Each year, the Bethpage Best of LI polls Long Islanders to lay down a roadmap “to the best, top-notch businesses and services throughout both Nassau and Suffolk counties.”
Organizers of the contest have been counting votes since it began, with the winners ultimately chosen by the Long Islanders who rely on those businesses each and every day.
This year, Raagini Best Indian Restaurant on Atlantic Avenue in Baldwin earned top marks in 2022, supplanting the Suffolk County-based Curry Club in Setauket, which took the honor for the past seven years.
"A pleasant atmosphere, polite and excellent service, and delicious Indian food is in Baldwin at Raaghi," pollsters said. "Have you ever walked into a restaurant between meals when the staff was on a lunch/cleanup break?
"Some close, others just turn you away. Not here. The staff gets up from a meal and welcomes you in, making sure you like your table, have a menu, and can order in a timely manner."
The poll highlighted menu stables such as traditional chicken curry, Saag Paneer, Gobi Manchurian, and Bhindi (okra) Masala.
For those with a taste for spicy foods, servers can bring extra chilis for the restaurant's Chicken Korma and Tandori mixed grill with Chicken Tikka, Boti (lamb) Kebob, or shrimp.
According to the restaurant's website, owner Ram Bisht was "raised as a food enthusiast trying the flavors and delicacy of India in his mother’s kitchen was pushed by his enormous passion to master the art of great Indian delicacy to a broader professional cooking and the world of great Indian food."
"In the span of his long career, Ram opened many small and medium-sized restaurants that catered to millions, earning massive goodwill and experience to see the finer side of the profession," they wrote. "Raagini at Baldwin Harbour in Long Island is one of best presence in the area specializing in North Indian choices."
The complete “Best of LI” results can be found here.
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