On a windy Tuesday night, there wasn’t an empty spot in the 80-seat, dimly lit dining room. INDN is the brainchild of husband-and-wife dream team, Sim Bakshi and Kanika Vij, who saw a gap in Manhattan’s dining scene and knew exactly how they wanted to fill it. The result is a vibrant playground where cocktails and small plates take center stage, channeling the pulse of Delhi’s nightlife into something that works effortlessly for New York City.
When I walked in, Burna Boy and Prabh Singh’s “9:45” Punjabi remix played overhead, and what a fitting Afro-Desi track it was for the moment. The space, far removed from the Indian restaurants I frequented growing up, was instead, sleek, trendy, and unmistakably the kind of place you come to see and be seen.
Sim moves through the room with natural ease, chatting with guests as if they’ve all been regulars for years. It doesn’t take long to understand how the concept originated with him – and why it connects so clearly with the people dining here.
Together, Sim and Kanika set out to capture the energy of Delhi’s roadside liquor shops and chakhna vendors – the late-night street food meant to be eaten with drink in hand. In the kitchen, a team of chefs from Uttarakhand executes that vision. The menu features small and large plates rooted in Punjabi and Kashmiri cooking, each designed to work alongside the bar’s lineup.
The Cocktails
First and foremost, this is a cocktail bar — a place where you come for a drink that catches you off guard in the best way. And that’s that the food rises to meet with the drinks, not the other way around. In the emerging world of savory cocktails, this is where you can quite literally sip your butter chicken and eat it too. The menu is designed around the drinking experience, with dishes calibrated to complement what’s in your glass. The beverage program is the product of months of research and development, and the attention to detail is unmatched.
Not only are drink names cheeky, but they’re rooted in actual technique and flavor. Take Paneer Panic, which reimagines saag paneer in liquid form. It combines Bombay Sapphire, Empirical Cilantro, spinach, and turmeric, then garnishes the glass with a cube of paneer—a direct nod to the dish itself.
Elsewhere on the menu, the Parle-G Spot transforms the iconic Parle-G tea biscuit into a foam, layering it over 1840 Cognac and masala chai. Then there’s Nuthin’ But a Ghee Thang, which uses ghee-washed spirits that bring a richness to the indulgent glass.
The Chakhna
Spain has tapas. India has chakhna—the original bar snacks: finger foods, munchies, and dishes meant to be eaten with a drink in hand. INDN’s version spans both small and larger plates, all designed to work with the cocktail menu.
The standout pairing is by far the Seasonal Chaat, made with crispy spinach leaves topped with yogurt, masala, chutney, and pomegranate seeds. It’s a natural match for the Who the Chaat Are You?, a chaat-inspired margarita blending tequila reposado with clarified chutney. Another fan favorite is the Masala Arbi, a crispy fried taro tossed in INDN’s house masala. There’s a slow-building heat that brightens when paired with clarified cocktails like that same margarita.
Then there’s the Keema Pao, which draws from Mumbai’s beloved pav bhaji but lands somewhere between a sloppy joe and a deeply nostalgic railway snack. Slow-cooked minced lamb sits atop extra-buttered buns, served with sliced onions, green chilies, and lime on the side. You’ll catch the aroma long before it reaches your table. It’s as true to the pao you’d find on long train journeys heading south from Delhi—comforting, familiar, and rooted in its origins—yet it fits seamlessly on a modern menu. Paired with a spice-forward cocktail like the Butterface, it feels practically engineered for the experience.
The Larger Plates
If you’re like me, you’ll have filled up on the chakhna so much that there’s barely room for the larger plates—but you’ll still make space for the house specialty. The Dal Bukhara is a slow-cooked pot of whole black gram, better known as urad dal, listed on the menu as “Original Bukhara Grill’s 49th St.” The reference is personal: Kanika’s father, Vicky Vij, owned and ran the acclaimed Bukhara Grill in New York for over 20 years, and her passion for food and hospitality is deeply informed by that legacy. This version honors that history while standing on its own. Pair it with a Lachha paratha and garlic naan, and you’ll have every reason to roll yourself home.
Service follows the same thoughtful rhythm. The staff pick up on your preferences almost instantly, steering you toward pairings that feel genuinely tailored, not rehearsed.
By the end of the night, it’s hard not to feel like INDN is filling a space you didn’t realize was empty. It’s playful, grounded, and deeply intentional. You taste the creativity and thought behind every plate and glass. And for a city constantly searching for what’s next, INDN delivers something that feels refreshingly original.
INDN
30 W 30th St, New York, NY 10001
Website
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