Dhamaka
Indian restaurant · Lower East Side
119 Delancey St, New York, NY 10002
Highlights
Bold regional Indian cuisine, vibrant atmosphere, unique dishes
Bold regional Indian cuisine, vibrant atmosphere, unique dishes
"Semma is all booked up. Meanwhile, sister restaurant Dhamaka has tables most days. The restaurant in Essex Market on the Lower East Side serves regional Indian food you won’t find elsewhere, with Restaurant Week options that range from okra in a yogurt gravy to a curry with goat meat and mince." - bryan kim
"On the Lower East Side, a dahi wali bhindi (okra in a spicy yogurt sauce, $34) offers a Rajasthani-style twist on okra: the okra was left long and the sauce 'was layered with heat.' The reviewer (from New Delhi) explains that yogurt is used to cool and temper intense spice in Rajasthani cooking; here it provides diffusion and creaminess so that despite the chile heat 'the okra’s sweet and green flavors were not lost while scooped in a fold of paratha.' The dish 'packed a punch,' and the reviewer recommends ordering the nimbu pani (lemonade). Dinner ended with a text to their Punjabi mom: "Okra in a sauce, you won’t believe this." —Henna Bakshi, regional editor, South" - Nat Belkov
"Dhamaka may be located in a big, bright food hall, but it'll provide one of the most memorable meals of your year. You’ll try dishes from four or five different regions of India—some of which are impossible to find elsewhere in NYC. You’ll also pay considerably more than you’re used to paying at a food hall (roughly $100 per person, in our experience), but you'll eat some of the best Indian food this side of Mumbai. Zig-zag from fried and grilled snacks to fragrant spiced curries—but don't forget to order the gurda kapoora, tomato-y goat kidney and testicles served with buttery pao." - molly fitzpatrick, bryan kim, neha talreja, carina finn koeppicus, sonal shah
"Introducing a regional Indian weekend brunch priced at $45 per person (weekends, 11:30 a.m.–2:15 p.m.), the service begins with a Kashmiri wazwan and offers first-course choices such as paneer kanti with chiles or a grilled yogurt-marinated chicken, followed by second-course options like chaman kaliya (paneer in yellow gravy) or mutton meatballs." - Melissa McCart
"Yes, Dhamaka is technically located in a food hall, but it happens to be one of the best Indian restaurants in the city. This colorful Essex Market restaurant is from the team behind Semma and Adda, and meals here often consist of dishes associated with four or five different regions of India—some of which are virtually impossible to find elsewhere in the city. Try their lamb biryani and the gurda kapoora in a fragrant onion-tomato stew." - bryan kim, neha talreja, will hartman, willa moore, molly fitzpatrick
