East Village hotspot sees booking boom after love story fx spotlight

A modest Indian restaurant in Manhattan's East Village is experiencing a noticeable uptick in customers after a new television dramatization placed the venue at the center of a recreated first date. The on-screen moment has driven diners to seek out the space once favored by the couple depicted in the series.

Local business reports surge after on-screen scene

Panna II Garden Indian Restaurant, a long-running eatery in the East Village, has seen reservations climb since the series showcased a dinner scene set there. The owner says business has risen broadly, ranging from about 20 percent on slower nights to as much as 70 percent on some evenings when curiosity and nostalgia bring customers through the door.

While the show's depiction dramatizes the couple's early outings, the owner notes the pair did frequent the restaurant in quieter hours. "Usually before six so they would come before rush hour and be the only ones, " owner Boshir Khan said, adding that the pair often slipped in early to avoid attention and would sit beneath the restaurant's distinctive lighting.

The venue's history as a filming location predates the recent series: it has hosted scenes for other well-known productions, and that on-screen pedigree now appears to be translating into real-world foot traffic. Staff say many patrons arrive with the express intent of seeing the spot used in the series or recreating the moment captured on-screen.

Production backlash and cast scrutiny accompany renewed interest

The series itself has generated strong reactions since images from the production first circulated. Casting choices and styling decisions triggered online debate, and the creative team acknowledged intense feedback during early promotion. The attention has been a double-edged sword for the show and for places featured in its storytelling: while the dramatization has refreshed interest in familiar locations, it also intensified scrutiny around how real people and public figures are portrayed.

Members of the extended family of the couple at the center of the series expressed displeasure with the dramatization, arguing that the show profits from intimate aspects of a private life. Creators and cast members have defended their intentions, saying the production aimed to approach the story with respect and context. Lead performers have spoken about the challenge of taking on roles tied to well-known figures and the responsibility that comes with reimagining real moments for television.

Despite the debate, the series has continued to release episodes on a weekly schedule, and its presence on screens appears to be doing what televised storytelling often does best: send audiences back to the locations that anchored the narrative, boosting curiosity-driven visits to those sites.

What this means for the neighborhood and for viewers

For the restaurant, the immediate impact is practical: more reservations, a livelier dining room and a new wave of patrons asking about the table where the scene was filmed. Owner Khan noted patrons sometimes want to be seated in the same spot or take photographs beneath the same lights the on-screen couple sat under.

For viewers, the development reinforces how pop culture can shift behavior in a neighborhood. A modest, everyday restaurant can become a destination overnight when it becomes part of a broader cultural moment. New episodes of the series arrive Thursdays at 9 p. m. ET, and for as long as the show remains in the cultural conversation, the East Village address appears likely to enjoy elevated attention from visitors tracing the story's footsteps.