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It's incredibly hard to get a reservation here but I was
It's incredibly hard to get a reservation here but I was lucky enough to get a table for one on a weekday at around 5, so I took my chances and went for it, since unfortunately they don't do takeout. If you're into Bollywood, the music is absolutely fire. So much fun, and not as loud as some popular Indian restaurants in the city. Veg options are limited but fantastic. The papdi chaat was so moist and paired well with my kharboozy, a refreshing melon cocktail. The paneer was spicy but came with pickled onions and the most addicting green chutney. So moist, paneer that actually melts in your mouth is served here. I can see why they recommend eating the paneer, fresh, at the table. I also ordered the veg pulao which was pretty standard but done right. Lots of interesting mushrooms in the pulao but very flavorful. I wish there were more veg options and it wasn't as expensive, but worth a try! If you can get a spot at Dhamaka, definitely secure it!
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We didn't have reservations, but we were the first people
We didn't have reservations, but we were the first people on line and we were able to score a table. There's a line, and its long, so either make reservations or try to get there early. The employees were nice, they gave us some great recommendations. We started with the Paplet fry, the fish was perfectly seasoned and had a nice crisp to it, pair it with the green sauce and it was delicious! We also ended up getting the Champaren Meat , which was spicy but delicious; Tabak Maaz, the lamb ribs, holy moly these were so good! the meat fell off the bone! It was perfectly cooked and had some great flavor. And of course we had to try the limited Goat neck biryani. The rice was perfectly cooked and the goat itself was tender. For dessert we ended up getting the paneer cheese cake, it was light and not overly sweet. Also, try the Paan-e-bahar martini, it literally taste like a paan. Great place, would definitely come back to try some of the other items!
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There's plenty to think about.
I was concerned going to a restaurant within essex market that my girlfriend saw on tiktok...this place was challenging to get a reservation but thanks to a little obsessiveness and lack of day time responsibility we found one. The reviews for this place are inaccurate and probably driven in large part by a miss on expectations. I can see how a food influencer without experience may not love this place but anything less then a 5 is balderdash. The vibe is really fun and the energy from the market kinda makes things chaotic and fun. The server was always attentive. Food was wildly delicious and my first experience with a modern refined Indian restaurant. Get the goat kidneys and gonads the little dinner rolls (pao) were a tangental but welcome addition. 10/10
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service was 5/5 but overall the flavors of this place was
service was 5/5 but overall the flavors of this place was kinda off. big issue for me is everything is so, so fatty that while yes, the spices and flavors are super strong/complex and carry well, this feeling of fat coating everything and everywhere kinda diminishes the experience.eggplant - fried eggplant, pretty solidlamb ribs - yeah they're naturally fatty but there was nothing in the plate/profile to cut the fat enough.housemade paneer - okay? felt a bit under seasoned herechicken biryani - good amounts of chicken, but maybe should've gotten the goat cause there was nothing special about thiswhat i gotta say is although i tried all 4 dishes, i legit couldn't finish my meal bc i got such a bad stomach ache after the ribs that i had to stop eating. you know the feeling when you bite into and swallow a whole piece of fat and it just ain't gonna sit right LOLeasy pass for me, especially considering how difficult it is to get into. outdoor seating is covered and heated.
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The paneer dish was outstanding!!! The cocktails also
3/5 by
K R. on 04/01/2022
The paneer dish was outstanding!!! The cocktails also were good. But many of the dishes we tried had the exact same spice profile so although they tasted good it felt very repetitive on my palate. The lamb ribs were highly recommended by our server but they were pure fat, I could barely keep from gagging at the texture. Maybe, I was expecting too much based on the hype this restaurant has received. It was definitely good, and I am glad I tried it but I would not go out of my way to go again.
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Really glad we got lucky and got a table without a
Really glad we got lucky and got a table without a reservation. This place was packed even on a Tuesday 6:30p dinner time. The staff was super friendly and the food was indeed unapologetic Indian so it is HOT and full of flavor. Not for the faint hearted and I love that. Next time, we hope to order a more balanced meal, everything was too rich but still enjoyable. Recommend: - Paneer Methi, they make their paneer in-house. Texturally like soft tofu! - Lamb ribs, fall off the bone and lamb flavor is on pointWas not a fan of:- Goat Testicles, not because of the testicles, it was just too oily and salty- Paratha, too greasy
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I waited a month to finally get to come here! The cocktails
I waited a month to finally get to come here! The cocktails were great, however the food itself was very spicy. Usually there are menu notes that differentiate the very hot menu items from the more subdued menu items from a flavor perspective. The bites of everything I was able to have before my mouth started burning were great. Just wish I could have enjoyed everything! Also the roti is very thin and small.
