This James Beard Award-winning chef is only serving a limited amount of his famous biryani each day—here's where you can get it

Exclusivity is enough to get New Yorkers going. A one-day-only sneaker sale? You’ll soon find lines around the block. A free concert, even of the Shakespeare variety? Expect queues that start the night before. And when it comes to scouring for the best food, especially when the clock is ticking, New Yorkers are ready to go the distance for the chance to indulge in limited-edition smoothies or Wagyu burgers.

That is all to say: expect a ton of traffic when visiting James Beard Award-winning chef Chintan Pandya's eatery Kebabwala at Time Out Market New York, Union Square, where he serves his famous nalli biryani dish, a tender, slow-cooked lamb, only twice a day.

While the Indian street food spot leans more into his fast casual arm, Pandya spares no step when it comes to the nalli biryani, infusing each dish with layer upon layer of spices.

“It’s a traditional dum-style biryani, layered with close to sixteen components, from marinated chicken to the rice, fried onions, herbs, ghee and saffron milk,” says Pandya. Trading out lamb, Pandya uses bone-in leg and chicken thigh pieces for his biryani at the market because “they hold up beautifully during the slow cooking and release their flavor into the rice.” 

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To ensure that the steam does its job in the cooking process, Pandya seals each bowl with a ring of dough that “traps all the aroma and moisture.” While he admits this process takes time, it seems it is well worth it as the resulting biryani is “fragrant, rich and complete in itself.”

So, how can you get this dish? Kebabwala starts serving this dish two times a day, once at 10am when the restaurant opens and the other at 3pm. Keep in mind, there are only ten orders available during each time slot and, once they are gone, they are gone. But for Pandya, it isn't about exclusivity, but about ensuring top-quality execution each time.

“Making a proper dum biryani demands precision, space and time,” says Pandya. “Until we finalize a logistics setup that allows us to prepare and transport the biryani in a way that meets our standards, we’re offering it in small batches to ensure every serving reflects the integrity of the dish.”

For now, set a reminder to make it to Time Out Market New York, Union Square, early for a taste of this time-honored dish.