There is also doh khleh, a chili-laced pork salad with cilantro and ginger from Meghalaya near Bangladesh and chenna poda, a baked cheese dessert from a state in eastern India below Kolkata. It’s marinated for 48 hours in spiced yogurt and then slow cooked for hours. Pandya and his team’s cooking looks deep into regional cuisines of India to share dishes we rarely see on menus in the U.S like the restaurant’s acclaimed rabbit dish from Rajasthan, which must be ordered in advance. Dhamaka is not a restaurant of restraint, it’s one of abundance and exuberance. Their West Village spot Semma, which recently received a Michelin star, is often rightfully in the spotlight, but Dhamaka is the cool older sibling that has their own thing going on. Restaurateur Roni Mazumdar and chef/partner Chintan Pandya have taken the city’s dining scene by storm in the past few years with a string of openings that, without question, match their company’s name: Unapologetic Indian. This gallery has been updated with new information since its original publish date. Read our complete New York City travel guide here. Be sure to book them in advance, swing by early, or try your luck at the end of the evening for an open seat at the bar. With tourism numbers back up, the best tables in the city have once again become highly coveted commodities.

There are also new genres of restaurants-like Contento, which works to be truly accessible to all, and the wildly spicy Dhamaka that opened during the pandemic and persevered-establishing themselves as important contenders among the best restaurants in New York City.

And with the addition of outdoor dining, some now have even more seats to welcome guests. Many of the beloved classics on this list, like Italian charmer Via Carota, Michelin-starred Le Bernardin, and pizza destination Lucali, can now say they made it to the other side. Nearly three years after COVID forced the city that never sleeps to dim its lights, New York’s restaurant scene feels like it’s back to its old self.

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