tarka heads west

Healthy fast-casual Indian restaurant freshens up west Houston

Tarka's fresh fare is now in Westchase.

Courtesy of Tarka Indian Kitchen

A popular local fast-casual restaurant is serving up Indian fare to Houston’s west side. Tarka Indian Kitchen has opened its latest Houston-area outpost in Westchase, the company announced.

The neighborhood staple (especially in The Heights), Tarka is known for its healthy, fast versions of curries, kabobs, and biryanis. The concept also offers new vegan and vegetarian items, including vegetable pakoras, a Beyond keema curry, and even vegan (non-dairy) lassis.

To celebrate its grand opening, the new Tarka location (10550 Westheimer Rd., Ste. 30) is partnering with Daya – a nonprofit that empowers South Asian survivors of domestic and sexual violence through culturally specific services and educates the community to end the cycle of abuse, per a release.

A portion of the store’s proceeds will go towards Daya’s work from July 5 to July 11.

This new Westchase location marks the fourth Tarka in the Houston area; other bustling locations are in The Heights, Upper Kirby, and Springwoods Village.

Overall in Texas, the brand boasts nine locations in Houston, Austin, and San Antonio.

“We are beyond excited to expand even further across the bustling city of Houston and serve our flavorful Indian food to more locals,” said Tarka CEO Tinku Saini in a release. “We’re in a perfect location in Westchase and have hired an enthusiastic team to help us bring our authentic Indian cuisine to the area.”

Tarka - Westchase will be open daily from 11 am to 9 pm.

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CultureMap food editor Eric Sandler is on vacation.

openings

Farewell to auden

One of Texas Monthly's favorite Houston restaurants will soon shutter

Photo by Jordan Hughes

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A vegetable-forward Montrose restaurant will soon serve its final meal. Auden is closing after service on Sunday, April 6.

Chef-owners Kripa and Kirthan Shenoy provided CultureMap with a brief statement about their decision to close the restaurant in the Autry Park mixed-use development:

“We’re holding our heads up high and looking forward to the future. Houston has always been kind to us so there’s only gracious vibes from our hearts towards the community here,” the couple wrote.

Open since the fall of 2023, Auden served a globally-inspired, vegetable forward menu created by its owners. Prior to moving to Houston, executive chef Kirthan and pastry chef Kripa worked at a number of restaurants in New York, including Marea, which earned a Michelin star, and Brooklyn's Nitehawk Cinema. In addition to staples like steak frites and a burger, the couple spotlighted their Indian heritage in dishes such as Chicken 65, Crawfish Samosas, and Masala Shrimp Scampi.

The restaurant earned critical acclaim, including a strong review from retired Houston Chronicle restaurant critic Alison Cook and an honorable mention on Texas Monthly’s list of the best new restaurants of 2025. Still, the media attention wasn’t enough to keep the restaurant afloat.

While Auden is closing, Autry Park has seen a number of new openings. They include both Annam, a fine dining Vietnamese restaurant from MF Sushi chef-owner Chris Kinjo and twin concepts Doko and Bar Doko, a new sushi restaurant and Japanese-inspired cocktail bar from the team Kokoro and Aiko. Mayahuel, a Mexico City-inspired restaurant and bar from acclaimed chef Luis Robledo in partnership with Houston-based Culinary Khancepts (Leo’s River Oaks, Liberty Kitchen) will open later this year.

The Shenoys also own EaDough, a coffee shop and bakery located in East Downtown. It remains open and is not affected by the closure of Auden.

auden restaurant autry park closing