The Bungalow

Bungalow from Chef Vika's Kana is unquestionably the most popular Indian restaurant in New York City right now. Reservations from Bungalow are some of the most challenging to get in NYC, while the restaurant's food is received high praise along with a n Simply put, I had to see if Bungalow lived up to the hype. It's a beautiful fall day today here in New York City. Right now I'm at Washington Square Park, but I'd I am talking about Bungalow from Chef Vika's Kana. In fact, it's not only the most popular Indian restaurant in the city right now, it's one of the most popular restaurants, period. As a result, getting a reservation for Bungalow is very difficult. The restaurant releases their reservations almost every day at 11am, and if you're not online at a round-ad time, you're probably not getting a res. In fact, I've never been able to get a reservation at Bungalow, but the other day I went as a walk-in. The restaurant has a bar which they save for walk-ins, but for the longest time I held back on going because apparently they serve a limited menu at the bar. You see, I wanted the full Bungalow experience, but thankfully the restaurant now serves their full menu at the bar. As a result, I was able to go to Bungalow as a walk-in and I enjoyed an incredible meal. So with that being said, this was my experience at Bungalow. Bungalow is located a couple of blocks off Houston Street in the East Village. The restaurant opened in 2024 and is the product of Chef Vikas Kanna, who previously won a Michelin star when he served as the executive chef of Janune. Kanna is also somewhat of a celebrity as he has served as one of the judges on MasterChef India. In fact, it seems as though a n As a result, the restaurant proved to be incredibly popular from the moment it opened. Plus, Bungalow earned rave reviews, including three stars from the New York Times along with a Michelin Bipkormand. Because of those factors, I was very excited for my dinner. I arrived at Bungalow about 15 minutes before it opened on a Wednesday night. There was already a small group in front of the restaurant and everyone got very excited when Chef Kanna came out briefly to greet everyone and added a couple of drops of water from the sacred Ganges River into a beautiful floral arrangement. A bit before 5, the restaurant opened their doors and invited everyone in. Bungalow is a fairly sizable restaurant. Up front is the bar and lounge area where I was seated. Beyond that is the dining room, which was beautifully decorated with flowers. In fact, I thought that the whole restaurant was well put together with gorgeous details and touches everywhere that fully captured the Bungalow name. To put it simply, I felt that Bungalow nailed it in terms of atmosphere. Once I settled in, I began to explore the menu, which takes inspiration from India's 28 states. The courses take on a contemporary touch and frankly, everything sounded pretty good to me. I next went through the beverage list. Bungalow offers an intriguing selection of Indian inspired cocktails. I decided to go with the Chai Panit, which contain clarified Chai Masala Dark R I thought that was a nice cocktail. It wasn'the strongest drink, but I enjoyed the flavors. Before I received any of the courses that I ordered, I got to enjoy a sort of snack, which it seems The bites were finger-papad and they were nice and crispy with a pleasant chili flavor. For being just a complimentary snack, I really enjoyed them. Soon enough, my appetizers arrived. In fact, I was presented with them very quickly. The first one I got has seemingly become one of the restaurant'signature dishes, the Yogurt Kebab. The dish was beautiful. It consisted of Katafi, purple cabbage, ginger, and spicy mango kooley. I couldn't wait to give it a try and I wasn't disappointed. The Yogurt Kebab was absolutely delicious. It's basically fried yogurt, which how can you go wrong with? The textural contrast were wonderful. There was crunchiness and a creaminess, but I loved the sweet flavors. In fact, the dish could have easily been at home on a dessert menu. Simply put, the Yogurt Kebab is a must order. Next up were the Shrimp Balchow Cones, which were beautifully presented in a gorgeous mug. The course was basically a sort of pastry creation stuffed with shrimp, tamarind, garlic, curry leaves, and black pepper. Those little cones were fantastic. The pastry was nice and flaky and perfectly cooked, plus the flavors inside were spectacular. There was a hint of spice, but it wasn't anything too dramatic. To s While I thought that the next course that I would receive would be the entree, I was actually in for a pleasant surprise as I was presented with a complimentary appetizer, which was incredibly generous and much appreciated. The dish was the Achari Stuffed Paneer. It was stuffed with seasoned demol cheese and contained the passion fruit chili chutney and jackfruit pickles. Once again, that was another beautifully constructed plate and I was eager to dig in. The paneer was very tasty, although texturally, I wish that it was a bit softer. The last time that I had paneer was at Demaka, and that was an absolute textural pillow in comparison to the paneer at Bungalow, which offered a bit more resistance. Despite that, it was still a very good dish, and I loved the flavors on the plate, from the passion fruit chili chutney to the little pieces of fruit. Plus, I loved the fact that it'sort of a grilled cheese sandwich, where the paneer is acting as the bread and is thus cradling even more cheese within it. After finishing, it was time for the main course, which included another surprise, as Chef Kana brought out my entree, but also another complimentary dish, the 5 Cheese Kulcha. Once