Mythily, the progressive South Indian restaurant from Chef Rasika Venkatesa, opens in Williamsburg, Brooklyn [129 Havemeyer Street, Brooklyn, NY]. Named after Rasika’s grandmother and earliest culinary inspiration, the cozy 45-seat restaurant is a deeply personal expression of her South Indian heritage, with a focus on the traditions and flavors of Tamil Nadu and the larger region. Drawing from family recipes and regional traditions, Rasika brings her own perspective to the cuisine, tapping into her career working in acclaimed kitchens including The French Laundry and Mourad. The result is a menu that allows familiar flavors and dishes to take on new expressions, while remaining rooted in their origins.
CHEF RASIKA AND THE MAKING OF MYTHILY
Born and raised in Chennai, India, Rasika’s earliest memories in the kitchen are tied to her grandmother, Mythily Ramachandran, whose cooking introduced her to the ability for food to bring family together and preserve a sense of place, culture and tradition. After beginning her professional career at Thomas Keller’s three-Michelin-starred The French Laundry, Rasika joined Chef Mourad Lahlou’s Michelin-starred Mourad in San Francisco, rising from line cook to Chef de Cuisine by the age of 23 and earning recognition as a Rising Star Chef of San Francisco in 2022. She later competed on Season 21 of Top Chef, where cooking Indian food on the show became an important turning point in the development of her own culinary voice.
Following Top Chef, Rasika returned to India, traveling throughout the country to deepen her understanding of regional cuisines, ingredients and traditions that shaped her own upbringing. She began developing Mythily through a series of pop-ups and collaborative dinners in 2024, including communal banana-leaf meals, tasting menus and a four-month residency at Fulgurances. Rasika is joined by co-founders Varun Kandadi and Nicolas Chavotier, who have worked alongside her to bring Mythily to life in Williamsburg.
MENU
Rasika’s progressive South Indian menu is rooted in tradition, using techniques honed throughout her career and seasonal ingredients from local farms and producers to express familiar flavors in new ways.
Small Plates include highlights such as Green Apple & Fennel, with charred cucumber, boondi and creamy stracciatella soaked in a fragrant rasam broth of tamarind, coriander, cumin, black pepper and curry leaves; Scallop, sweet and dry-cured, is paired with puli inji, fresh Concord grapes and a cooling panakam-inspired granita with jaggery, ginger and warming spices; Kathrikkai Adaippu Curry, inspired by a stuffed eggplant dish from Rasika’s grandmother, featuring slow-roasted Indian eggplant with Mythily’s adaippu stuffing, a charred blend of six housemade spices, alongside textures of corn and sweet pepper; and the Benne Dosa, inspired by the style popular in Davangere, Karnataka, which features a naturally fermented rice and lentil batter served with seasonal masala, Jimmy Nardello pepper chutney and sambar.
Big Plates include Green Circle Kozhi Ballotine with Vidalia onion, vendakkai and a deeply aromatic kozhi kozhumbu; Tilefish with romanesco, black currant kosho and Nagapattinam manga curry, with a Kabocha Squash preparation available as a vegetarian alternative; Caraflex Muttaikose “Cabbage,” slow-roasted and served with sorrel-coconut keerai, kalan and green lentil; and the signature Short Rib, cured overnight with whole spices and slow-cooked for six hours, served with plums, maitake mushrooms and a rich bone marrow kozhumbu.
Desserts round out the menu with Ras Malai “Tres Leches” with housemade cheese curd dumplings sponge cake soaked in saffron-cardamom milk, finished with whipped white chocolate, toasted pistachios, almonds and orange zest; and Filter Coffee Soft Serve with notes of chicory topped with flaky sea salt, cacao nibs and Kadalai Urundai crumble, a peanut and jaggery brittle.
BEVERAGE
Mythily’s beverage program spotlights low-ABV cocktails and non-alcoholic drinks without sacrificing complexity, using housemade cordials, ferments, syrups, and spice-infused shochus to build layered, playful flavors. Highlights include Marina Beach, a fresh tropical cocktail with housemade pineapple tepache, green cardamom shochu and ginger beer, inspired by the fruit vendors on Chennai’s waterfront; The Mai-Tai-Ly, an earthy spiced cocktail with sarsaparilla rum shochu, jaggery and coconut cream; and Kho Kho, a tart, floral sour with hibiscus-infused shochu and housemade rosebud syrup, playfully named after the popular Indian schoolyard game. The menu also features non-alcoholic drinks such as Power Cut, a spiced black tea with fresh ginger juice and jaggery; and 2nd Innings with sarsaparilla, mint and lemon soda, a cooling drink inspired by nannari sherbet. The beverage program also includes a curated selection of local Brooklyn beers and globally minded wines, with highlights including Marc Pesnot Folle Blanche 2024 from the Loire Valley and Bodega Clandestina “Xarel-Lo” 2024 Sense Papers from Catalonia.
DESIGN
Designed by Rasika Venkatesa and Varun Kandadi, with assistance from Demir Purisic of Studio Purisic, Mythily is a 45-seat restaurant with a warm, intimate atmosphere layered with rich textures, natural materials and abundant greenery, taking cues from the familiarity of a South Indian village. The influences come through subtly in a palette of deep reds, greens and warm neutrals inspired by soil, forests and paddy fields, alongside Moroccan clay plaster, sapele wood and brass lighting.
In the dining room, an exposed ceiling and semi-open kitchen finished in red limewash and tile with a green-painted ceiling lend the room a relaxed feel. A 9-seat, green-toned bar topped with Moulin Rouge quartzite and moss-colored tile anchors the space, with a large backlit arch displaying vintage bottles, glassware and plants, while personal artwork throughout explores family and the relationship between grandmothers and grandchildren.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
Mythily is located at 129 Havemeyer St in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. The restaurant is open Wednesday to Saturday from 5:00 pm to 10:00 pm and Sundays from 4:00 pm to 9:00 pm. Reservations will be available through SevenRooms. For more information, visit mythily.nyc and follow @mythily.nyc on Instagram.
