Inside INDN, Where South Asian Flavors Meet One of NYC’s Best Cocktail Bars

The sun had set and the cold moved in quickly, sharper than expected, the kind that settles into your bones. Nishka Dhawan and I were walking the Flatiron District layered up and undecided, looking for a bar stool and a little warmth, when we found ourselves standing in front of INDN, one of the most talked-about new Indian restaurants to arrive in New York.

INDN has been on our must-try list since it opened nearly a year ago. In a city crowded with new restaurants, it’s earning attention less for spectacle than for a bar program rooted in South Asian flavors and serious R&D.

Call it fate. Call it luck. Whatever it was, it placed Nishka and me at the bar of one of the most exciting — and genuinely delicious — cocktail programs we’ve tried in recent months.

First Pours (and impressions)

Warm smiles and an attentive staff greeted us as we stepped inside INDN. We told the hostess we were only in for a single drink. She smiled, took our coats, and offered us our choice of seats. From the start, it was clear this was a place where a quick stop at the bar was treated with the same care as a full night out.

We sat down planning on one drink, but the menu had other ideas. Very much unlike me, that drink was a mocktail — The Saleem Ka Ghoda — a cucumber-lime blend layered with soothing amaro and bold Indian green chili that’s floral, lightly spiced, and dangerously easy to drink.

Nishka, meanwhile, opted for something stronger and was offered the Yuzual Suspects, a modern South Asian riff on the melon baller. An eye-catching green pour, it layers sweet melon with bright yuzu and warm cardamom, shifting the familiar into something sharper and unmistakably South Asian.

The Clarified Cocktail Flight

By this point, we were hooked, drawn in by an attentive, knowledgeable bar team and the mouthwatering scent of South Asian cooking flowing through INDN’s low-lit interior. The food at INDN is clearly part of the draw, even if we stayed focused on the bar. A glance around the room made that obvious — especially the keema pav, deeply savory minced lamb with a buttery perfume from generous ghee, making its way down the bar beside us. The menu caters to all appetites, serving chaknas and Indian tapas such as seasonal chaat and chicken tikka malai, alongside full entrées from the subcontinent, including dal bukhara and kadhai paneer, with an assortment of rice, naan, and roti.

Parsing the menu for a second round, something unfamiliar caught our eye: a clarified cocktail flight built around the flavors of traditional South Asian dishes. It felt tailor-made for us — lovers of South Asian cuisine and serious imbibing. The bartender carefully poured chilled concoctions into stemmed cordial glasses, and we were more than ready to work our way through each liquid, culinary experience.

Paneer Panic
Inspired by palak paneer, it’s savory and herbaceous, with a creamy richness that tastes like dipping a spoon straight into a bowl of palak gravy.

Butterface
Inspired by butter chicken, rich and indulgent flavors are lifted by mezcal’s subtle smoke, with enough fat-washed depth to justify a full pour without ever feeling heavy.

How Can She Slap!?
Inspired by mango lassi, it’s tropical and softly creamy, with whisky and rum adding backbone that reins in the sweetness.

Paan Intended
Inspired by paan, it’s bright and perfumed with medicinal betel-leaf character, cooling and lightly sweet with a clean, herbal finish.

The flight works because it moves from savory to rich to sweet to herbal, showcasing a range of flavors and profiles you’d expect from a full-course meal without palate fatigue. The clarification keeps the flavors layered and visually elegant while letting the culinary references shine through cleanly.

The Extra Pour

We were already satisfied and ready to close out, but the bar had other ideas. Two more pours arrived, starting with Whip Me Saffron, a South Asian twist on the gin fizz inspired by rasmalai. Light and gently spiced, it balances a soft, dessert-like sweetness with real freshness, never becoming excessive; the rasmalai foam alone was good enough to be spooned and fawned over.

What the Chaat Are You? followed — a clarified shot built on reposado tequila and Cointreau that somehow managed to taste exactly like chaat. Savory, tangy, and lightly sweet, it landed like street food in liquid form, reminiscent of my first time in India eating at a food stall in the streets of Bandra.

We left satisfied, intoxicated primarily by the overall experience and ambiance, already planning our next visit. INDN is one of those rare finds that checks every box: friendly staff, food worth ordering again, a cocktail program that stands on its own, and a room that makes you want to stay. If you’re looking for an Indian restaurant with a serious bar just outside Manhattan’s K-Town, this is the place.

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INDN Small Plates & Cocktails

30 West 30th Street
New York, NY 10001

+1 (917) 261-2379