Baar Baar LA

With elegant Bollywood-inspired cocktails and an elevated approach to South Asian cooking, this New York City import has already upset L.A.’s Indian restaurant status quo. Led by international chef Sujan Sarkar, who also operates restaurants in Chicago, San Francisco and New Delhi, Baar Baar showcases a newer, more modern side of subcontinental cuisine in an airy Downtown dining room (previously occupied by Faith & Flower). Vibrant chaats and fusion-style items like a duck birria taco deftly mix the familiar and novel for an upscale dining experience you likely won’t forget. On my visit, I especially enjoyed the unusually nuanced butter chicken, made with red pepper and fenugreek. I’ve heard reports from recent diners of occasional inconsistencies in the kitchen and less-than-stellar cooking, but as one of the only upscale South Asian restaurants in town, Baar Baar is an obvious choice if you’re looking for a centrally located Indian spot with a special-occasion feel.