Texas Cuisine Gets a Bold Infusion of Indian Flavors at This New Houston Restaurant

The chef and team behind Amrina, Pok Pok Po, and Bol are opening Kitchen Rumors, a restaurant that will turn classic dishes like Texas pecan pie and ceviche on their heads

Another innovative Indian restaurant is headed for Houston.

The Kahani Social Group, the hospitality group behind the elegant fine-dining restaurant Amrina in The Woodlands and recently opened Indian fried chicken joint Pok Pok Pok in Houston’s Midtown, will follow up with a restaurant that explores contemporary Indian cuisine. Kahani’s executive chef Jassi Bindra says Kitchen Rumors will open in the second quarter of the year at 2310 Decatur Street near Washington Avenue. The space formerly housed MasterChef winner Christine Ha’s Vietnamese restaurant Xin Chao, which closed in June 2024.

Chris Furia

“We strongly believe it’s a very great and positive thing that Indian cuisine is no [longer] only stuck to its origin. It’s spread all over the world, and it has such a strong influence on people,” Bindra says. “It’s now world-renowned with Michelin stars, and it’s taken over the world with its flavors.”

Bindra is still developing the menu but says every dish and drink will tell a story and reimagine classics with Indian flavors. He’ll infuse pecan pie, a Texas favorite, with lemon curd and gulab jamun — a traditional deep-fried, syrupy Indian dessert made with milk solids and yogurt. There will be bison short rib nihari, hokkaido scallop ceviche with tamarind standing in for citrus, pan-seared branzino served with green herbs and vegetables salan, and steaks grilled with Indian cooking techniques. Kitchen Rumors, which will offer dinner, weekday happy hour, and Sunday brunch, will lean into bright and colorful decor, with a pink and green palette and views into an open kitchen. “It’ll be like entering a home,” Bindra says. There will also be al fresco dining on the patio and plentiful parking.

Chris Furia

The announcement of the new restaurant follows a busy few months for the Kahani Social Group, which opened Pok Pok Po in December and Bol, a fast-casual Indian restaurant that serves buildable bowls and wraps, in January. Bindra, who opened Amrina in 2022 with his team, has also hinted that an Indian tasting menu restaurant in the city is likely next, but the more recent restaurant openings have taken top priority.