Despite Atlanta’s recent run of unseasonably cold weather, the city has warmly welcomed new West Midtown restaurant Ghee Indian Kitchen.
The Miami-based team behind the acclaimed, modern Indian restaurant might miss the temperatures in South Florida, but they’ve loved having a full dining room at their restaurant’s third location, its first outside of the greater Miami area, chef and co-owner Niven Patel told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
It’s easy to understand why Ghee has been quickly embraced. The restaurant is attractive and warm with a buzzing atmosphere and irresistible aromas emanating from the open kitchen. The menu samples broadly from across India and leans into modern, almost fusion-like, interpretations of traditional foods.
Credit: Felipe Cuevas
Credit: Felipe Cuevas
Patel and fellow co-owner Mohamed “Mo” Alkassar are impressively ambitious and detail-oriented, but a few growing pains were evident.
Some aspects of the service at Ghee don’t quite match the restaurant’s thoughtfully curated ambience and menu, particularly on the periphery. Like many other restaurants, Ghee has encountered hiring challenges, Patel said.
On one visit, the host escorted us to the bar, located in the rear corner of the restaurant, to wait for our table. Though we had a reservation, we ended up lingering at the bar for about half an hour, and it took much of that time for our three-person party to get our first round of drinks. Just as I was about to head back to the front to ask about our table, our host reappeared and, with a look of surprise, asked if anyone had told us our table was ready yet.
Credit: Felipe Cuevas
Credit: Felipe Cuevas
The service was much better on another visit, when my party was seated immediately and the manager came to our table when one of the items we ordered turned out to be unavailable. He gracefully handled the explanation and was ready to suggest other dishes.
Here’s a tip for anyone with their eyes on one of Ghee’s signature entrees: Get an earlier reservation if you want to try the smoked lamb neck or the duck biryani. The restaurant makes both popular dishes in limited quantities and they can run out on busy nights.
I was lucky enough to get a lamb neck, which Patel said takes five days to prepare. The lamb is first brined, then dried out, then smoked before it is braised for five hours. The braising liquid is then used to make the curry served with the meat.
The end result is incredibly tender lamb barely clinging to the bone in a sauce with countless layers of flavor.
Credit: Felipe Cuevas
Credit: Felipe Cuevas
Ghee’s other signature dishes were excellent, too. The tandoori chicken had beautifully charred, crispy edges without being overcooked, the meat nicely accented by snappy pickled vegetables. The beef korma presented a stark, but still delicious, contrast. A generous hunk of fork-tender beef was blanketed in a rich, sweetly spiced gravy made creamy with cashews. I look forward to trying the duck biryani on a future visit.
There’s plenty to like elsewhere on the menu, too. The pani puri, a staple of Indian street food, and samosa chaat showed off the quality of the spices used in Ghee’s kitchen. Patel said he imports all of the restaurant group’s spices from one supplier in India, who grinds the spices himself and sends monthly shipments.
Patel is dedicated to Indian flavors but not precious about tradition; he is intentional about making Ghee’s menu broadly approachable, and the cooking occasionally veers toward fusion. For example, one of the naan offerings is flavored with truffle and brie, another with cheddar and ghost pepper. The flavors are intense in both, and the naan with ghost pepper should come with a warning — it’s seriously spicy.
Credit: Courtesy of Ghee Indian Kitchen
Credit: Courtesy of Ghee Indian Kitchen
One of the standout fusion-style dishes is the yellowfin tuna bhel, an upscale take on bhel puri, another classic Indian street food of crispy puffed rice mixed with vegetables and multiple chutneys. Generously topped with cubes of high-quality, uncooked tuna (similar to a nice ceviche), the dish was a riot of exciting textures and flavors that could only last for a few minutes before the crispy rice becomes sodden. The bhel also has a little heft, making it surprisingly filling compared to many other tuna appetizers out there.
Purists may find fault with Ghee’s food philosophy, which gathers together dishes from disparate regions of India and clearly features the influences of other cuisines. But the approach is made with care and rooted in Patel’s Indian heritage; the restaurant feels like a melting pot, not a hodgepodge.
Patel and Alkassar may have a rough spot or two to smooth over at their new Atlanta restaurant, but I would not bet against the ambitious business partners, and I won’t be surprised to see more Ghee Indian Kitchens opening elsewhere.
Ghee Indian Kitchen
2 out of 4 stars (very good)
Food: modern Indian
Service: solid but tinged with inexperience
Noise level: loud
Recommended dishes: crispy broccoli, yellowfin tuna bhel, samosa chaat, backyard patra, pani puri, short rib dosa, saag paneer, tandoori chicken, beef korma, smoked lamb neck, brie and truffle naan
Vegetarian dishes: green papaya salad, crispy broccoli, charred corn, mushroom momo, samosa chaat, farm patra, pani puri, potato samosas, hakka noodles, potato dosa, saag paneer, saffron channa masala, vegetable kofta, dal makhni, seasonal vegetables, paneer jalfrezi, ghost pepper cheddar naan, ghee naan, garlic naan, brie and truffle naan, whole wheat roti, grilled papadum, chutney platter
Alcohol: full bar with an interesting cocktail list and a few wines from India and Lebanon
Price range: less than $50 — $100 per person, excluding drinks
Hours: 5-10 p.m. Sunday-Thursday, 5-11 p.m. Friday-Saturday
Accessibility: fully ADA accessible
Parking: three-hour validated parking at Sentral West Midtown
Nearest MARTA station: none
Reservations: recommended, available on OpenTable
Outdoor dining: patio opening in spring
Takeout: in-restaurant orders only, with plans to add more takeout options later
Address, phone: 1050 Howell Mill Road, Atlanta. 404-201-2581
Website: gheeindiankitchen.com
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution’s dining critics conduct reviews anonymously. Reservations are not made in their name, nor do they provide restaurants with advance notice about their visits. Our critics always make multiple visits, sample the full range of the menu and pay for all of their meals. AJC dining critics wait at least one month after a new restaurant has opened before visiting.
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