The moment you walk inside the India House restaurant on 105 S. Wenatchee Avenue, you feel transported to the other side of the Pacific Ocean, to India. The music, the décor, and the aromas: they all bespeak authenticity. 

The scents of India at 105 S. Wenatchee Avenue

Owners Deepiba Dhawar and her husband, Manoj Kumar, established the restaurant in Wenatchee in 2013, and it has acquired a steady clientele. The eatery is conveniently located in the heart of downtown, at the corner of Orondo Street and Wenatchee Avenue, close to many businesses and shops. 

Something for every taste and diet

India House meals in the Punjab tradition, curries being the region’s customary fare.

Don’t worry about the food being too spicy or any other nutritional limitation you have: they will ask about your taste-bud preferences and can adjust the dishes to serve vegan, vegetarian, gluten-free and lactose-free needs, as well as the spiciness of the dish.

Beef and pork are not on the menu, but chicken, lamb, goat, fish and shrimp can be added to almost any of the dishes. 

Cutting down on the spiciness does not mean reducing the flavors; the restaurant sometimes enriches the food with a mix of twenty different seasonings. Deepipa Dhawar is a masterful spice-mistress and not only knows how the flavors enhance specific dishes but also how they help our bodies to function.

Family traditions from Punjab now delight Wenatchee

“Turmeric is an antiseptic, garam masala controls cholesterol, and ginger and garlic filter your blood,” Deepipa listed.

“I started cooking at the age thirteen, learning from my father,” she said. “There are six basic tastes: sweet, sour, salty, spicy, bitter and astringent.” 

The restaurant offers delicious combinations of the six tastes. One of her family’s traditional recipes, Chicken Paprika, is on the menu and probably will tickle most of your taste buds.

Vegetarian or meat? It’s all available

There are so many choices it’s hard to know where to begin. Maybe some naan bread from the Tandoori oven, with raita and daal makhani? This translates into piping hot flat bread from a stone oven along with a yogurt/cucumber/tomato sauce and lentil stew.

The tandoor oven is also used for cooking meats, resulting in a crispy outside and juicy interior of the meat. Try the tandoor chicken; it comes with a delicious accompaniment of tandoor-cooked, spiced vegetables. 

If you want to sample vindaloo, that will give you a plate of meat of your choice in a spicy red curry.

Any food including “paneer” refers to a substantial, home-made cheese, often served in a curry.

Nirvana is just what it says: a delightfully soothing dish with vegetables and if requested, an addition of meat, in a coconut milk -infused masala (spice) sauce.

As with any Indian food, there is always rice. You can have it plain or as a fried-rice type of a biriyani dish.

As for drinks, the restaurant serves the traditional mango lassi – a yogurt drink with mango – to soothe any spiciness. You can also order masala chai, which is richly spiced black tea. In addition, the menu lists wines, beers and soft drinks.

Eat in or order out

India House is open Tuesday-Sunday, 11am – 9:30 pm. You can also order take-out online. They have a lunch buffet, which is an opportunity to try a large variety of their dishes.

For more information, go to www.indiahousewa.com