Acclaimed modern Indian restaurant Badmaash heads west with a new location on Abbot Kinney in Venice opening Friday, March 27. Taking over the former Yours, Truly and Piccolo space, which it previously used in a delivery capacity for the last year, the restaurant will bring its zingy chicken tikka poutine and spiced lamb burger to the neighborhood alongside a handful of new dishes.
The brothers behind Badmaash, Nakul and Arjun Mahendro, have long had Venice in their sights, even before opening their first restaurant in Downtown Los Angeles in 2013. Nakul recalls seeing clear blue skies on Abbot Kinney on his first day in Los Angeles after moving from Toronto. “I told my father, ‘Yo, this is where we have to have a restaurant,’” Nakul says. Although they initially looked at property in Venice, a deal didn’t come to fruition; the first Badmaash opened in Downtown Los Angeles in 2013, followed by a second in 2018 in the Fairfax district. (The Mahendros are also behind the La Brea Avenue burger joint, Burgers 99.) More recently, Badmaash opened a window at new Chinatown venue Pacific Electric for chicken tikka poutine and butter chicken tacos.
“Since then, it’s always been in our minds to open in Venice, especially on Abbot Kinney,” Nakul says.
After more than a decade of operating Badmaash, the new Venice location signals an evolution for the brothers. Longtime classics like Punjabi chickpeas stewed in fragrant spices and coconut curry mussels bathed in tomato, onion, and paprika appear on the menu alongside new dishes such as garlic naan and toast topped with ricotta and jam made from tamarind, cane sugar, kumquats, and blood orange. Hamachi gets layered with ginger, red onion, jalapeño, lime, dry mango powder, and crispy garlic in a crudo, while lamb neck korma nests in a sauce made of lamb neck pan drippings, ginger, and roasted dry spices. Laal maas, a curry from Rajasthan made with yogurt, garlic, and chiles, gets paired with oyster mushrooms or lamb chops.
Steak frites, which have made appearances at the Fairfax and Downtown locations, also join the menu. “Wouldn’t it be cool if people say, ‘Yeah, the best steak in the city is at an Indian restaurant and it’s on Abbot Kinney,’” Nakul says. The steak gets marinated in Serrano chiles, ginger, and garlic and plated with meat masala curry–inspired au poivre sauce that uses short rib drippings and plenty of peppercorns for a classic French touch. For dessert, find a saffron tres leches cake topped with crushed pistachios.
The Venice Badmaash will also introduce a lineup of beverages from Steve LaFountain, who previously worked with Horses, Little Prince in Santa Monica, and Cliff’s Edge in Silver Lake. Guests can look forward to a selection of natural wines alongside cocktails like the Badmaash dirty martini with olive oil–washed Grey Goose, a mezcal margarita, and a bourbon-based date jam cocktail.
The Mahendro brothers collaborated with design firm Preen Inc. on the Venice interior, which Nakul says takes inspiration from the idea of “time” and how spaces patinate as years pass. The interior draws on memories from a recent trip to India, which took the brothers across the continent from Delhi to Alila Fort Bishangarh, a former fort that has been transformed into a hotel in Rajasthan. Candlelight flickers off blackened brick walls, illuminating stone tables below; the bar glows with light inspired by the cracked open briefcase in Pulp Fiction. A cave-like backroom is, in part, a nod to the temples of India tucked into rock outcroppings. The design balances allusions to Indian design hallmarks, like art overhead and intricate carvings, with laid-back denim seat cushions that feel right at home in the beachy neighborhood.
More than a decade after first laying eyes on Abbot Kinney, Nakul sees the opening of Badmaash Venice as a full circle moment. For now, he feels ready to show the local community what Badmaash is all about. “We believe that Badmaash is for the people,” Nakul says. “We believe that every neighborhood needs a great Indian restaurant and Badmaash is that place.”