Over the past three months, Priyanka Chopra Jonas has starred in the critically acclaimed Netflix film The White Tiger, released a bestselling memoir and launched a sustainable haircare line – and she's not done yet.
The actress recently took to social media to announce the launch of her new New York City restaurant Sona, which she says she has “poured her love for Indian food into”.
“Sona is the very embodiment of timeless India and the flavours I grew up with,” she said when announcing the opening on Instagram.
The restaurant will be helmed by chef Hari Nayak, one of the consultant chefs for popular Dubai restaurants Masti, Moombai & Co and Bombay Bungalow. While Masti is known for a playful, Indian take on global cuisine, Moombai & Co is an old-school joint in Dubai's trade centre area that's designed to take diners on a "journey back to traditional Irani-Parsi cafes of India."
“For years, I have been asked why I haven’t opened a restaurant in New York, my home ground for over two decades while I have gone to far corners of the world opening many. It’s because New York has always been my most cherished dream. And like every beautiful dream it had to be perfect,” the chef said in an Instagram post.
While little has been revealed about the menu so far, the restaurant’s tagline “timeless India in the heart of NYC,” seems to suggest that it will be authentic Indian food. Nayak has alluded to dishes having a modern twist, and Chopra has added that it will take diners on a “food journey” through her homeland.
The project is a collaboration with restauranteur David Rabin and businessman Maneesh Goyal, who revealed Chopra Jonas to be the “creative force behind Sona”.
“From the design to the menu to the music and even the name, Priyanka has had her fingerprints all over Sona,” Goyal said on Instagram. The word “Sona” translates to “gold” in English.
“There is no one who better – and more boldly –personifies 'global Indian' than Pri. Sona is so lucky to have her in our corner.”
Clearly, plans for the restaurant have been in the works for a while. Along with the posts announcing its launch, Chopra Jonas has shared pictures of a puja (prayer ceremony) she undertook in 2019 to bless the space. Her husband, singer Nick Jonas, also features in the pictures.
Sona is located on 36 East 20th Street, New York City, and will open to the public in late March.
