INDAY All Day, the new café from the team behind INDAY, opens in Williamsburg (658 Driggs Ave between Filmore and Metropolitan). With a menu of playful takes on Indian-American dishes, the restaurant marries food from Indian cultures around the world with contemporary life in New York. INDAY All Day serves breakfast alongside morning coffee and chai, and lunch and dinner with cocktails and NA beverages from award-winning mixologist Lynette Marrero (Llama San and Llama Inn). Evoking the warmth of Indian hospitality, and inspired by the world travels and living room of owner Basu Ratnam, INDAY All Day’s welcoming space is designed by Garrett Singer Architecture and Design (Major Food Group, DIG, etc.), with interiors curated by New Delhi-based Cocoa and Jasmine. A warm spice-toned color palette is complemented by handmade elements imported from India, including teak tiger benches which were crafted in Jodhpur, and copper tea cups and tea pots from traditional makers in Moradabad.
Basu Ratnam grew up in a first generation Indian family in Oyster Bay, New York, where he spent time in the kitchen cooking Indian and American dishes with his mom. While working in the finance industry and longing for his childhood connection to food, Basu came up with the idea for INDAY, the popular fast-casual Indian restaurant with 5 locations in New York City – of which he is the CEO and owner. Basu has turned his lifelong memories of cooking with his mom into today’s concept of INDAY and now, INDAY All Day. Basu currently resides in lower Manhattan with his wife and young son.
Kunal Vankar is the Executive Chef at INDAY All Day. Upon graduating from Mumbai’s highly acclaimed Institute of Hotel Management Mumbai, Chef Vankar has worked at some of New York’s most beloved Indian restaurants including Michelin-starred Junoon.
With a kitchen centered by a rustic tandoor oven, INDAY All Day offers daytime, dinner, and weekend brunch menus that highlight comforting and seasonal Indian-American dishes in a hybrid counter-service format. Items offered all day include Breads from the Tandoor such as Naan Delight; with warm naan made in house, housemade hung yogurt, tarka, and fresh herbs, and Small Plates meant for sharing including Sweet Chili Cauliflower with sweet coconut curry; and Winter Chaat with spinach and kale topped with fresh fennel, yogurt, pomegranate, and scallions. Kebabs include Ghost Chili Chicken served with a cooling mint chutney; and Broccoli Malai, marinated overnight in house spices and tandoor-roasted, served alongside apple chutney. Curries are served with rice and include Saag Paneer, with a combination of spinach, mustard greens, swiss chard, and organic, grass-fed Sach Paneer; and Chicken Tikka ‘Pyazz’ with spicy rustic tomato gravy. A Rice and Lentils section of the menu features Rajma Chili, a comforting bowl of kidney bean chili with Punjabi spices and topped with cheddar, cilantro, and yogurt.
Items offered exclusively at dinner include Tamarind-Glazed Ribs with Guntar Sanam chilis imported from India; House Lamb T-Bones cooked in the tandoor and dry rubbed with house spices; a house speciality of Shrimp in Green Mango and Coconut Milk, a Keralan curry that is light and fragrant with a touch of tart sweetness; Smoked Darjeeling Makhani Dal; and Tandoori Roasted Half Chicken marinated in yogurt, house spices, spatchcocked, and served with fries.
Weekend brunch highlights include an Egg and Cheese Dosa with coconut chutney, hot sauce, and avocado; Sweet Banana Roti with condensed milk, walnuts, and a sweet banana filling; Smoked Lamb Buns with smoked lamb curry served with fried onions on a potato bun; and Masala Pork Hash with shredded pork, masala potatoes, fried eggs, green chili chutney, and crispy roti.
The cocktail menu at INDAY All Day, curated by award-winning Beverage Director Lynette Marerro, features a variety of small-batch spirits and many Indian producers. Cocktails include the Grand Trunk Road with bourbon, ginger, turmeric, honey, orange, and lime; Malabar Martini with house-infused coconut vodka, single-origin Ethiopian coffee, and spiced cacao syrup; Spicy Mango Margarita with tequila, mezcal, cointreau, mango, lime, and cinnamon; and Nandi Sangaree with Garnaxta red wine, homemade grenadine, chai liqueur, black peppercorn syrup, and cardamaro. Wines by the glass will be focused on new world and largely natural wines, while bottles will highlight exclusively organic and biodynamic, limited release selections. Non-alcoholic beverages include Fresh Orange Turmeric Juice; Sparkling Hibiscus Lemonade; and Green Cardamom & Vanilla Chai.
Designed by Garret Singer Architecture + Design, INDAY All Day’s comfortable, casual yet curated space encompasses Indian influences with a contemporary Brooklyn flare, with custom plaster arches, terracotta tiled floors, warm woods, and custom mahogany millwork. The bursts of saffron and paprika-colored upholstery evoke the imagery of spices and ingredients served at INDAY All Day. The restaurant’s interiors and fixtures, curated in collaboration with the architect and New Delhi-based designer Sayali Goyal of Cocoa and Jasmine, highlight materials and crafts from different parts of India such as handmade Kansa copper water glasses from a small cluster of villages in North Kerala, and a variety of antiques from antique shops in Tamil Nadu. The traditional yet contemporary design comes to life through the art curation – with a set of paintings from a famous 3rd generation Rajasthani painter, contrasted by contemporary artists including Namrita Kumar who illustrates in bold colors, and art sourced directly from Basu Ratnam’s home. Custom detailing, including a colorful tiger mural, was designed by local Brooklyn artists and the brand’s long time collaborator Also Dept.
