Construction continues at the site of the old Namaste Indian Cuisine building in Orchards on Tuesday. Photo Gallery
Tastebuds crying out for tikka masala? Need your fix of naan? Since the closure of Namaste Indian Cuisine at 6300 N.E. 117th Ave., you’re likely not alone.
The all-you-can-eat Indian buffet closed in the spring, owner Jinder Chand said earlier this week, leaving two other restaurant locations in Portland. But for those who’d rather avoid the trek to Oregon, cry not — you’ll soon be able to make your own dishes with authentic ingredients from Namaste Indian Baazar, a marketplace inspired by flavors from the Indian subcontinent.
“We’re opening a grocery store very soon in Vancouver,” Chand said. “We’re just signing the lease, so hopefully we’re talking about 90 days.”
The grocery store will be around 1,600 square feet, Chand said. It will be in the plaza on the southeast corner of Northeast 112th Avenue and Northeast 28th Street, next to Safeway.
Chand’s family opened the Orchards restaurant in 2001, he said. Since then, they’ve added the two additional restaurant locations in Portland and a grocery store — the first Namaste Indian Baazar — at 10306 N.E. Halsey St. in Portland.
The second Bazaar will be modeled after the first, with a focus on providing groceries usually found in India and the Pacific Islands, Chand said.
“Opening up a restaurant and store was a family dream come true. Our whole family lived in India but moved here about 20 years ago. Since then, I worked at my uncle’s restaurant and opened up my own.”
When the Namaste buffet opened in 2001, it established itself as a fixture in Clark County’s food scene. At the time of its closure it had a rating of 4.2 stars on Google, with reviewers touting the restaurant’s authentic flavors and value for their money — patrons could enjoy all-you-can-eat lunch for $11, or dinner for $14.
The Namaste Indian Cuisine buffet may return to Vancouver. Chand said the family was looking at opening a smaller restaurant in downtown near Esther Short Park, though that would be at least a year away, he added.
As for the old location in Orchards Square on Northeast 117th Avenue, it’s been stripped down to its frame. Crews from Associated Construction, a Spokane-based developer, broke ground on the site the first week of August, said administrative assistant Kat Wendell.
“It’s going to be a Verizon store,” Wendell said. “It’s supposed to open up tentatively around Thanksgiving.”
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