Chef extraordinaire, Anita Jaisinghani has delighted patrons for years at her upscale Indian restaurant, Indika in Houston. This year, she makes her New York debut with her equally impressive, if slightly more casual venture, Pondicheri. Aiming to create a whole new culinary experience here, her West 27th Street space hosts over 100 diners, but still maintains an incredibly intimate atmosphere. Anita hopes for the restaurant to be a place where her guests feel at home. “I want people to feel just as comfortable grabbing a cookie sitting down, as getting a whole lunch,” she explained to Eater Magazine. 

During the day, Pondicheri will focus more on take-away services with a counter where you can pick up your order, but in the evening it will transform into a fine-dining space where people can sample the awarding-winning menu she became famous for, at Indika.

Anita also hopes to introduce New York to the concept of eating Indian food for breakfast. The fare will include Breakfast Rotis, Stuffed with Masala Eggs, Stuffed Parathas, and Sweet Rice Flour and Almond Pancakes (or appams for us people in the know). She believes the breakfast menu combined with the takeaway style will encourage people to explore it as a new option and bring it into their daily routine. “It’s food to go in the morning, food to stand and eat while you go to work,” she says.

For people looking to indulge their sweet tooth, there’s plenty at Pondicheri to get excited about. She’s bringing the best options from the Bake Lab in Houston, to her new premises and they promise to continue their experimental creations, ensuring that there will always be an innovative snack to grab with your morning coffee. Some of her most popular options in Houston were the Chocolate Chilli Cookies, Pista Scone with Blueberries, and the Pondi Bars which are a South Indian twist on granola bars made with crisp rice, peanut, raisin, pumpkin seed, and marshmallow.

The chefs and creators at Pondicheri aim to create an authentic Indian experience by combining elements from regions across the country to create dishes that harmonize seamlessly. By using traditional Vedic methods, they have created meals that will be nourishing, fresh and vibrant, the perfect backdrop for creating lasting memories.

For Indians living in New York, take a look at their entire menu if you’re not entirely convinced yet.