They’re still New York City’s royal couple — bar naan.
Fans of John F. Kennedy Jr. and Carolyn Bessette Kennedy are swarming a longtime East Village Indian restaurant after it was featured as the iconic pair’s first date spot in a new series dramatizing their tragic romance.
Reservations at Panna II Garden Indian Restaurant on First Avenue surged 40% last weekend, just days after FX and Hulu’s “Love Story: John F. Kennedy Jr. & Carolyn Bessette” aired, said owner Bashir Khan.
“We’re getting a lot of couples. A lot of people take a picture in the booth [from the show] and post it,” said Khan.
“They say, ‘Which table was it? Can I have that table?”
The neighborhood stalwart, which opened in 1989, is almost entirely booked this week, with most customers shamelessly telling Khan they are trying to emulate the Big Apple royalty, the restauranter said, noting he initially thought was a Valentine’s Day fluke.
Panna II set the scene for the fictionalized first date between JFK Jr. and Bessette, depicted in the show’s first episode — but Khan said the lovebirds were regulars during the long-standing restaurant’s heyday.
When producer Ryan Murphy’s team approached him about filming a scene there, he jumped at the chance.
“As soon as I saw John F. Kennedy’s son, I said, ‘Why not!’ These two lived in SoHo back in the days when I was there, too,” Khan reminisced.
One diner, Michelle Zaffino, admitted she was inspired to eat lunch at the joint after binge-watching the show over the weekend — saying she was indulging in the 1990s nostalgia.
“I watched the show and I remembered all the lights and I’m like, ‘Oh, I have to go back there! It reminded me that it was there and it was really, really good,” said Zaffino, adding that she has taken cues from other shows, like Netflix’s “Emily in Paris,” to try local eateries.
“It’s a good curation that the producers do. I really do feel that they put a lot of thought into having things to be authentic. It’s almost like a recommendation in a way.”
Panna II’s name is clearly displayed in the episode as Bessette Kennedy (Sarah Pidgeon) storms out after the former first son (Paul Anthony Kelly) shows up 30 minutes late, though its not clear if it was actually the spot where they had their first date.
Khan, who took over the business from his parents in 2001, estimates that reservations so far are 70% higher than for a typical week before the series was released Feb. 12 — but he expects it to climb as the week progresses and more people tune in.
In the series, Bessette Kennedy gives “America’s Prince” another chance, and the pair bond over a sprawling meal under the eatery’s iconic string lights before sharing their first kiss that would cement their doomed love story.
Zaffino — one of the slew of superfans flocking to the restaurant — worked for Elle Magazine as a fact-checker back when JFK Jr.’s political mag, George, shared the same building, and remembered seeing him nearly every day.
“People would be like, ‘Hi John!’ He was just so down to earth,” Zaffino recalled, saying that he did once “glare” at her for smoking.
Panna II isn’t the only long-standing city business seeing a boost from the enduring popularity of the couple, who died while in their 30s in a 1999 plane crash that also killed Bessette Kennedy’s older sister Lauren.
C.O. Bigelow pharmacy in the West Village was inundated with fashionistas grabbing $36, ¾-inch tortoiseshell headbands that were a staple in Bessette Kennedy’s wardrobe.
Being spotlighted on TV isn’t new for Panna II, which was featured in shows like “Sex and the City” and “Daredevil,” which continues to bring customers into the shop a decade later.
The food that the fictionalized JFK Jr. and his future wife rave over in “Love Story” is part of what Khan said has kept the restaurant alive for nearly 40 years, though the unique and bright decor has surely helped in the social media age.
“It’s very hard to do business around here, but we just keep hanging in there,” he said. “Let’s see now how can we keep going?”
But Khan wasn’t concerned that the trend could soon wither away, and instead basked in the popularity his restaurant has been enjoying and the picture-snapping that has been a near-constant occurrence the past few days.
“They’re having fun. That’s what matters,” he said.
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