Olivia Gross Photo
Fresh mozzarella naan with Italian seasoning.
Olivia Gross Photo
Mahesh Pirthiani, the new owner of Zaroka.
After 21 years of running his own 7/11 franchise, Mahesh Pirthiani was in need of a new project. Luckily, his favorite restaurant was looking for a new owner.
The restaurant is Zaroka Bar & Grill on York Street, which has been open since 2001. Pirthiani bought it from its former owners, Ram Shrestha and Ram Bhandari, in September of 2020 and has since been broadening the menu.
Pirthiani had been a loyal customer for 15 years. He knew the head chef, Surrendra Bastola, and owners and held many of his birthdays at the restaurant. “It’s my celebration joint,” he said.
On the condition that Bastola and Chef Dinesh Ghimire would stay on, as well as some of the employees, Pirthiani completed the purchase, began renovations — and brought in flavors from other parts of the world.
Zaroka's decorative windows.
There is a Middle Eastern section and an Indo-Chinese section, offering Bombay noodles and Nepali momo dumplings (which people travel long distances for, as the authentic momo sauce is hard to come by).
The selection of traditionally Indian foods includes eight types of naan with jalapenos to goat cheese to mozzarella cheese. Pirthiani described these flavor fusions as necessary for maximum enjoyment of food. He explained that the tandoor draws flavors out, such as the Italian seasoning in the mozzarella cheese naan.
When customers walk into the restaurant and up a staircase, they are greeted by exquisite decorations. Windows are the focal point of the space, but these windows don’t look to the outside. Some are softly lit, some are mirrors. Zaroka, also spelled “jharokha,” translates to: “intricately carved windows.” Pirthiani said he may change the name one day, but not yet. “I am a part of Zaroka myself.”
Renovating and reopening Zaroka was challenging, to say the least — “the hardest three months of my life,” Pirthiani said. He removed the 20-year old carpeting and upgraded kitchen supplies, and in a nod to Covid-19 discontinued the popular lunch buffet. A couple steps above the main dining room is a lofted area with booths full of squashy pillows and luxurious cushions, as well as an ever-present “Happy Birthday” banner, because Pirthiani realizes that people may walk in anytime wanting to celebrate something.
A new, fully stocked, sit-down bar in the downstairs room at Zaroka.
The kitchen is armed with a tandoor oven. Zaroka’s oven is unusual in that it is lump charcoal-run instead of gas-run, which means that it remains heated all day long and is costly. The charcoal also brings in a rich, deep flavor. Pirthiani compared the benefits of cooking by charcoal to pizza-making, saying that there is a reason people go to Sally’s and Pepe’s as opposed to cooking their own pizza at home: the taste from the wood-fired pizza ovens.
“I provide the most authentic food as can be. For some dishes that I wanted on the menu, I had to bring my mom in to teach the chef how to make it,” he said. “Now I hear nothing but wows – it’s very touching.”
via Zaroka's Facebook
Zaroka on Valentine's Day, 2022
Rani and Omar Whitehead are Zaroka regulars. At one point they came to the restaurant three to four times per week. Rani said that Zaroka has been perfectly placed on her commute to work at Yale for years. When a family member was hospitalized, she would come to Zaroka for “the comfort food and warmth.”
Rani likes to order kadhi, a yogurt-based dish with vegetable fritters and fried onions. It reminds her of the Punjabi kadhi that her mother made when she was growing up. She sometimes gives Pirthiani tips on how to make the dish more authentic. Her husband Omar likes to eat Mediterranean food more than Indian food. Because of the newly expanded menu, he can order tabbouleh as she eats the food of her childhood. “We’re both happy here,” he said.
The chutneys: fresh, flavorful, fun.
Customers are greeted with three chutneys when they are seated. They are all made in-house
The green chutney is made with mint, cilantro, and other fresh green ingredients, and has a spicy but refreshing kick. The red chutney is tomato based and cooling.
The tamarind chutney takes three days to make, but its sweet, enigmatic taste is surely worth the time.
Tandoor chicken wings, cooked on a skewer in the tandoor oven.
The tandoor chicken wings had a deceptively crisp skin that tastes almost fried; in fact they were set by the marinade and high heat. The tangy, rich flavor perfectly balanced the deep charcoal taste. The wings were skewered and stuck into the tandoor to cook in the heat.
Chef Ghimire starting to cook the naan.
One minute later, Chef Ghimire takes the naan out of the tandoor with large metal sticks.
The mozzarella naan drips with stringy cheese when pulled apart, and the Italian seasoning surprisingly works well with the charcoal. The naan is kneaded into a circle and then slapped onto the wall of the tandoor, where it puffs up into bread within less than a minute.
To finish, Zaroka is stocked with kulfi – a traditional Indian ice cream. It is offered in scoop and popsicle form, with flavors such as rose saffron and cardamom pistachio. It’s creamy and fresh, and leaves your palate cleansed and stomach satisfied.
Traditional Indian ice cream, called kulfi.
Zaroka may not have the buffet anymore, but it has something more valuable: warmth. With an owner invested in your satisfaction and comfort, Zaroka is not a restaurant to miss.
Zaroka is a cozy restaurant has left the best impressions! Hospitable hosts, delicious dishes,chicken wings , mozzarella nan zaroka chicken ...and beautiful presentation, wide wine list and wonderful dessert. I recommend to everyone! I would like to come back here again and again.