Dhamaka

Dhamaka opened inside Essex Market at 88 Essex Street in early 2021 after pandemic delays, from chef Chintan Pandya and restaurateur Roni Mazumdar of Unapologetic Foods. The Hindi name means explosion; the house copy calls the menu the forgotten side of India. Pandya had already drawn attention at Adda Indian Canteen in Long Island City; Dhamaka pushed further into provincial and offal-forward plates in a color-blocked food-hall dining room that still reads as a market stall neighbor, not a white-tablecloth stage.

The New York Times Critic’s Pick from Pete Wells (2021) and The Infatuation’s 8.6 helped lock it as a destination. Michelin has listed it as a Bib Gourmand in multiple diner-facing guides. James Beard nominated the restaurant for Best New Restaurant and awarded Pandya Best Chef: New York State in 2022. Bring a group and treat it as a feast, not a quiet two-top.

Infatuation and Wells both stress range across regions in one meal: Maharashtra chaat energy, Goan seafood, North Indian paneer methi, Odisha chenna poda, Northeastern pork (doh kleh), Rajasthani whole rabbit when you can get it. Signature conversation pieces include gurda kapoora (goat kidneys and testicles), goat belly seekh in bamboo, tabak maaz lamb ribs, murgh kofta with a hard-boiled egg center cut tableside, pressure-cooker chicken pulao, and housemade paneer methi that Infatuation calls a rose-worthy entree. The space is loud and unromantic; the point is the cooking.

Diners echo the spice level (some find it too hot), the need to book ahead, and the value paradox of a food-hall address with a roughly $100-per-person Infatuation estimate including tip and drinks. The Rajasthani khargosh (whole rabbit) is a pre-order lottery: Infatuation describes one per night and Toast pre-orders weeks out.