East Village, New York • EST. 2026

Cooked the old way.
Served like now.

An uncompromised exploration of Southern Indian kitchen craft; tandoors stoked with real charcoal, regional spices crushed dry at dawn, served with natural hospitality in a warm, jewel-lit sanctuary.

Reserve a table See the menu

✦ Ground Daily

✦ Pure Clay Fire

✦ Hand-Stretched Naan

Aromatic regional Indian curry in a copper vessel with fresh naan, bathed in warm side light

From the clay, with patience.✦

Portrait of the chef beside the stone spice mortars

Three Generations of Kerala Heritage

The Heritage

The balance of smoke and stone-ground seed.

Hailing from Kerala's sun-drenched spice coast, Akhil brings three generations of traditional clay pot and tandoor mastery to Manhattan. Our kitchen is built upon the foundational belief that spices are meant to harmonize and elevate, rather than overwhelm. Every morning, we grind whole heirloom seeds in custom stone mortars to capture the fleeting volatile oils that give our regional dishes their distinctive, fragrant warmth.

There are no synthetic colorings or speed-grates here; we respect the time-honored patience of wet grinding, slow fermentation, and pure embers. This is culinary devotion cooked with real heart.

The Nair FamilyProprietors & Keepers of the Fire

A Living Journal

The Regional Table

✦Small Plates & Starters

Gunpowder Scallops

(Mylapore Masala)

$24

Diver scallops hand-seared with a fiery, coarse roasted lentil-chili dusting, served over a velvet parsnip purée

Beetroot Cutlet

(Malabar Kadala)

$18

Crispy roasted beet and potato cakes infused with fresh ginger, curry leaves, and stone-ground black pepper

Tamarind Glazed Pork Belly

(Kodava Pandi Curry)

$22

Slow-rendered heritage pork caramelized with sour dark garcinia and wild blossom honey

✦From the Tandoor

Saffron Kasundi Salmon

(Sarsori Machli)

$38

Atlantic salmon steeped in freshly crushed mustard oil, organic turmeric, and delicate Kashmiri saffron threads

Smoked Lamb Chops

(Burrah Kabab)

$46

Double-cut prime chops massaged with raw papaya paste, roasted cardamom, and ancient black stone flower

Charred Paneer Tikka

(Hariyali Paneer)

$29

House-pressed dairy cheese layered with a vibrant paste of sweet mint, coriander, and organic green chilies

✦Curries & Slow Pots

Peppercorn Chicken Curry

(Nadan Kozhi Curry)

$34

Free-range chicken simmered in an aromatic gravy of hand-crushed Tellicherry peppercorns and rich coconut milk

Wild Ramp & Lotus Seed Curry

(Phool Makhana)

$30

Toasted popped lotus seeds and tender wild ramps cooked in an elegant, golden heirloom tomato gravy

Coastal Crab Roast

(Njandu Masala)

$42

Jumbo lump crab meat tossed gently with dry-roasted coconut flakes, fennel seeds, and green chilies

✦Breads & Grains

Truffle Ghee Naan

(Amritsari Naan)

Blistered soft flatbread brushed generously with white truffle oil and slow-clarified native dairy ghee

Flaky Malabar Parotta

(Keralite Parotta)

Multi-layered flaky griddle bread made from hand-stretched dough, coiled and cooked with fresh butter

Malabar Biryani Grains

(Kaima Choru)

$12

Fragrant short-grain Kaima rice cooked gently with whole spices, caramelized shallots, and fresh mint leaves

Our menu evolves with the tide of the harvest and seasonal spice balances; please notify us of any allergies before ordering.

The Signature Method

The Heart of Clay & Fire

Our tandoor is a deep clay vessel fired with pristine hardwood lump charcoal, reaching temperatures that flash-sear meats while maintaining extraordinary juiciness. We do not use gas boosters or modern short-cuts. The signature gentle char, the delicate rising smoke, and the breads slapped directly onto the blistering clay walls to order form the authentic, living heartbeat of our dining room.

Our naan dough is fermented naturally for thirty hours, then slapped on the interior clay using organic cotton pads; bringing an uncompromised texture and ancient smoke scent to every single bite.

Hand-shaped flatbread fresh from the clay hearth

900°FClay dome ambient temperature

Moody restaurant interior with brass lamps and warm light

The Sanctuary

“A long, generous meal among friends is the truest expression of life. We built this room to hold those moments.”

A golden brass thali platter with bowls of curries and fresh flatbreads

A beautifully orchestrated feast of regional devotion

The Rajah's Harvest Thali

Served on heavy cast brass platters, this singular dining experience presents eleven distinct elements of our kitchen in unified harmony. Built around premium aged Basmati rice and fresh hand-pulled breads, it captures the sweet, sour, salty, bitter, pungent, and astringent flavors of traditional Vedic hospitality.

Charred Malabar Prawn

Chemmeen Pollichathu

Seared in banana leaves with shallots and curry leaf paste

Smoked Tandoori Quail

Batair Angar

Marinated overnight in heirloom mustard oil and wild hand-gathered cumin

Slow-Braised Goat

Attirachi Mappas

Cooked for twelve hours in stone-pressed thick coconut milk

Wild Mushroom Thoran

Koon Thoran

Foraged local mushrooms flashed with fresh grated coconut and black mustard

Heritage Lentil Daal

Parippu

Slow-simmered split lentils finished with clarified ghee and crispy garlic

Shared Devotion

Voices from our table

“The smoke from the clay oven has a pure, clean sweet note that I have never encountered outside of rural Kerala. This is quiet, uncompromising culinary art.”

Julian VanceRegular since opening month

“There are no shortcuts here. You can taste the stone-ground morning spices in the curries; they have a layered complexity that shifts on your palate.”

Meera RaghunathanWeekly guest

“A masterclass in modern Indian restaurant design and regional hospitality. The room glows with hospitality and the bread is phenomenal.”

Evelyn SterlingEast Village resident

30hr

Natural ferment behind every naan, slow and unhurried

Regional spice blends ground fresh daily at sunrise

Clay tandoors imported directly from the makers of Gujarat

100%

Breads shaped and pulled entirely to order

Convivial Assemblies

Bringing a Crowd

Private Dining Salon

Our Private Salon offers a warm, secluded enclave of deep peacock walls and vintage brass light fixtures, suitable for curated feasts of up to twenty guests.

Inquire via phone

Platters & Catering

We offer meticulously packaged platters of clay-oven specialities and slow-simmered coastal curries for premium gatherings, delivered with hand-pressed linen napkins.

Inquire via email

Takeaway Concierge

Call ahead or order directly through our concierge for meticulously packed takeaway, kept at optimal temperature in our custom copper warming cabinets.

Call to order

The Entrance

Join us this evening

Our Address312 East 6th Street, New York, NY 10003Convenient parking is located at the Astor Garage on 8th Street. We are a brief, four-minute walk from the Astor Place subway station.

Checking the hour…Current New York time

Monday to Thursday5:00 PM to 10:30 PM

Friday and Saturday5:00 PM to 11:30 PM

Sunday4:30 PM to 10:00 PM

Location Sanctuary

Nestled between 2nd and 1st Avenue in Manhattan's historic culinary heart, recognizable by our golden, marigold-lit threshold.

Route on Google MapsLaunch Map

Preferential Booking

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Kindly submit your request below. Our reservationist will call you within two hours to confirm your table placement and customized dining needs.

Cooked the old way.Served like now.