Contemporary Indian · Downtown LA
By Monty Khas, Anonymous Critic. Pays every bill.
Baar Baar means again and again in Hindi, and that's the plan. Chef Sujan Sarkar built the original in New York's East Village into a destination, and the Los Angeles location carries the same idea west: modern Indian small plates, a serious bar and a room built for a big night.
The people
Sarkar is one of the most decorated names in modern Indian cooking. Trained in London, he runs restaurants in Chicago, San Francisco and New Delhi, and helped launch Ek Bar in India. In Los Angeles, head chef Karan Mittal leads the kitchen, translating Sarkar's playful, technique-driven style for a downtown crowd.
The room
Baar Baar took over the former Faith & Flower space on West Ninth Street, in the South Park corner of downtown. It's dark, sleek and built for cocktails, with a big bar at its heart and a dining room that works for a date as easily as a group celebration. It's a short walk from Crypto.com Arena, which makes it a natural pre-game stop.
What to eat
Start with the chaat. Dahi puri arrives as crisp shells filled with yogurt and chutneys, sweet potato chaat balances sweet, sour and spicy, and tuna bhel gives the classic puffed-rice street snack a raw-bar twist. The Kashmiri duck birria taco is the dish that gets the most attention, Kashmiri-spiced duck folded into a tortilla, birria style.
From the mains, the butter chicken is the one to beat, lifted with red pepper and fenugreek. Lamb shank in nihari gravy is slow-cooked comfort, and the shrimp ghee roast, a Mangalorean classic, comes with buttery masala pao for mopping up every last drop. Finish with the carrot halwa cake.
The bar
The cocktail list is a love letter to Bollywood, with drinks named for films like Sholay, Lagaan and Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge. They're fun, but they're also seriously made, built around spices, fruits and herbs from the Indian pantry.
Before you go
Baar Baar is closed on Mondays. Dinner runs Tuesday through Sunday, Sunday brunch fills up quickly and happy hour is offered several evenings a week. Book ahead on game and concert nights.
Why it matters
Baar Baar gives downtown an Indian restaurant with big-city polish, and the kitchen's ideas are bold enough to pull diners from across the city, not just the arena crowd.
The Quick Fix
What to order: Kashmiri duck birria taco; tuna bhel; dahi puri; sweet potato chaat; butter chicken; shrimp ghee roast with masala pao; lamb shank nihari; carrot halwa cake; a Sholay cocktail
Pricing: Upscale. Small plates add up fast; happy hour helps.
Best for: Pre-game and pre-concert dinners, date nights, after-work cocktails and groups who like to share
How it compares: Downtown's most stylish Indian restaurant; sleeker than Badmaash a few blocks away, less beachy than Fitoor; the cocktails are the best Indian bar program in the city
See where Baar Baar ranks: The Best Indian, Pakistani and Bangladeshi Restaurants in Los Angeles: Our Top 10 for 2026
The food was always this good. We're just paying attention.