New restaurant brings Indian food and culture to DeKalb

By JESSICA SABBAH

Jaipur restaurant is bringing Indian food and culture to DeKalb.

Jaipur, 901 B Lucinda Ave., opened Nov. 9 and has been met with positive response, especially for having no advertisement, said Vijay Verma, co-owner of Jaipur.

“We are trying to provide the best food quality at a reasonable cost to the students and the community,” Verma said.

Jaipur is a dine-in or carry-out restaurant with catering available.

Huskie Bucks are currently not accepted but will start next week.

Chef and co-owner Tikka Ram Sharma has been in America for more than 35 years, running five-star Indian restaurants, Verma said.

The food is described as vegetarian and non-vegetarian north Indian food.

The menu includes a variety of traditional Indian dishes like Dal Makhani, Saag Paneer, Chicken Tikka Masala and Chicken Makhani.

A lunch special is available from 11:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. and entree prices range from $5.50 to $7.50. The regular menu prices range from $8 to $14.

The different types of entrees available are Indian barbecue, vegetarian dishes, chicken, lamb, seafood and Indian rice dishes. The menu also includes appetizers, salads, side dishes, Indian bread and sweets.

“This is the first time Indian food is located on campus and has a bar,” Verma said. “My hopes are that the university students will be able to get different types of food in this area because there are no Indian restaurants in the 20-mile area and we know what students like.”

Major decisions on decorating have already been taken care of, but there are little things here and there to be done, Verma said.

Future plans possibly include karaoke nights, a dance floor, group parties arrangements and garden dining in the summer.

Verma also owns two other Indian restaurants, the Indian Grill, 2258 N. Clark St., in Chicago, and Bombay Indian Grill, 401 E. Green St., in Champaign.

“We want to make a quality, community restaurant to serve a wide range of people who appreciate food.”

Customers agreed that Jaipur is a much-needed addition to DeKalb.

“There are no Indian restaurants around, so it’s nice to have one,” said Sandeep Subnavis, an electrical engineering graduate student.

Amit Ratnparkey, mechanical engineering graduate student, agreed with Subnavis that Jaipur is a good addition to DeKalb.

“I think it’s good for the people on campus because they are not used to the spicy food,” Ratnparkey said.

Ritesh Gudla, computer science graduate student, said he was happy to have an Indian restaurant on campus.