Panna II Garden Indian Restaurant
Indian restaurant · East Village ·
Over-the-top decor, cash-only Indian food, BYOB, fun vibe
Over-the-top decor, cash-only Indian food, BYOB, fun vibe
"Every square inch of Panna II is covered in foil, mirrors, and plastic chili peppers. And that’s one of the reasons why you come here. Another is the BYOB policy. As for the food, it gets the job done. You probably aren’t going to text all of your relatives to tell them about your meal, but you might text your friends a picture with several hundred flashing lights in the background." - molly fitzpatrick, bryan kim, willa moore, will hartman, sonal shah
"This is an Indian restaurant on 1st Ave that’s more notable for its bright lights than the actual food they serve. The food is edible, but the party string lights are why you come here for your 25th birthday. No but seriously, there are more Christmas lights here than there are in state of Delaware during December. Also, it’s BYOB, cash only, and very casual. Come here for a birthday with a vibrant setting, but not as big of a production as Miss Lily’s or Tijuana Picnic." - hannah albertine, bryan kim
"Decades ago one block that was a favorite for birthdays was home to four conjoined Indian restaurants that competed for customers with chile pepper lights; over the years several of those restaurants have gone dark, and I note that Panna II — the most famous of the bunch, according to EV Grieve — remains the only one left." - Emma Orlow
"Let’s get this out of the way: Panna II is by no means where you’ll find the best Indian food in New York, but the restaurant has been beloved for 40 years because it is one of the most fun places in New York to dine out with a group. Strobe lights turn on when it's a birthday, and the whole restaurant sings along in a room where the ceiling is dripping with chile pepper lights." - Eater Staff
"Large groups of customers, many of them rookie NYU freshmen, file up the stairs to Panna II — most of them celebrating something in the cash-only East Village Indian restaurant — to a room lit by strings of Christmas lights." - Eater Staff
