Popular Manhattan Indian Restaurant Makes The Move To Park Slope

PARK SLOPE, BROOKLYN — The restaurateurs behind some of the city's favorite Indian restaurants are moving closer to bringing their flagship eatery to Park Slope.

Roni Mazumdar and Chef Chintan Pandya, who run the group Unapologetic Foods, recently gained the support of Community Board 6's Permits and Licenses Committee for their plan to move popular Lower East Side restaurant The Masalawala to Fifth Avenue.

The original Masalawala — which Mazumdar first opened in 2011 as a gift to his father — closed when its lease expired earlier this month. Owners decided the expiration was an opportunity to try something new, a spokesperson said.

"...The lease on the LES space was ending, and Roni and his dad decided to bring the restaurant to a new neighborhood," the restaurant spokesperson told Patch. "Park Slope seemed to be the perfect spot being a vital neighborhood filled with restaurants, and many residents."

The new eatery, found where Du Jour Bakery most recently stood between Fifth and Sixth streets, will feature authentic Indian staples that Unapologetic Foods has become known for.

The group also owns Rahi in Greenwich Village, Adda Indian Canteen in Queens and Dhamaka on the Lower East Side.

"..Customers can expect to find pure, honest and authentic Indian fare which is the hallmark of Roni and Chef Chintan Pandya's group Unapologetic Foods," the spokesperson said.

The new Masalawala is expected to open in late 2021.

It will include 19 tables and a 20-foot bar, according to plans in the liquor license application.

The liquor license, which is ultimately decided on by the State Liquor Authority, will face Community Board 6's full board next week.

The restaurant is one of several new additions to Park Slope's Fifth Avenue, which has started to rebound from a record number of empty storefronts brought on by the coronavirus crisis.

Also in the pipeline for the commercial corridor is a bagel and deli shop, a crab restaurant, an eco-friendly boutique and a coronavirus testing center, according to a recent study of Fifth Avenue vacancies.