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this is a review from a dinner at Dhamaka from summer of
this is a review from a dinner at Dhamaka from summer of 2021 and is focussed on the only thing that stayed in my my memory from that meal the goat neck biriyani.Dhamaka's Biriyani is for those who can handle pain. I was hoping it would be a nice comforting home cooked Biriyani where the senses of taste and smell usually hit the right mix of pain with pleasure. however The famous Biriyani was too high on the spicy heat scale to be enjoyable. I took the food home and mixed it in with a cup of cooked basmati rice and then it the spot.
We had the goat neck biriyani, papdi chaat and paneer tikka which were all very good. The biriyani is VERY spicy which we didn't realize when we ordered. We were a table of two without a reservation and were seated in about an hour at 630pm. However they only let you have the table for one hour so keep that in mind - not a great place if you're looking to eat and take your time.
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Amazing service but found the food a little greasy and
Amazing service but found the food a little greasy and overly spiced. The drinks I was interested from the online menu weren't printed on the in person menu. Chat was delicious. Mango lassi was like a heavy purée of juice, not sure if there was any yogurt or milk content.
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I make it a point to try something new in NYC everytime I
I make it a point to try something new in NYC everytime I go, rather than stay to the classics that everyone knows about. Dhamaka seemed like it was recently a buzz restaurant, but not the hottest restaurant that it would be hard to find a table. The indian food here is different wish dishes I haven't really hard or tasted before. I really liked the space inside too, it's colorful and energic, and wouldn't have known about the Essex market below, which was a really cool space to check out after. Going back to the food, the food was authentically Indian spicy, bold and flavorful. Everything was really good, and check out my pics for yourselves to see how good they look.
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Finally was able to check out Dhamaka - with nominations
Finally was able to check out Dhamaka - with nominations for both Best New Restaurant and Best Chef in New York State, I had high expectations and they were most definitely reached. The items we ordered were: - Gurda Kapoora (goat kidney & testicles, red onion, pao) - Lasooni Prawn (tiger prawn, - Tabak Maaz (lamb ribs, kashmiri chili, fennel) - Champaran Meat (mutton, whole garlic, red chili)- Paneer Methi (cashew cream, fenugreek, cumin)- Goat Neck Dum Biryani (braised goat neck, Basmati rice, saffron)Personally, I found the Goat Neck Biryani to be the best! I loved the saffron rice with extremely tender goat neck. It was a dish I kept reaching for, and also picked out the mutton from Champaran Meat to also mix in with the saffron rice. The dishes came with Chapati, and you just have to mix in everything together for that perfect bite. Not going to lie though, the spice levels were quite highly up there, so I was downing my mango lassi frequently. Everything at Dhamaka is so full of flavour and rich in texture. Though spice levels are up there, that's what makes the dishes stand out so much more and leave you craving for the next bite. I would love to go back if there was another opportunity to do so!
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Exceptional Indian food.
One of the very few restaurants in USA to bring true, deep and soulful Indian flavors. Love it!!
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Amazing food and service! As an Indian, the only thing I
Amazing food and service! As an Indian, the only thing I had a MINOR issue with was the fact that for a table of 6 they'd give us a palm sized portion of Raita(NOONE pays extra for Raita back home)- but you'd have to pay an additional amount to get more Raita. Only relevant for individuals who have a low spice tolerance, so its not a big deal. But all in all, LOVE IT!!
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Best Indian food I have ever had! Unique and nothing
Best Indian food I have ever had! Unique and nothing compared to your other traditional authentic type Indian restaurants. Biryani is veryyyy good, super worth. Their desert dish is also very good and unique!
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I cannot believe I haven't reviewed this place! I first
I cannot believe I haven't reviewed this place! I first came here almost exactly one year ago and have basically been their unofficial ambassador (will you hire me UA? ). To anyone and everyone who will listen, I urge them to come here ASAP. Their biryani is THE BEST in the city (my family's from Hyderabad, where the dish originated, so trust me when I say I know a good biryani). Right amount of spicy while still being so delicious. I'm so upset that I just realized I haven't reviewed this place cause I can't even remember all the dishes I tried. But off the top of my head, get the paneer (appetizer), okra, and the biryani! You won't be disappointed. Can't wait to come back!!
