NYCReview
The Bombay Bread Bar
This spot is Permanently Closed.
Maybe you spend Tuesday nights playing in a ZogSports kickball league. And perhaps you’ve tried interactive games like Escape the Room. Sure, you’re trying to relive 4th grade gym class at 9:20pm on a Tuesday night at Chelsea Piers, or yes, you’re paying money to be locked in a room - one without a bathroom or alcohol. But you put up with the drawbacks because it’s fun (sometimes) to take part in group activities. You may also overlook some underwhelming menu items at Bombay Bread Bar in order to eat at a place that’s great for group dinners.
Bombay Bread Bar is the the casual revamp of Paowalla, which was a formal-feeling Indian spot from the same chef in this same location in Soho. While some of the food is similar, it’s a very different experience thanks to a redesign of the space by the set director of various Wes Anderson movies. With bright colors and murals all over the place, and food suited to sharing, this place is a solid option for a lively group dinner, especially one where having a good time is more essential than being wowed by what you’re eating.
The space, in, particular, helps make this place fun: the big room is decorated with portraits of animals dressed like businessmen, multi-colored place settings, and floor-to-ceiling pop art. There are two separate bar areas - one where they make colorful cocktails, and a bread bar with a few counter seats overlooking a big wood-burning oven painted like a tiger. You could sit there with one or two friends, but most of the tables here are filled with big groups, which keeps this place about as loud as the ball pit at a McDonald’s PlayPlace.
The food at Bombay Bread Bar is also good for groups, as all the dishes, ranging from small starters to large format plates like pork vindaloo, are served family style. We generally recommend leaning heavily on the breads (there are 10 different kinds) and the small plates, like the bhelpuri with mangoes and peanuts or the upma polenta, which tastes like cheesy grits topped with smoky mushrooms. These small plates are a better bet than the mains, which tend to be unmemorable, and end up serving primarily as vehicles for bread-dipping more than anything else.
This place is also sneaky expensive, and if you get three dishes per person as they recommend, you’ll probably end up spending more than typical for casual group dinners. But you’ve overlooked worse in the interest of having a fun time with friends. And at least this room has bathrooms and alcohol.