After more than a year of anticipation, Los Angeles’s most successful higher-end Indian restaurant, Badmaash, opened in late March at a prime Abbot Kinney location that had been vacant for years (it was most recently Yours Truly and Piccolo). Contrasted with Santa Monica’s more upscale Fitoor, Badmaash definitely feels more Venetian (Venice-level cool, that is), though both add something substantial to South Asian fare on the Westside. Last year, I wrote about the rise of finer dining Indian restaurants on the West Coast, and Badmaash’s newest outpost fits the bill nicely. Patriarch and chef Pawan oversees the kitchen, while his restaurateur sons, Nakul and Arjun, bounce around to make sure everything stays up to standard. Inside, thoughtful cocktails like the refreshing Arjun Palmer or martini-like Kashmir set the mood with a jolt of fragrance. Then it’s choose-your-own adventure between regional Indian classics or more new-school dishes, like masala au poivre steak frites. Finish with a kulfi inspired by Pawan and his wife’s visit to Chowpatty Beach in their youth.
The all-black interior features pops of color from Street Fighter–inspired artwork, paint-flecked curtains, and found-object lighting that feels apt for artsy Venice. Stone-inlaid tabletops (that can sometimes snag your clothes) and a huge concrete service station in the center create a gallery look.
First-time Badmaashers should get the chicken tikka poutine, an ode to the Madendros’ upbringing in Toronto. Topped with chopped, seasoned chicken, it’s a beautiful gloopy mess ideally paired with beer.
Westsiders pining for quality Indian cuisine don’t have to wait anymore: No longer does Badmaash require a trek to Downtown or Fairfax. This location works as a stylish date-night spot or a top-tier delivery situation, but really, the best thing to do is order some cocktails, put on nice shoes, and make it a night out.
Acclaimed modern Indian restaurant Badmaash expanded with a new location on Abbot Kinney in Venice on 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 serves a menu of familiar classics its zingy chicken tikka poutine and spiced lamb burger alongside newer dishes like steak frites and hamachi crudo. The Venice Badmaash also introduces a lineup of beverages from Steve LaFountain, who previously worked with Horses, Little Prince in Santa Monica, and Cliff’s Edge in Silver Lake, including 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. Settle in for dinner at the warmly-lit bar, or cozy up in a cave-like backroom that is, in part, a nod to the temples of India tucked into rock outcroppings.