Sujan Sarkar is on a New York City restaurant roll as of late. The James Beard Awards finalist chef, best known for his portfolio of Indian restaurants in Chicago, expanded his Michelin-starred tasting menu hit Indienne to Hudson Yards in May, followed up by a butter chicken food stand at Shaver Hall in Midtown in June. Now he’s turning his focus on a brand-new British Indian chophouse, Elder, on Thursday, August 6 at 517 West 38th Street, near 10th Avenue, in Hudson Yards.
Sarkar describes Elder as “a British steakhouse with Indian influences,” citing his time cooking and working in London (where he was the head chef of Automat) and his native India. “I’ve cooked for over 10 years, and then came to this conclusion that we can do something that can simultaneously work,” the Kolkata-born chef tells Eater, wanting customers to “experience cross-cultural dining” by combining his experiences at Elder. The name comes from the elderflower, an ingredient used in both South Asian and British cooking.
He knew New York City was the perfect location for his British Indian chophouse: “I never could have done it in London, but in New York, people are a lot more open to it. Nowadays, modern-day eating in America is changing.”
Elder’s a la carte menu includes starters such as chicken liver choux buns paired with spiced cherry chutney ($8); pricey caviar-topped crumpets with celeriac remoulade and creme fraiche ($95); and brioche rolls with either bone marrow and snail butter ($22) or cultured butter ($16).
For the meat of the menu at Elder, “We want to pair the chops with a little bit of spice,” Sarkar says. The Berkshire pork rib chop is made with vindaloo masala ($42), the filet with Tellicherry peppercorns ($64), which he explains is “a pepper steak basically,” and the lamb chop with a dry burrah spice ($58 for half, $98 for full). Rounding out the meats are $8 sauces such as horseradish raita, the bone marrow nihari gravy, and red pepper makhani.
Non-steak meat dishes include duck seekh kebab paired with stone fruit chutney ($28); Dover sole with a curry-beurre blanc sauce ($120); and the tandoor chicken roulade with tikka masala ($42 for half, $84 for full).
Sarkar wants to make sure Elder still offers an expansive selection for vegetarians. He’s particularly excited about the beet Wellington ($34), a veggie take on the baked meat dish with beets and goat cheese cream, which will be built “in such a way that when you cut it open, it will look like a Wellington,” he explains.
Elsewhere, there’s the jackfruit cutlet ($21), which is made with piccalilli puree, shallots, and capers; the paneer lasagne built with house-made Buffalo milk paneer paired with Swiss chard saag and crispy garlic ($34); and the tomato-plum salad with basil oil and a rasam sorbet ($19).
Potatoes are another focus, too — a popular staple in both India and Britain. There’s a take on the samosa with the English pea and fava samosa with endive chutney ($8); a 30-layer pave ($16); masala fries ($9); and more.
Desserts ($16 to $18) include strawberry Eton Mess with rhubarb and rose ($16); the banana rum baba made with banoffee Chantilly and elderflower ($18); and the rasamalai trifle dome topped with jalebi crisps ($18).
Drinks lean London with South Asian touches, with lots of martinis, gin and tonics, special gins, wines, and nonalcoholic options. The Spice Exchange ($21) is a Negroni with toasted fenugreek seeds, coriander, and cumin; and the Elder Gibson ($18) is made with pickled gooseberry.
Elder, Indienne, and Sarkar’s upcoming South Asian cocktail bar Apas are all located inside luxury residential building Henry Hall. Elder and Apas (pegged to open by the end of 2026) are on the ground floor, with Indienne upstairs. Originally, he had the concept pegged for a hotel, but decided to open it here in this shared space with Indienne NYC.
Elder, also designed by Mapa Mueller, which worked on Indienne, follows the lead of the British menu with South Asian touches. The 3,300-square-feet space with 100 seats spread across the dining room and a horseshoe bar features a color palette of Hunter green, marine blue, and ochre, along with textures like Carrara marble, dark wood, and velvet, plus elderflower wallpaper.
Elder’s team also includes chef de cuisine Iqbal Siddique (who had worked at HaSalon, Huson, and Chatti); general manager Nick Leonidou (previously at Ariete Hospitality Group); wine director Christian DiNello (Bâtard, the NoMad, Estela); and pastry chef Shagun Mittal McNorton (ABC Kitchen, ABC Cocina, Eleven Madison Park, La Mercerie)
Elder’s hours are from 5 to 11 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday; reservations can be booked on Resy and SevenRooms, but there’s room for walk-ins too.