Dhamaka

"Adventurous in cuisine and brightly hued when it comes to the setting, the East Village restaurant will be full of diyas to celebrate Diwali, says chef and partner Chintan Pandya. On October 31 and November 1, all customers will receive a take-home gift of mithai or cashews flavored with a spice mix." - Shivani Vora

"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 New York City. 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." - neha talreja, carina finn koeppicus, bryan kim

"​​This sit-down spot is from the chefs behind two of our favorite Indian restaurants in the city, Semma and Adda, and it focuses on regional specialties that are hard to find elsewhere in NYC. Try their version of subzi pulao served directly in a pressure cooker, or the tender goat kidneys and testicles in a fragrant onion-tomato stew, and pao shimmering with ghee on the side. The energy in both the indoor and outdoor seating areas is always rambunctious, and at times, feels like you’re not even at Essex Market at all." - carlo mantuano, will hartman

"Famously, Dhamaka and its cousin Adda make their own paneer. This compressed collection of curds is so different than the supermarket sort used in most Indian restaurants today, which has obtained a rubbery consistency by being stored cold in plastic. Not here: This paneer, made from cow’s milk sourced upstate, is unstintingly fluffy. One version is coated with a mild but very red masala, but even better is the one that immerses generous cubes of paneer in a pungent fenugreek sauce, making for a brilliant vegetarian main course." - Robert Sietsema

"Restaurateur Roni Mazumdar and chef/partner Chintan Pandya have taken the city’s dining scene by storm with an array of restaurants that celebrate India’s diverse cuisines. Their Michelin-starred West Village spot, Semma, is often rightfully in the spotlight, but Dhamaka is the cool older sibling that has their own thing going on. Pandya and his team’s cooking looks deep into regional Indian culinary traditions to share dishes like the restaurant’s acclaimed rabbit dish from Rajasthan, which is marinated in spiced yogurt, slow-cooked for hours, and must be ordered 48 hours in advance. There’s also garlicky Goan crab cooked with Amul butter and crushed black pepper, and garam masala-spiced Kashmiri lamb loin. Some dishes, like the exceptional goat neck dum biryani, which is served in a pot that’s sealed with a thin flatbread, are larger, so check in with your server about the number of items to order." - Emily Saladino, Devra Ferst