(This venue is closed.) Coals to Newcastle: This corner shop's Nepalese owner learned the ways of zapiekanki in the land of his birth, thanks to a visiting tour leader from Poland. Though the sandwich is customarily open-faced, mine (large, fully loaded, $8) came with the top half of the loaf as well; a number of other customers (presumably, not the local Polish crowd) had asked "where the rest of it was," the owner told me. Ask for yours well-done to ensure that the cheese is thoroughly melted.
A menu posted inside the cafe still lists pierogi, a legacy of the previous tenant. These are no longer available, but the owner assured me that he makes a sort of Nepalese dumpling that is very similar, and that I have yet to try.
Himalayan Royal Cafe (aka Cafe Himalayan)
69-01 Fresh Pond Rd. (at Cypress Hills St.), Ridgewood, Queens
347-283-4985