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GOOD but not as great as i expected.
fried eggplant appetizer: lovelygoat belly kabob: excellentgoat biriani: very good.home made paneer: okI also have a reservation for April 8. Wondering if i should fly back to NY for that.Happy i visited there and will be happy to go back.
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Not just a burst of spice, but spice on steroids.
That's how I would describe my experience at Dhamaka. I will never forget my meal there, as it was more like an emotional experience -- very powerful! I started with the Kharboozy at the bar -- a potent mix of Aperol, fresh cantaloupe, and lime. The bartender promised me that there was no extra sugar and that the taste specifically came from the natural flavors of the cantaloupe. At the table, I started with the Kagda Pattice. More like a main meal, it included a potato patty buried in a tasty white pea and green chili sauce. Then came my main dish, the Murgh Kofta. When the server opened the pot, I was completely surprised by a ball of chicken mintz which included an egg (they told me) and was dredged in an extremely spicy sauce which included poppy seeds. Relief from the spices came from the Gulaabo, a gin drink concoction with dragon fruit, rose water, and lemon -- exquisite. Next time I am in for the Chicken Masala Pulso made of bone-in chicken, cinnamon, and basmati rice. The service was excellent. The place itself is in a small area inside the Essex Market. If you are waiting for a table, you can check out the market and drink citrus hops beer in the basement (just what I did!)
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Loved this place! Went for a Friday night date night and
Loved this place! Went for a Friday night date night and had a great experience. I highly recommend making a reservation because it's very popular. The restaurant is in Essex Market -- a larger space with lots of restaurants and bars. The ambiance is very fun. There's music playing and the space is colorful. The service is excellent - actually some of the best I've experienced in a while. Severs are knowledgeable and helpful, and somehow able to anticipate our every need.We tried the lamb ribs - so tender and so much meat - and the beguni eggplant - crispy fried eggplant chunks, deliciously - seasoned to start. Then shared the goat neck biryani for a main. It is decently spicy and extremely flavorful with a ton of meat and covered with a thin layer of bread. Cocktails were a highlight as well. I tried the gulaabo - gin with dragonfruit and rose water - and Joshila - mezcal, chili and passion fruit. Both were fresh, refreshing and deliciously strong. I look forward to returning.
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Meh, shocked that this place has such high reviews across
Meh, shocked that this place has such high reviews across Yelp and is so hard to book. The bartenders, hostess and front desk staff are lovely but the food is mediocre. We got the papadi chaat which was just mushed potatoes with Indian spices and sprinkled with pomegranate seeds. For mains got the briyani, paneer, dhaal and paratha. Not sure if they were having an off day but paratha is supposed to be buttery and flaky - ours was burnt and so hard it cracked in two like a chip. The briyani and paneer flavor was just "spicy". I can handle my spice but felt like maybe they were covering something up because you couldn't taste the other Indian spices or flavors. Really disappointing experience
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I'll start by saying Dhamaka left me with tears of joy.
.. and also tears of pain. But I'm not complaining! My friends and I had a reservation booked here for a Sunday night for quite a bit, and we were very excited to try it. We've heard about their notorious spice levels, so we came mentally prepared. We clearly did not prepare well enough. Our waiter, Tenzin, was a delight. We would come back just to hang out with him if I'm being honest! He checked up on us multiple times to give us water and joked around with us.Along with our dishes, we each got mango passionfruit lassis, and two servings of chapati. *Highly* recommend getting some bread or rice on the side if you're planning to order curry. Onto the food!Papdi Chaat: 4/5 - a solid starter! nothing too spicy yet, the pomegranates balanced the spice in the potatoes well. Eating this between the other dishes was really refreshing. Ajwani Paneer Tikka: 4.5/5 - I was a bit hesitant about this since it's essentially two bit chunks of paneer, but the paneer is so tender and flavorful. It literally melts!Paplet Fry: 5/5 - none of us expected this to be as good as it was. It doesn't look like much, but it's cooked *perfectly*. The insides are perfectly tender, and the outside was full of seasoning and crunch. The bones are soft too, so you don't need to worry too much about them. Tabak Maaz: 4/5 - These lamb ribs were really fatty-- but extremely tender. They were seasoned really well too! Personally I think if they were on the leaner side it would have been better Murgh Kofta: 4.5/5 - this was a cool dish to eat! when it comes, it looks like a giant meatball drenched in curry, but on the inside of the meatball there's a hard boiled egg. The curry was spicy as expected but also very savory and went well with the chapati. Goat Neck Biryani: 4.5/5 - the star of the show! When it comes, it's covered but it reveals 17 layers of spice that you (helplessly) watch your waiter mix into the rice. This is *very* spicy. Not sure how much I can emphasize that. My friends and I who have high spice tolerances thought this was difficult to eat because of the spice, but the goat was good and very tender. It also comes with yogurt and cucumber, which saved my life while eating this. Overall: What an experience! Come prepared for lots of flavor and spice! Needless to say, I'd definitely come back to experience their spice levels again and again
