It’s the dawn of Indian fine dining across the country, and Atlanta is no exception.
In a latest addition, Ikara will replace Italian restaurant Allora in the Twelve Midtown residential and hotel building at Atlantic Station. This comes on the heels of the Michelin-recommended restaurant from Miami, Ghee Indian Kitchen, opening in West Midtown, and the anticipated opening of Anish Nair’s Pataaka in Midtown.
Following in the trend of upscale Indian dining, Ikara in Atlanta will serve dishes from Bihar, Kashmir, Goa, Rajasthan, Kerala, and Himachal Pradesh. In addition to a regular menu, the restaurant will host a 30-seat chef’s tasting room with a nine-course tasting menu led by chef Yugal Sharma, currently the assistant master chef at the Royal Afghan, ITC Grand Bharat, and Bukhara at Hotel Maurya in New Delhi.
Pooja Aggarwal, Sandeep Patel, Harshad Patel, and Subhash Patel co-own Ikara; Aggarwal founded Indian restaurant Pippal in Emeryville, California. Arvind Poojari, general manager at Pippal, will lead the beverage program with a global wine list and cocktails “inspired by the spice markets, botanicals, and coastal regions of India,” according to a press release. Poojari will infuse flavors of cardamom, tamarind, kokum (sour and tangy mangosteen fruit grown in Indian western states), and rose with classic cocktails.
Nitin Khobe from Chromed Design Studio is in charge of designing the space. Renderings show warm tones, with a large lighting fixture as the central focus at the bar. Pendant lights that look like woven baskets hang from the ceiling, and wavy designs on the walls make the restaurant feel airy. Large, tufted seating can be seen lining the dining room, with circular doorways and sculptures revealing new sections of the room. Ample outdoor patio seating looks onto Atlantic Station shops. Nods to India can be seen through the use of brass, woven fabrics, arched windows, and greenery throughout the rendered images.
Allora has been boarded up this winter, with construction and renovations underway. The building also houses Lazy Llama Coffeehouse. Atlantic Station recently suffered major closures, including losing its Publix, and is soon to close Banana Republic and DSW.
Ikara is slated to open soon, adding fresh air to Atlantic Station. Follow their Instagram for opening announcements.
Dining and Cooking