Woonsocket Welcomes First Indian Restaurant

Woonsocket residents will have a new and unique option for lunch and dinner fare starting tomorrow with the opening of Tadoori Restaurant at 114 Main St.

Indian and Pakistani cuisine, including vegetable, chicken, beef, lamb and even goat dishes, cooked in natural clay, will be served with sides of rice and naan, a leavened, oven-baked flatbread. 

Owner Jamil Sheikh lives in Woonsocket and is a newcomer to the restaurant business. Sheikh currently runs on Main Street, just across the road from his new venture.

"I'd like to help improve Main Street," Sheikh said of his choice of location. He expects to employ a staff of six to eight people and on Tuesday afternoon chefs were already hard at work in the kitchen, as delicious aromas filled the newly renovated space which once housed Main Street 2000.

"The best part of tandoori is that you cook it in natural clay," said Sheikh. "That's the secret of Indian food."

Cooking is done without oil and only Kosher meat will be used in their entrees. Prices run from as low as $1 for Samosa Aloo, a "snack" of pastry stuffed with potatoes,onions and peas, to $8.99 for Nehari, a famous, traditional Indian meat dish known for its spiciness and taste. All dishes will be offered hot, medium or mild and can be prepared very quickly with waits of no more than 5 to 10 minutes.

Sheikh is hopeful that the business will take off and is hosting an official ribbon cutting ceremony at 11 a.m. on Thursday, May 12.  To start, the restaurant will be open seven days a week from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.

"I've gotten 30 calls already today asking if we're open," he said. "It's something new and different to the community. I hope everyone comes in to taste it."