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After months of battling Resy, we finally secured a
After months of battling Resy, we finally secured a reservation at @dhamakanyc Probably one of the best meals we've ever had! I understand why they're booked solid weeks in advance, but the wait was 100% worth itWe got:- goat organs and testicles - 9.8/10: we were feeling ballsy and went for this app, the flavors were immaculate and the spread on the toasted buttered bread was a crazy combo; I started sweating here bc of the spice- lamb ribs - 10/10: best lamb dish I've ever had, the meat fell of the bone and the moans coming from our table after each bite were justified- lamb mutton - 9.9/10 - they put an entire clove of garlic in this dish and we smelled for hours- goat neck biryani - 10/10 - the rice/bread/meat were all perfect, portion was huge, the spice brought me to my knees and the waiter was concerned b/c of the sweat/tears but we got through it
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Loved my meal here! It was spicy but delicious.
5/5 by
K. D. on 03/07/2022
Bests:Paneer methi (cashew cream, fenugreek, cumin)Ajwani paneer tikka (housemade paneer, garam masala)Sigdiwali chicken (young chicken, chili, vinegar, mustard)Tabak maaz (lamb ribs, kashmiri chili, fennel)Good but wouldn't order again:Beguni (eggplant, turmeric, kasundi)Papdi chaat (crispy wafers, spiced yogurt, chutneys)Pressure cooker pulao (chicken, basmati rice, saffron)We were surprised that the portions were bigger than we expected and totally over ordered. It was so delicious though!
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Dhamaka is one of our favorite restaurant in lower east
Dhamaka is one of our favorite restaurant in lower east side and NY! Is 100% recommended, food is AMAZiNG, service is great they are all so nice and helpful, and the place is super pretty.
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Found in Essex market, you wouldn't know that this is one
Found in Essex market, you wouldn't know that this is one of the best NYC restaurants until you see the food coming out. We waited to get a reservation here for a few months and it was worth the wait. The whole experience was top notch including the service and the food. While there are a number of more adventurous options on the menu, we stuck with the Tabak maaz (lamb ribs) , chicken pressure cooker pulao and panner methi. Keep in mind that everything was on the spicier side, but the flavors were incredible and not like other Indian food that I've had before. The tabak maaz was out of this world and definitely our favorite thing. We will happily be coming back!
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I feel like I fall into the category of people who "like"
I feel like I fall into the category of people who "like" spicy food. However, the food was so spicy that despite tasting fairly good, ruined the experience. This place is paying for a ton of ads and hype but doesn't follow through.There are better options in NYC for a much better price. If anything, some way of knowing how spicy the food will be would be the least they could do.
Very spicy. We had the goat biryani, the paneer, the shark, and the fish appetizer. Everything was well seasoned, spicy and hot in temperature! Everything was so fresh I would def recommend as a must try!!!
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After hearing all the rave reviews, we were so excited to
4/5 by
L R. on 02/25/2022
After hearing all the rave reviews, we were so excited to come here on a Friday night. Dhamaka did not disappoint! The food is spiced to perfection, though I wouldn't call it authentic by any means. We were a bit skeptical on their dessert, but the other dishes and drinks were phenomenal. Tucked away in Essex market, the vibe feels very young and millennial.
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119 Delancey St, New York, NY 10002, USA
Average Price: $75
High: $200
Any reservation for a time that starts 
Tap here to bid for more than one day
Carbone New York
It can be under your name or a name you choose! Some reservation offers already include the AppointmentTrader Transfer Service which will transfer the reservation in to your name. If its not included you can add it on after buying the reservation for a small fee. One thing on that though: As many reservations become available at last minute, taking a reservation in someone else name is quick and great for privacy. Most reservations on AT are listed with a virtual phone number, so all you need to do is present the phone number at the hostess stand and you are good to go!
Best answer by ColorfulRod45 (07/09/2021 5:17 pm)
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Last Answer by FluffyStar64 (10/04/2021 11:22 am)