Tamarind Tribeca
Chef-owner Avtar Walia has been something of a trailblazer in the New York City Indian dining landscape, ever since he convinced culinary doyenne and actress Madhur Jaffrey to open Dawat in 1986 in Manhattan. Since 2001, he’s been the force behind Tamarind, a Tribeca institution that revolutionized the approach to Indian fine dining in New York. The tasteful interiors are an elegant backdrop to refined dishes like lobster masala, prawn curry, and Nizami kheema. There may be no shortage of trendy new openings in the city these days, but Tamarind’s staying power speaks for itself.
Vatan
I could tell you about this Murray Hill fixture, but some things just need to be seen to be believed. The Third Avenue façade doesn’t begin to prepare you for what lies within: My jaw hit the floor when I walked into the unexpectedly cavernous dining room modeled after a traditional Gujarati village, complete with faux trees, thatched-roof booths, murals of pastoral Indian vignettes, and a massive Ganesh statue presiding over it all. Make sure you get comfortable in your booth because you’re unlikely to leave anytime soon: Vatan’s prix-fixe $45 vegetarian menu is an all-you-can eat bonanza. A massive thali is regularly refreshed with samosas, sev puris, bhaji, daal, chole, and much more on demand, plus endless ice cream and gulab jamun if you make it that far. Between the endless food and the quirky interiors, this is a place you’ll want to settle into for a while.
Dhamaka
Dhamaka means explosion, and that’s exactly how this colorful Lower East Side spot landed in New York in 2021. The Unapologetic Foods takeover of New York’s Indian restaurant scene may have begun with Adda (originally in Long Island City and recently transplanted to the East Village) and cemented with Semma, but it’s when Dhamaka opened that I first realized that Indian food enthusiasts in the city were in the throes of a culinary zeitgeist. Restaurateur Roni Mazumdar and chef Chintan Pandya were the first team brazen enough to make food exactly how they wanted it, without dialing back ingredients (goat kidney and testicles, anyone?) or spice levels to cater to Western palates. The result was an instant hit with Indian diners eager for authentic flavors beyond butter chicken, and guided everyone else to push their boundaries and expectations of what Indian flavors could taste like. It may have inspired a legion of other restaurants to follow in its footsteps, but Dhamaka, with its colorful interiors and banging Bollywood soundtrack, is always a winner.
Brooklyn
Lore
I’m not sure why Lore isn’t one of the hardest-to-get reservations in New York, but at least that means chef Jayesh Kumar’s Park Slope spot has managed to retain its neighborhood charm—for now. Get there ASAP to try Kumar’s inventive menu, that leans on his South Indian roots and European training (he spent decades in Switzerland before opening Lore in 2022), and like me, you’ll be wondering what kind of a mad genius thought up unlikely mash-ups like roti ravioli, kimchi uttapam, and a steak au poivre with masala butter and fries. Kumar also recently launched a dosa stand at Smorgasburg, and will be opening a bar called Folk (get it?) in Park Slope later this summer—with creative globally inspired cocktails and clever small plates like biryani arancini on the menu.
Indian Table
With its distinctive tangy flavor profiles and heady Portuguese influence, the cuisine of the tiny western state of Goa is unlike any other in India—but it can be hard to come by in the city, aside from appearances by vindaloos or the occasional poee bread on menus. But when I’m missing Goa’s famous susegad—laid-back—way of life, I make my way to Cobble Hill’s Indian Table, where Goan chef Eric McCarthy guides diners through a deep dive through classics from his home state: think chicken cafreal, ros omelette, and pork sorpotel, and plenty of coastal classics like the kalchi kodi fish curry and crab cutlets. The dining room, clad in Portuguese-style tiles, is cozy, but when the weather is sultry you’ll want to grab a seat on the back patio stung with fairy lights and feel transported to a veranda in Assagao.
Queens
Angel Indian Restaurant
It’s hard to play favorites in Jackson Heights—you could eat well in this multicultural hub brimming with Indian, Pakistani, Bangladeshi, and Nepali restaurants for weeks without ever going back to the same spot twice. Angel, however, merits many a return. It’s been a local hit ever since it opened in 2019 (Bungalow chef Vikas Khanna is a big fan), with everything from a standout take on the all-too-familiar butter chicken to dishes like lotus root kofta that are rarer to spot on New York menus, plus plush naans you’ll want to swathe yourself in. But the star here is the dum biryani—in vegetarian, chicken, and goat varieties—that comes shrouded beneath a crust of bread. When the server carves it open to mix the layers together and releases wisps of steam that linger over your table, that’s your signal to feast.
Note: The space may feel a bit snug, but the owners just opened a second, sleeker location not too far away from the original.
Raja Sweets and Fast Food
Feeling snack-y? This Jackson Heights vegetarian joint is something of an institution for its dizzying array of fried treats and chaat, those textural flavor bombs that are the perfect union of savory, sweet, crunchy, and tangy. Start with some samosas and pakoras, then chase orders of sev puri, papri chaat, and aloo bhatura with refreshing mango lassi and lemon soda water. But if you’re thinking about satisfying your chaat cravings during a heat wave like I did recently, calibrate your order based on how much spice you can handle under a handful of lazily whirring fans.
Hindu Temple Canteen
You’d never guess from the outside that the majestic Ganesh Temple in Queens houses a basement canteen serving some of the city’s most authentic South Indian cuisine. Since 1993, the Temple Canteen has perfected South Indian staples like pillowy idlis, crispy dosas, and thick, buttery uttapams—all best dunked in a silky coconut chutney. The ghee pongal (rice and lentils with clarified butter) is gentle and hearty, a regular on my takeaway rotation. It’s a no-frills spot where bustling aunties keep the weekend crowds flowing efficiently while massive dosas sail past, stuffed with everything from classic potato masala to more adventurous paneer fillings. My weakness? The Pondicherry dosa—a triangular beauty spread with spicy chutney and a savory mixture that delivers serious heat. Paired with piping hot Madras tea, sweetened with enough sugar to temper the spice in the best possible way. —Pallavi Kumar