Badmaash, the modern Indian gastropub that turned chicken tikka poutine into a downtown fixation, is landing on Abbot Kinney in Venice this Friday. The family-run operation will roll out its steak frites, spiced lamb burger, and saffron tres leches cake on the beachside strip, transforming a longtime takeout window into a full-on dining room. For owners Nakul and Arjun Mahendro, the Venice opening marks a full-circle moment after more than a decade of building the Badmaash name in Los Angeles.
According to Eater LA, the Abbot Kinney dining room debuts this Friday, March 27, with a menu headlined by chicken tikka poutine, steak frites, garlic naan, and a whipped ricotta toast loaded with tamarind, kumquat, and blood-orange jam. The team previously ran a pickup window out of the same address before deciding to level up into a full-service space. “We believe that Badmaash is for the people,” Nakul Mahendro told Eater LA about bringing the concept to Venice.
The Mahendro family first launched Badmaash in Downtown Los Angeles in 2013, then added a Fairfax location in 2018, per the restaurant’s site Badmaash. The MICHELIN Guide singles out the chicken tikka poutine and other genre-bending plates as prime examples of Badmaash’s playful spin on Indian-American comfort food. Those DTLA and Fairfax spots built the cult following that the Venice outpost is now aiming to tap into.
What to expect
The Venice interior comes courtesy of design firm Preen Inc., which put together candlelit stone tables and a cave-like back room meant to echo Indian temple spaces. Beverage director Steve LaFountain handled the drinks program, lining up natural wines and cocktails that include a Badmaash dirty martini, a mezcal margarita, and a bourbon drink sweetened with date jam, as reported by Eater LA. Seating will span a long bar and a group-friendly back room, nudging the brand beyond its counter-service roots.
Why Abbot Kinney
Abbot Kinney remains one of the Westside’s busiest dining corridors, pulling in steady foot traffic and boutique shoppers, according to Discover Los Angeles. Neighborhood outlet Yo! Venice notes that Badmaash is taking over a space that previously housed Yours Truly and Piccolo, a reminder of how often the block turns over and how much the Mahendros are banking on a stay-put, neighborhood-focused restaurant.
At press time, reservations and hours for the Venice dining room were not yet listed on the restaurant’s site, which still highlights Badmaash’s DTLA and Fairfax locations and their reservation links. For menus, hours, and future updates, head to Badmaash.
