Indian culture meets Mexican cuisine at this woman-owned taco spot in Salt Lake City

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Hello, Eaters! This week, I caught up with the owner of a Salt Lake City restaurant that opened in the Maven District in January: Tandoori Taqueria.

As you can likely tell from the name, Tandoori Taqueria features fusion cuisine influenced by Indian and Mexican food.

Tandoori Taqueria was originally founded in 2015 by Ripple Desai in Panguitch, where she’s from. There, Desai gladly fed tourists visiting Bryce Canyon National Park her favorite food: tacos.

But, having immigrant parents from India, Desai also incorporated Indian influences into her food, as well as elements of her own background.

Desai doesn’t have any formal training as a chef, she said. Instead, “a lot of my inspiration of what I cook and how I cook, and what I love, and the way I see the idea of cooking, comes from my mom,” who makes multicourse meals and a variety of Indian breads from scratch, Desai said.

Her parents are vegetarian, and in Panguitch, where they live, Desai’s dad would grow most of the produce she used at her original restaurant: squash, eggplant, peppers, okra, beets and more.

Even though beets aren’t part of Indian or Mexican cuisine, Desai includes them on her menu, as a nod to her dad’s gardening.

Another big influence on Desai’s food is her family’s passion for sustainability. She said the only food waste produced at Tandoori Taqueria is what people leave on their plates. Leftovers from the kitchen — such as the spices at the bottom of a container of housemade pickles — are repurposed into hot sauce, marinades and dressings.

She said Indian and Mexican food actually have a lot of “overlap,” especially in the spices that are used — flavors like paprika, cumin, cloves and cinnamon. Desai’s mom buys all the spices for Tandoori Taqueria at multiple spice markets in India, and you can see jars of these fragrant ingredients on shelves in the restaurant.

As for the fusion of Indian and Mexican food at Tandoori Taqueria, Desai said that people with an Indian background often tweak dishes when they cook at home to suit their own tastes. Desai grew up with her mom doing that when she’d make tacos and other foods from different cultures.

The pandemic caused international travel to the Panguitch area and elsewhere to dip, so Desai moved her business to South Salt Lake in 2021, and to the Maven District two years later.

The interior of Desai’s new location, at 156 E. 900 South, Suite 100, in Salt Lake City, is painted a deep forest green, her favorite color. But the pops of bright colors — like the lanterns on the ceiling — and the sparkly floor are inspired by her 7-year-old daughter, who painted the counter with butterflies, tacos and more.

Desai said that preparing food isn’t the part of cooking that she loves. Instead, “it’s cooking for the right people, the people who appreciate it,” she said. “Because there’s so much of you that goes into it, so much love and consideration.”

To read about my favorite things at Tandoori Taqueria, scroll down to the “Dish of the Week” section of this newsletter.

Tandoori Taqueria is open Monday through Saturday, 11 a.m to 2 p.m., then 5 to 8 p.m.; also Sunday from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.

P.S. There’s extra Maven District parking in a lot on Edison Street, behind the restaurant; just look for the light pole.

Live deliciously,

Kolbie

Food News

• Throughout the summer, The Lodge at Blue Sky, at 27649 Old Lincoln Highway in Wanship, is hosting a series of dinners featuring produce from Gracie’s Farm. On June 19, the meal will be themed around baby spring veggies; July 10 will be garlic; Aug. 21 will be tomatoes; and the last meal of the series will be a two-day harvest dinner on Sept. 17 and 18. Tickets are $207 per person per meal on Tock, except for the harvest dinner, which will be $282 per person per evening. Visit AubergeResorts.com for more information.

• Rocky Mountain Pies, based in Salt Lake City, won 26 blue ribbons at the 28th annual APC National Pie Championship in Kissimmee, Florida, in April, according to a news release. Utahns can find Rocky Mountain Pies at Harmons and Associated Foods stores under the Beehive and Red Button brands, the company’s president said.

Openings:

• Farmstead, a European-style bakery in southern Utah, is rebranding after a trademark issue, according to a news release. Now renamed as Bonrue Bakery, the business will be hosting a celebration at its St. George location at 18 S. 200 West, Saturday from 9 a.m. to noon, complete with giveaways and music. Bonrue Bakery also has locations in Hurricane and Springdale.

Dish of the Week

Tandoori Taqueria serves three different meat tacos and three different veggie tacos; I went with the taco trio of meat tacos, so I could get some variety.

The meat taco trio ($21) comes with one pozole taco, one beef & chorizo taco and one tikka tikka taco, influenced by chicken tikka masala. My favorites were the pozole and the beef & chorizo, which both had deep meaty flavors nicely counterbalanced by tomatillo chutney and fresh slaw.

Ripple Desai said everything at Tandoori Taqueria is slow-cooked in small batches, which makes the meats super tender. Since the beef is rubbed with cinnamon and garam masala, Desai said it tastes a bit like a Christmas roast, and I agreed with her.

On the side, get the “bowl o’pickles” ($7) for a palate cleanser between different types of tacos. The selection changes by day; my order came with pickled beets, carrots, radishes, cucumbers and watermelon rinds. I loved the spices and brininess.

There are some fun housemade drinks on the menu, and my favorite was the “coolie” ($4), which is a simple, refreshing and delicious mint limeade.