Nestled between the fast food joints and Southern comfort of Burlington lies a restaurant with ethnic charm. Opened in February 2012 with Chef Manikandarja Jeaganathan, Taaza Bistro stands out as the only Indian restaurant in the area.
But the differences don’t end there.
“Everything here is fresh, never frozen,” Jeaganathan said. “We also don’t use an electric or gas oven. Instead, we use fresh charcoal and tandoor charcoal clay to give the food a good smoky flavor.”
Jeaganathan raves about the unique spices Taaza Bistro uses to flavor each dish. Made in-house, every sauce is loaded with different amounts of heat and spices, and three of them are served with crispy dipping bread.
The menu offers a variety of authentic Indian dishes, including curry and masala, which the chef said are the most popular.
Taaza Bistro also features dishes like aloo tikki — potato pancakes similar to tater tots, but with more flavor and a spicy kick — and chicken lollipops — chicken wings marinated in garlic, herbs and spices and then fried.
Some more typical Indian dishes offered at Taaza Bistro include naan — a flat bread that comes in a variety of sweet and savory flavors, such as coconut, butter, garlic or onion — and different kinds of kabobs.
“It is really good,” said sophomore Ashley Alexander. “It tastes just like the Indian restaurants from home.”
Alexander often spent times meals eating Indian food in her hometown near Washington D.C., but many students are not as lucky. Indian restaurants are not very common, especially in the middle of North Carolina.
Located at 579 Huffman Mill Road, not far from Wal-Mart and Alamance Crossing, Taaza Bistro is perfect to visit while running errands or before seeing a movie.
The restaurant is much bigger than its unassuming exterior. It provides a casual dining experience with televisions playing Indian music videos on the wall. This fun environment is perfect for college students, and the prices are reasonable, generally around $12 for an entree.
Taaza Bistro's open environment where diners can feel comfortable hanging out in large groups. It also offers a catering menu for bigger get-togethers.
Alexander, who ate with just only one other person, agrees the environment would be better with more suited to larger parties.
“It is definitely a place where you should go with a couple friends, because we had a really hard time deciding what to get,” Alexander said. “It would definitely be good to share.”
Although each entree is plenty for one person to eat, there are a bunch of options for appetizers and small plate meals that are relatively inexpensive and easy to share. Accoding to Jeaganathan, if you go with a lot of people, weekdays are the best day to ensure that you get a table to fit your whole party.
With the second closest Indian restaurant to campus located in Greensboro, about 35 minutes away, Taaza Bistro is very unique to the area and locals are noticing. It is the No. 5 restaurant on Trip Advisor for Burlington’s website with more than 50 people rating it “very good” or “excellent.”
Not only does it offer the food of a different culture, Taaza also makes sure that it is food that is fresh for customers.
“Indian cooking is very hard to make,” Jeaganathan said. “We go to the Farmer’s Market. We cannot use any of the frozen meats or vegetables for our food.”
Breaking away from the restaurants cooking foods previously frozen sets Taaza Bistro apart in Burlington, which boasts the most restaurants per capita than any other city in North Carolina.
But, even with its unique dishes and affordable menu, many Elon students have never heard of Taaza Bistro or dismiss it because they don’t know what Indian food tastes like.
For college students who want a night out without breaking the bank, head to Taaza Bistro with a group of friends to share a couple of dishes with an ethnic dining experience like no other in Burlington.