small pao to soak it all up. And the butter chicken supreme - a giant naan calzone - is fun to pull apart, but isn’t as interesting as other dishes on the menu. Even if you make an ordering misstep, it won’t feel like a real mistake, since nothing is over $20 - and the best stuff on the menu is closer to $10.
For the most part though, Superkhana keeps you focused on the fun stuff: the spritzer menu (with six different types of bubbly cocktails), the many different floral prints you’ll spot all over the dining room, and the excellent combination of rice cakes with spicy chana broth. And at least for a couple hours, you’ll stop frantically trying to come up with ways to avoid a move to Nebraska. That said, we do have a friend from Omaha who says it’s a great place to raise a family.
Food Rundown
photo credit: Sandy Noto
French Fry Manchurian
Dhokla & Corn
photo credit: Sandy Noto
Smashed Baigan & Naan
photo credit: Sandy Noto
Achaari Pork & Vada Pao
photo credit: Sandy Noto
Chinese Broccoli & Rice Cakes
Coconut Beef Brisket
photo credit: Sandy Noto
Methi Chicken
photo credit: Sandy Noto