FARGO — As preparations for a grand opening were underway, a strong wave of spices filled the air outside the former Himalayan Yak on 38th Street — this time, however, from a new independent and family-owned Indian restaurant.
Inside Anand Indian Cuisine (UH-nuhnd), co-owner Simi Kaur and her family were busy preparing naan dough, purees and gravies, seasoning proteins and making kulfi, a traditional Indian ice cream.
The kitchen was warming up as large woks and pots sat on stovetops, constantly being stirred beside a tandoori grill used to prepare kebabs and naan for the restaurant’s lunch and dinner buffets.
Harpreet Singh, left, and Tajinder Singh prepare food at the new restaurant Anand Indian Cuisine, located at 1109 38th St. S in the former Himalayan Yak location in Fargo.
Chris Flynn / The Forum
The restaurant opened Sunday, Aug. 23, at 1109 38th St. S., the location previously home to Himalayan Yak. Inside, the space has been transformed by the hands of Kaur’s family.
“For the last two months, they’ve been completely renovating… completely gutted the place and it’s amazing,” Kaur said. “It’s been my dad, my cousins, my uncle. A true-to-the-core family-owned (business).”
The name Anand, Kaur said, comes from a Punjabi word associated with peace and bliss.
“So, we wanted to give peaceful, calm, soothing vibes— that’s why we chose the browns and the more neutral tones,” she said.
Red-painted ceiling fixtures pair with brown hanging lights, while quartz countertops and wooden half-walls complement gray walls, brown leather booths and cultural portraits and decor.
The dining area inside the new restaurant Anand Indian Cuisine, located at 1109 38th St. S in the former Himalayan Yak location pictured on Aug. 20, 2026, in Fargo.
Chris Flynn / The Forum
Although the exterior still currently bears the Himalayan Yak sign, the interior has been redesigned for Anand, which serves a mix of Southern and Northern Indian cuisine. The menu features appetizers, kebabs, vegetarian and protein-based entrees, dinner options for two and a buffet.
For Kaur and her family, Anand is more than a new restaurant. It is an extension of a family business that began in Grand Forks.
Almost the entire family has been involved in the restaurant industry since 2021, when Kaur’s father, uncle and others opened House of Punjab in Grand Forks — which still continues to serve Indian cuisine.
Now, the family is expanding to Fargo, bringing more relatives into the business.
Kaur is a co-owner of Anand alongside her father, uncle and cousin. While she handles many of the behind-the-scenes operations — including setting up vendors, point-of-sale systems, the website and menu design with her background in UX — her cousins and uncle are the ones working in the kitchen.
“My cousins and my uncle, they’re the ones cooking in the back — they’re like the foundation of this place,” Kaur said.
Anand Indian Cuisine, a new restaurant, is opening in the former Himalayan Yak location at 1109 38th St. S, as pictured on Thursday, Aug. 20, 2026, in Fargo.
Chris Flynn / The Forum
The family’s path to Fargo spans several decades and multiple generations.
Kaur’s uncle, Santokh Singh, immigrated to the United States from India, while some of her cousins immigrated more recently in 2019. Kaur’s immediate family immigrated in the 1990s and initially lived in Queens, New York, before moving to the Fargo area in 2009 while working in the hospitality industry.
Now, family members with years of restaurant and hospitality experience are beginning those experiences together at Anand.
The Fargo restaurant also allows them to expand beyond the menu offered at House of Punjab, with Kaur describing Anand as a place where the family can offer a broader selection of dishes representing different regions and flavors of Indian cuisine.
“(Grand Forks), it’s been good, but here’s a bigger town with some more options,” Paramijt Singh, Kaur’s father, said.
Paramjit Singh, a co-owner of Anand Indian Cuisine, is opening the restaurant with his family in the former Himalayan Yak location at 1109 38th St. S, pictured on Thursday, Aug. 20, 2026.
Chris Flynn / The Forum
The Fargo menu features almost a dozen varieties of fresh tandoor-baked naan, desserts such as kulfi and kheer, and specialty dishes such as Delhi’s butter chicken or Goat Banjara.
“Most of our menu is North Indian because that’s what we specialize in, but there are a few South Indian things,” Kaur said.
Kaur also highlighted the restaurant’s buffet, which she believes will be a key part of Anand’s business.
While some local Indian restaurants have phased out buffets because of food waste, Anand plans to offer both lunch and dinner buffets.
Priced at $22, the rotating buffet will feature an appetizer, five entrees, rice, sides, dessert and naan, with selections changing based on what the kitchen prepares that day.
“I think the reason a lot of buffets don’t last is that there is some food wastage to it,” Kaur said. “We’re going to try our best not to have food wasted, but with the buffet, people can try like a bunch of different stuff and get a bang for their buck with options.”
Anand will be open daily from 9 a.m. to 11 p.m. and will offer delivery through DoorDash, Uber Eats and Grubhub.
Dining and Cooking