again, that was incredibly generous and I was very grateful for it. The 5 Cheese Kulcha consisted of cheddar, omel cheese, mozzarella, cilantro, chutney, and a za'atar spice mix. Basically, Kulcha is a soft, leaven type of flat bread. With the way it was stuffed with the cheese, it kind of felt I absolutely loved that course. It was simple, but it was also pure comfort food. While the bread on its own was excellent, it also paired very nicely with the cilantro chutney, which added even more delightful flavor. Besides the Kulcha, I got to enjoy my main course. I chose the chicken omelette sorry, which contained roasted tomato, a tandoori spice mix, fenugreek, and garlic flakes. It looked good and hearty, and I couldn't wait to give it a go. That chicken was on the mark. It was nice, moist, and tender. The sauce it was bathed in was wonderful. It was rich and creamy, and went perfectly with the meat. I just loved that course. It was so comforting and pleasing. I also paired the chicken with a side of steamed basmati rice, which does have a separate cost. However, I thought that it was essential to have that other element to the course, as it not only helped absorb that wonderful sauce, it also gave more body to each bite. In addition, I utilized the Kulcha as well to soak up that luscious sauce, which proved to be another perfect pairing. Along with everything, I was given a plate of some toppings I could add to my food, which included this incredibly flavorful concoction of lemon rinds and mango, which was mind-blowingly good. Overall, I was really enjoying everything before me, but I was getting full. I already had three appetizers, and frankly, I wasn't expecting to eat that much that night. Although, I was certainly grateful for those complimentary courses. It was unnecessary, but I thoroughly appreciated it. And speaking of complimentary items, one of the bartenders fixed me a smaller version of one of their cocktails, the Bangalore Club. The beverage contained bungalows blended whiskey, sweet vermouth, Boston bitters, and orange. Now that was a nice cocktail. It sort of reminded me of a Manhattan, which is one of my go-to drinks. In fact, I enjoyed that cocktail a bit more than the Chai Pani I had earlier. As I was finishing everything up, I also befriended the nice couple seated next to me, and they gave me a taste of the Banarasipudi, which was delicious and had a nice spice to it. Unfortunately, by that point, I didn't have much to offer them since I ate nearly everything, except a bit of the rice. I was very full, but I felt that I had just enough room for dessert. There were three dessert options, and they all sounded fairly good, but I wanted something light and refreshing. After ordering Chef Canah as may have my food was, I offered to show me the floral arrangement in the dining room. Now, it's pretty clear that I was getting those complimentary dishes because I was either recognized or the fact that it was pretty obvious that I was making a video. Your average bungalow customer is probably not going to get those kind offerings. However, I saw Chef Canah talk with seemingly everyone. Anyone that wanted a picture with him got one. At Bungalow, everyone is a VIP. Back at the bar, I received my dessert along with another complimentary dish, which was actually an off-menu treat known as the Celebration Dessert. I believe it was a sort of coffee mousse punctuated with bananas. The mousse was a textural delight, and all of the flavors were very pleasant. Plus, I appreciated that it was a light dessert because I was really struggling at that point. I then turned my attention to the dish that I actually ordered, the Rose Kulfi Faluda. It was an absolutely beautiful creation, consisting of candied rose petals, butterfly pea, rabadi, white chocolate bark, and sweet vermicelli. Now that was an interesting course. Rose is a very hard flavor to get right, and that was a very rose-forward dish. I didn't dis It was certainly refreshing at least, which at that point I really appreciated. The vermicelli in the dish was a bit odd. Frankly, I've never had a dessert Soon enough, however, I reached my limit having two cocktails, a snack, three appetizers, a main course, two sides, and two desserts was a bit much. Finally, it was time for the bill, which was presented with a box filled with some complimentary bites that I enjoyed later, and I must say, they were all delicious. I was also given a wonderfully scented towelette to clean my hands, as for the bill, it was nicely housed within an envelope. The damage for the evening totaled to $146. 91, now that already included a 20% gritty, but with all the attention I received that evening, I just had to give a bit more. So in total, I spent about $167. Now that was certainly a meal to remember. So that was one incredible meal, and my goodness I was stuffed. That seems However, my dinner at Bangalore wasn't just about the food, that restaurant has literally some of the best hospitality that I've ever experienced. Chef Fikas Khanna has gotta be one of the nicest chefs I've ever met. That guy does it all. He was seating guests, he was bringing out food, he was cleaning, he was doing everything. As far as I could tell, he pretty much talked to and interacted with every single guest. If you wanted a picture, you got one, and he was constantly taking pictures. Just from my conversations with him, you could definitely tell he was so passionate about the restaurant and what he does. Chef Khan is truly something else, and what he created, Bangalore is definitely a special place. To s It is without a doubt one of the best Indian restaurants in New York City. The food is amazing, the hospitality is next level, and I will for sure be back.