Dhamaka (restaurant)

This article is about the restaurant in New York City. For other uses, see Dhamaka.

Dhamaka
The restaurant's exterior in 2024
Restaurant information
Street address119 Delancey Street
CityManhattan, New York City
StateNew York
Coordinates40°43′6″N 73°59′17″W / 40.71833°N 73.98806°W / 40.71833; -73.98806

Dhamaka is an Indian restaurant in New York City. The restaurant is run by Chintan Pandya and Roni Mazumdar of hospitality group Unapologetic Foods.

History and focus

The restaurant's founders, Chintan Pandya and Roni Mazumdar, initially planned to open the restaurant in the summer of 2019, and announced their plans to do so in February 2019.[1] Pandya and Mazumdar, respectively the chef and owner of Dhamaka, had previously collaborated on restaurants Rahi and Adda.[1] The founders pushed the goal of opening in 2019 to early 2020, and later fall 2020; the restaurant ultimately opened in February 2021.[2][3] The delays in 2020 were due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[4] The restaurant is in Essex Market.[5]

The restaurant's popularity has received coverage in the press.[6] Richard Morgan, writing for Eater, highlighted the restaurant's Rajasthani khargosh dish, a whole rabbit, as "perhaps the most impossible-to-order dish in NYC".[6] The restaurant serves the dish only once a night, and diners must pre-order and pre-pay for the dish.[6]

The restaurant's founders aim to highlight regional Indian dishes rather than focusing on either northern or southern Indian foods.[1][7]

The restaurant closed temporarily in April 2023 to introduce new menu items and retire others.[8] The restaurant's Rajasthani khargosh and paneer methi will both remain on the menu.[8]

Reviews and accolades

Reviews

Pete Wells, restaurant critic for The New York Times, gave Dhamaka a positive review.[9] Wells was unable to order the rabbit,[9] and Richard Morgan attributed the popularity of the dish in part due to this failure.[6] In a later review of Semma, another restaurant run by Unapologetic Foods, Wells praised the "rustic cooking" featured at Dhamaka as its primary strength, while asserting that Semma was distinguished by its "chutneys...sauces...and spices" and its more extensive offerings.[10]

Accolades

The restaurant was nominated for the James Beard Foundation's Best New Restaurant award and Chintan Pandya was nominated for the Best Chef: New York State award in March 2022.[11] Pandya won the award.[12]

Pete Wells placed Dhamaka in seventy-fourth place in his 2023 ranking of the best hundred restaurants in New York City,[13] and in fifty-fourth place on the same list for 2024.[14]

References

  1. ^ a b c Vianna, Carla (February 25, 2019). "Adda Hitmakers Are Bringing Everyday Indian Fare to Anticipated New LES Food Hall". Eater NY. Archived from the original on January 28, 2022. Retrieved March 23, 2022.
  2. ^ Warerkar, Tanay (February 10, 2021). "Dhamaka, a Game-Changing Indian Restaurant, Gets Ready to Open at Essex Market". Eater NY. Archived from the original on March 23, 2022. Retrieved March 23, 2022.
  3. ^ Fortney, Luke (February 4, 2021). "A Running List of New Restaurants That Opened in New York City, February 2021". Eater NY. Archived from the original on March 23, 2022. Retrieved March 23, 2022.
  4. ^ Warerkar, Tanay (September 15, 2020). "NYC's Most Anticipated Restaurant Openings of Fall 2020". Eater NY. Archived from the original on January 27, 2022. Retrieved March 23, 2022.
  5. ^ Sutherland-Namako, Amber (June 8, 2021). "Dhamaka is now open at Essex Market". Time Out New York. Archived from the original on March 23, 2022. Retrieved March 23, 2022.
  6. ^ a b c d Morgan, Richard (September 2, 2021). "Dhamaka's Rabbit Dish Is the Most Impossible-to-Order Dish in NYC Right now". Eater NY. Archived from the original on March 23, 2022. Retrieved March 23, 2022.
  7. ^ Krishna, Priya (July 19, 2021). "These Restaurateurs Want Everyone in America Eating Indian Food". The New York Times. Archived from the original on March 23, 2022. Retrieved March 23, 2022.
  8. ^ a b McCart, Melissa (April 11, 2023). "James Beard Award-Winning Dhamaka Is Scrapping Its Menu for Mostly New Dishes". Eater NY. Archived from the original on April 14, 2023. Retrieved April 14, 2023.
  9. ^ a b Wells, Pete (May 10, 2021). "At Dhamaka, Chintan Pandya Shows He's Not Fooling Around". The New York Times. Archived from the original on April 1, 2022. Retrieved March 31, 2022.
  10. ^ Wells, Pete (January 10, 2022). "South Indian Food That Goes Back to Its Roots, at Semma". The New York Times. Archived from the original on January 11, 2023. Retrieved January 11, 2023.
  11. ^ Sytsma, Alan (March 16, 2022). "Here's the Full List of 2022 James Beard Award Nominees". Grub Street. Archived from the original on March 29, 2022. Retrieved March 25, 2022.
  12. ^ Eater Staff (June 13, 2022). "Here Is the Full List of James Beard Awards 2022 Winners". Eater. Archived from the original on April 14, 2023. Retrieved April 14, 2023.
  13. ^ Wells, Pete (April 18, 2023). "The 100 Best Restaurants in New York City". The New York Times. Archived from the original on April 18, 2023. Retrieved April 18, 2023.
  14. ^ Wells, Pete (April 1, 2024). "The 100 Best Restaurants in New York City in 2024". The New York Times. Retrieved April 6, 2024.
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