New Era Indian Cuisine at 219 E. Willow Grove Ave. in Chestnut Hill gives new meaning to the word unpretentious. The BYOB has a few tables, spartan decor (if you can call it decor) and a counter for takeout, but it has a legion of devoted fans. It is located under an apartment complex across from the R7 train station with no other nearby businesses in sight, so you could easily miss it while driving along Willow Grove Avenue.

However, New Era has a reputation that outshines its modest decor. In January, on Yelp.com, the nation’s leading website for restaurant customer reviews, New Era boasts an average rating of 4.6 out of 5. I don’t think it would be fair to name them, but I just checked three much more pricey restaurants in Chestnut Hill as part of my exhaustive research (and boy, am I tired). One has received a 3.7 average; another received an average of 3.1, and the third received 3.7.

Regarding New Era, here are two very typical reviews: Juliana M. of Phoenixville: “This is THE BEST Indian food I’ve ever had, and I find it to be very affordable for the quality and quantity of the food, and it’s always hot and tastes fresh. Staff is also always very friendly.”

Christopher B. of Philadelphia: “I absolutely love takeout nights from New Era and recommend it to anyone in the area and beyond. Although I come VERY often, I usually get the same couple of items: butter chicken, lamb biryani and, of course, tikka masala ... but you honestly can’t go wrong with anything here. When I have visitors from out of town, I always recommend this spot and get strong, positive feedback.”

Hemant Sen Oli, 31, opened New Era Indian Cuisine May 1, 2021. Oli came here from Nepal 11 years ago with minimal knowledge of English and no college background. He previously worked at a hardware store in Center City from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., then rushed to an Indian restaurant in Wynnewood, working there from 5 to 10 p.m. He stayed at both jobs for four years, soaking up all the knowledge he could at the Indian restaurant from fellow Nepalese workers until he felt he was ready to walk out on the high wire.

Oli saved a little money, got together with two cousins from Nepal, Dhan Khadka and Arjun Thapa, who both had extensive experience working in Indian restaurants, and began looking for a location of their own. The best one they found was at the Willow Grove Avenue location, formerly home to Biryani Bowl Indian Cuisine, which had closed because of the pandemic.

“The landlord gave us a break,” Oli said in an earlier interview, “because of the pandemic and because he knew we did not have much money. It was very difficult at first since we had no money for advertising or promotion, but we printed up lots and lots of menus and dropped them off at every house and apartment in the area, and people would tell their friends.”

Only a small percentage of New Era customers eat at the restaurant’s few tables. About 70 percent order takeout, and about 20 percent have food delivered to their homes by Uber Eats, DoorDash or Grubhub. Asian restaurant owners all know that most Americans disdain spicy foods. “About 75 percent of our customers ask for non–spicy,” Oli said.

“We are grateful for all those great four and five–star reviews online, which provide us with a positivity to work even harder. I must admit, though, that any negative feedback could not help me to sleep properly at night, but it would make us work even harder to improve.”

The most popular dishes at New Era are chicken tikka masala, butter chicken, tandoori chicken, freshly baked naan breads, saag paneer, vegetable samosa and salmon dishes.

“We have not raised our prices even though food costs for us have skyrocketed,” Oli said. “We are here in the business not only for profit. Our first priority is being supportive with the neighborhood because our customers supported us when we were struggling.”

On July 24, 2024, Oli and his team opened a second New Era restaurant at 1005 Germantown Pike in Plymouth Meeting. They have also done at least 65 catering jobs, mostly for about 50 people but one for a wedding in 2023 with 350 guests.

“We also have a dream project,” Oli said. “We plan to open up a nice sit–down restaurant in the future but with a different concept and fusion. We also expect to introduce some new surprises to the Chestnut Hill community.”

For more information, call 215-967-1159 or visit neweraindiancuisine.com. Len Lear can be reached at lenlear@chestnuthilllocal.com.