Inside Priyanka Chopra’s New York Restaurant

A classy decor, beautiful Indian tableware and some of Priyanka’s favourite dishes, here’s what the restaurant will dish out to diners

24 March, 2021

Inside Priyanka Chopra’s New York Restaurant

Ever since, Priyanka Chopra Jonas’ announced the opening of her Indian cuisine restaurant Sona in New York, we have been all excited. Firstly because Priyanka does everything with a lot of panache and secondly this is yet another way to popularise Indian food and culture abroad.

Along with the announcement, she gave us a glimpse of the prayer ceremony that was held in September 2019. In the photos she shared, hubby Nick Jonas could also be seen sitting next to her. She had captioned the photos as: “I’m thrilled to present to you Sona, a new restaurant in NYC that I poured my love for Indian food into. Sona is the very embodiment of timeless India and the flavours I grew up with.” In the same post she thanked her partners restaurateur Maneesh Goyal and David Rabin. Her caption further stated: “Sona is opening later this month, and I can’t wait to see you there! This endeavour would not have been possible without the leadership of my friends Maneesh Goyal and David Rabin. Thank you to our designer Melissa Bowers and the rest of the team for realizing this vision so clearly.”

Yesterday, on March 24th, restaurateur Maneesh Goyal, who has collaborated with Priyanka on her latest endeavour, took to Instagram to share photos of a prayer ceremony that they held as a run up to the official opening. In his caption, he revealed how the opening got delayed due to Coronavirus but now they can finally achieve their dream of seeing it welcome diners. He wrote in the caption: “SONA is ready. I am grateful for all the blessings we have received. Here we go!”

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And as we know Priyanka has been the creative force behind the design, menu, music, and even the name ‘Sona’. The restaurant is done up in a dark brown and gold colour scheme. The gold columns inside the restaurant are a reminder of the opulent Indian palaces of yore, while the modern, minimalist round tables with matching chairs are more in line with the upscale NYC neighbourhood. Muted yellow sofas and black and white poufs with gold accents add an element of intrigue to the decor. Tiny table lamps in gold and brown tones on each table complement the beautiful crockery with Indian patterns that the restaurant plans to serve food in. Vintage photos of Indian cities, maharanis as well as of iconic New York scenes have been framed and mounted on the walls. Accent lighting further adds to the mood and feel of the elegant ambience.

A glimpse of the restaurant.

Tableware at the restaurant.

Some of the framed artworks at the restaurant.

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The restaurant also houses a private dining room called Mimi’s, Priyanka’s nickname at home, that can host eight to 30 guests at a time.

As for the menu, the kitchen helmed by chef Hari Nayak will serve classic Indian dishes kofta korma in cashew sauce and chilli cheese naan among a bevy of other delicacies. Priyanka has often expressed her love for Punjabi food and some of her favourite dishes will be served too.

We are just a few days away from the opening and we can’t contain our excitement. Here’s wishing Priyanka and her team all the best!

Here are some more photos of the restaurant