Sujan Sarkar, the chef behind several acclaimed Chicago restaurants, is making a return to New York with multiple projects across Manhattan starting this month. At Henry Hall, a luxury residential building in Hudson Yards, the chef is opening three distinct concepts: Indienne New York, an evolution of his Michelin-starred Chicago flagship; a cocktail bar called Apas; and Elder, a British-Indian chophouse informed by his years living and working in London. The upscale Indian restaurant Indienne is slated to open on Thursday, May 28, with the other two concepts to follow later this summer.
This slew of openings marks a homecoming of sorts for Sarkar, who first made his mark in New York City in 2017 when he opened Baar Baar, a modern Indian gastrobar, in the East Village. In the years since, he expanded nationally, to Chicago, Los Angeles, San Francisco, and abroad. He’s most recently been based in Chicago, where he opened the first Indienne in the River North neighborhood at the end of 2022. It earned a Michelin star in 2023, becoming the first-ever starred Indian restaurant in the Chicago area and one of only four in the country. Now, Sarkar is returning to New York with more knowledge and a lot of momentum.
“I wanted to come back to New York with something new and more progressive. New York has always been a very special place for me,” chef Sarkar said. “Coming back with Indienne (and introducing two new concepts alongside it) feels like both a homecoming and a new beginning. It means a lot to return to this city with a clearer vision of who I am and what I want to build.”
The New York outpost of Indienne will be an intimate 34-seat tasting menu experience where guests can expect multi-course menus offered in non-vegetarian, vegetarian, and vegan formats. Between Sarkar’s classical European training and the diversity of Indian spices and flavors, the new opening is more than an expansion for Sarkar. For the chef, Indienne New York represents the next chapter in his long-term vision for high-level Indian fine dining.
Coming later this summer, once Indienne’s latest outpost is up and running, will be Apas (Sanskrit for water), a cocktail bar adjacent to Indienne, offering guests a natural place to linger, whether arriving for the evening or extending it. The bar program will be craft-driven and globally informed, with South Asian flavors and botanicals.
“We have a crazy collection of gin from around the world,” Sarkar said. The chef also notes that there will be alcohol-free and low-ABV cocktails on the menu, as well as non-alcoholic drink pairings on Indienne’s tasting menu.
After spending over a decade in London cooking at top restaurants, including steakhouses, it was only natural that Sarkar would want one of his own. A separate concept from Indienne, with its own entrance, Elder will be a chophouse rooted in the dining culture of London. It takes its name from the elderflower, a botanical that like the restaurant, is part of both British and South Asian traditions.
The menu will center on dry-aged meats and seafood with an Indian undercurrent. Sarkar says to look out for English treats like a classic tableside dessert and pudding trolley and a selection of artisanal British cheeses.
“I’ve done so many openings in my 25 years and every time I’m nervous,” Sarkar admitted. “We’re opening each concept one by one so we’re ready and can fine-tune everything before opening the next concept. But we’re ready. I wanted to bring something a little cutting-edge [to New York] because I think New Yorkers deserve that.”
Visit Chef Sarkar at Indienne New York, located on the second floor of Henry Hall starting Thursday, May 28. Opening hours will be: Tuesday through Saturday from 5 p.m. with the last reservation at 8:30 p.m. and 9:00 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays. Reservations are required and can be made via SevenRooms. 515 W. 38th St., Hudson Yards, indiennenyc.com
