By Taylor Boyd
Patrick County’s first Indian restaurant, Naan Stop, opened its doors to customers last month on Stuart’s Main Street.
Pranav Bahl said his father, Sumit Bahl, decided to open the restaurant after being contacted by Harjot Paul, of Singh Brothers Investments, LLC.
“He told us there was no Indian restaurant, and people travel one hour from here just to eat Indian food. My dad’s been in the Indian restaurant industry for about 17 years now, so he thought, ‘why not,’” Bahl said.
When news of the restaurant’s opening was announced, Bahl said community members expressed excitement, noting limited dining options in the area.
“It’s a good opportunity for us and for them. We can get more flavor over here,” he said.
Opening day was busy, Bahl said, with many customers trying Indian food for the first time.
“Some people even said that they hadn’t had Indian food before, but” liked the food. “I really loved that response,” he said.
Bahl said staff members are happy to help customers who may be unfamiliar with Indian cuisine or unsure what to order.
“We had people that said they have no idea what they’re doing over here, so I told them no problem. I helped them through the menu, I suggested some stuff, and helped them pick what they like. They said they didn’t want too much spicy, and I told them the options we can make mild for them, and they really loved it. They said they weren’t expecting that,” he said.
While some customers may worry about spice levels, Bahl said the restaurant uses a scale from one to five.
“If someone says five, I tell them that there’s Indian spicy and there’s American spicy. I kind of warn them, and if you’re okay with five, it’s alright,” he said.
Bahl said the most popular items so far include tandoori chicken, which is cooked in a traditional clay oven, naan bread, and butter chicken.
“I mean, the white people – they like the mild stuff, so we can make the butter chicken mild,” he said.
Although his father previously owned restaurants in North Carolina, Bahl said Virginia regulations are different. The restaurant is currently working through the Alcoholic Beverage Control process to obtain a license to sell alcohol.
“We were in a hurry, and we opened in a hurry because people over here were really excited. I meann we had people walking in before we opened asking to place an order,” he said.
Because of the rush to open, Bahl said the initial menu does not yet include all advertised items. Chalupa, pizza, and bowl options are expected to be added in the future.
Naan Stop is open seven days a week from 10:30 a.m. to 10 p.m.
For more information, visit Instagram.com/naan_stop.
