Kidilum

On our list of the best special-occasion restaurants in New York.

Chef Vinu Raveendran, who grew up in Kerala, brought coastal South Indian cooking to Flatiron with Kidilum, part of the Hungry Trio hospitality group, opening in 2026. Coconut chutney and podi arrive with the bread basket before the kitchen moves into dishes like Iracchi Pathiri, a beef pepper fry folded into fried rice cakes under a thin aspic shell, or lamb shank braised in white korma under burnt garlic oil. Clay-textured walls and a coconut-shaped installation frame an open kitchen, and part of the menu arrives on plates lit from underneath. Reservations open two weeks out on Resy, and walk-ins can usually find a seat at the bar.