31-31 Thomson Ave., where Unico Global Tacos has been since February 2017. (NYC ZoLa)
Aug. 16, 2018 By Nathaly Pesantez
A taco shop on Thomson Avenue will be replaced by an Indian restaurant opening its doors next month.
Adda, the name of the upcoming restaurant, will open at 31-31 Thomson Ave., where Unico Global Tacos has been for the past year.
The new restaurant is a concept by Roni Mazumdar, the same restaurateur behind the taco joint who also runs an upscale Indian restaurant called Rahi in Manhattan. Chintan Pandya, the Michelin-starred chef at Rahi, will also run the new Thomson Avenue restaurant.
Adda will offer dishes like Bhatti Da Murgh, a spicy version of a Punjab chicken dish; Malvani Prawn Coastal Curry, with prawns cooked in coconut milk and cloves; and Old Delhi Buttered Chicken.
The owners are aiming for the restaurant to be a place where people gather for conversation while enjoying authentic Indian food, with a bright, casual atmosphere that includes a collage of Indian newspaper covers.
Dishes will be priced between $6 and $20, and the restaurant will likely be open by mid-September, a spokesperson for the owners said.
When asked about the restaurant’s concept shift, Mazumdar said the following:
“Based on the neighborhood’s rapidly changing demographics, and the demand for greater ethnic variety, we saw this as a great opportunity to offer the regional, authentic dishes that Chef Chintan and I grew up with to the residents of Long Island City and beyond.”
