While many would-be restaurants are taking to the street in the form of food trucks, the Desi Chaat House is taking Indian street food inside, to a peculiar-looking flat-roofed orange building on the corner of 42nd and Baltimore. Draped with Christmas lights, the storefront’s bright green lettering promises “Mild to Wild.” It could be a wacky Mexican joint. Or some sort of fetish store. But inside, you’ll find old-fashioned glass bottles of Limca and Thums Up (Indian versions of Sprite and Coke), ice cream with a special touch (all their flavoring syrups are homemade) and dozens of open glass containers of what storeowners Hasan and Syed Bukhari call “the crunchies.”

Chaat’s hard to explain but we’ll give it a shot. It’s a mixture of savories: Sometimes chick peas, peanuts, lentils, potatoes and definitely a combination of those “crunchies” (we’ll be straight and admit that we still can’t pinpoint what they are. Some are sweet, some are salty or spicy. Ask Hasan or Syed to try some and they’ll be more than happy to hand you a sample plate.). Add some yogurt, tamarind-date sauce, some chutneys and some hot sauce and green chilis (if you’re choosing “wild” over mild), and you’ve got chaat. There are endless chaat options and it’s cheap like street food should be — your average chaat is $5.99, $6.99 for chaats with meat.

It’s served cold and no-frills in a plastic tupperware container and honestly, it looks pretty unappetizing. But take one bite and you’ll get it. Chaat’s an orgy of flavors and textures and even temperatures (in Samosa Chaat, the samosa is served warm, while the rest is cold), not quite like anything we’ve ever tasted. The portions are hearty and filling. Also try Pani Puri, hollow balls of crispy fried dough that you’re meant to poke holes in and fill with a chickpea and potato filling. It’s served with a cup of spice water (“Good for digestion,” Syed says), which you’re meant to sip after each ball of fried dough you eat. Tasty, but only if you’re into putting a little effort into your meal. If not, stick to the chaat.

The Chaat House is also a trove of hidden Indian desserts. Get the traditional Gulab Jamun or Lahori Kheer (rice pudding) here but an insider’s secret: unadvertised is Soen Papri and the restaurant’s assorted ice cream specialties. A unique combination of sweet and a little spicy, Soen Papri is made of chickpeas, cardamom and cucumber seed, and it melts in your mouth, strangely enough, like cotton candy. The Bukharis will also prepare sundaes for you, consisting of ice cream, sweet “crunchies,” one of their special sauces (the caramel sauce is mad good) and fruit. Or get a conventional banana split.

“Whatever people like, we’ll make it,” Hasan says.

So don’t be afraid to ask.

Other important things to note: There’s minimal outdoor and indoor seating, so you might want to take it to go. Ask for extra hot sauce if you’re into it. And if you’re a Facebook fan, you get a free cocktail (Bukhari-style: thick, sweet and seemingly alcohol-less).

Desi Chaat House, 501 42nd St., 215-386-1999