Adda

Adda, whose name means ‘a place where people hang out’ in Hindi, has built a devoted following since its original opening in Long Island City. Now operating from its East Village home at 107 First Avenue, the restaurant continues its mission of presenting honest, intensely flavored Indian cooking that draws from the everyday food culture of the subcontinent rather than the sanitized diaspora version often found in the United States. Chef Chintan Pandya and restaurateur Roni Mazumdar, the team behind Semma and Dhamaka, created Adda as a celebration of the kind of cooking that feeds millions of Indians daily, from the spiced goat biryani and butter chicken to the bheja masala and Nagaland pork fry. Adda’s signature Butter Chicken Experience is a tableside feast centered on heritage chicken slow-cooked in organic Maine tomatoes and a trio of house-churned butters, paired with fresh bread and house black daal. The kitchen grinds its own spice blends and sources premium, sustainable proteins, bringing a fine-dining level of intention to food that is designed to feel like a warm, communal meal. The dining room is casual and energetic, lined with newsprint-style wallpaper, basket lighting, and rustic wood tones that reinforce the sense of arriving somewhere familiar and welcoming. Adda has received consistent praise from the Michelin Guide and the New York Times.