Tandoori Taqueria

Address: 156 East 900 South #100

Telephone: 801-895-3864

Website: thetandooritaqueria.com

District: Maven

 

"So, tea is my happy place, admits Ripple Desai, owner of Tandoori Taqueria in the Maven District. Every time you walk into my parents' home, my dad asks, 'Do you want tea?' And tea in our house is a cup of hot Indian chai.

Chai is the Gujarati pronunciation of tea, but it is made with mint, cardamom, and a rich black tea from India. I like to use a little bit of rose with it. Cardamom is my favorite spice. I like to put a little bit of orange peel in mine, too. A lot of what I love about tea is what I love about life and the restaurant. It is all about sharing the experience."

Stepping into Tandoori Taqueria, one cannot help but feel immersed in the warmth and vibrancy of an experience carefully crafted by its owner. The restaurant blends Indian and Mexican influences, reflecting Ripple’s Indian roots and her love of Mexican food. The restaurant’s journey began in Penguitch, Utah, and is now in Salt Lake City. More than just a dining space, Tandoori Taqueria is an invitation to step into a world where tradition and innovation come together seamlessly.

Ripple was born in New Jersey to Indian immigrant parents, who moved frequently due to her father’s engineering job. The family lived in Massachusetts, California, and Georgia before an unexpected turn of events led them to Utah. In 1990, during a cross-country national park road trip, they passed through Penguitch and struggled to find lodging for the night. They slept in their car, and the next day, they found the last available motel room in town. Her parents, ever resourceful and charismatic, struck up a conversation with the motel’s owners, ultimately negotiating a deal to purchase it. By the time she was six years old, her family had settled in Penguitch, running a seasonal motel catering to tourists visiting Bryce Canyon.

Her connection to food was forged in that small-town setting. Her mother, an accountant by trade, cooked fresh meals daily, making traditional Indian breads like roti and paratha from scratch. Her father cultivated a large garden, growing much of the family’s produce. That garden was not just for sustenance - it reflected her father’s deep-rooted love for the land, a tradition that carried over into Ripple's own approach to cooking.

Tandoori Taqueria first opened in 2015 in Penguitch, drawing in travelers with its unique fusion of Indian and Mexican flavors. The restaurant thrived during the summer months, serving adventurous eaters from around the world, but she longed for a place where she could build a local community. In 2021, she expanded to South Salt Lake, operating there until 2023. Then, in early 2024, she began working on her newest venture in the Maven District, officially opening its doors on January 1, 2025.

The fusion of Indian and Mexican cuisines is not just about flavors. It is about storytelling. "We call them tacos on our menu, and the name Tandoori Taqueria has a very iconic Indian word, and a very iconic Mexican word mashed together, right? But I do not want you to walk in here and expect one or the other. Ideally, you walk in here, see the colors and the lights, the spice walls, the decorations, and then you sit down. Whatever comes to you comes to you."

Her family's love of spices and fresh ingredients is evident throughout the restaurant. "My mother still makes my garam masala mix, my chai masala mix, and my pickle masala. Every family has their own, every region has their own, and that personal touch matters." The spice wall in the restaurant is an homage to her mother, who carefully selects and brings back spices from India each year. "She searches the markets, finds the freshest, and brings just enough to last us a year. There is so much work that goes into those spices - someone grew them, my mom searched for them, carried them through airports - so we use everything. Nothing is wasted. Even the grounds from our chai tea are turned into a hot sauce or a marinade."

The space itself carries deep personal touches. The rich green walls, known as Rock Garden Green, have been a signature color in all three locations. "My dad and I picked this color together. It represents the garden. In Penguitch, my dad's massive garden produced all of our produce for the restaurant. His heart lives in that garden, and he has passed that love down to my daughter." Even the floors bear a personal touch. "There is so much glitter in the floors because my daughter, Jaya, wanted glitter floors. So, when they poured the concrete, we put glitter in the sealer. That is her in the posters, too, with her special bunny and our cat, Peaky."

One of the more unexpected but beloved items on the menu is the popcorn, which has its own special story. "It started as a happy accident. We had extra pickled masala oil from the kitchen, and I drizzled it over popcorn one day. The flavors were incredible - the brightness of the pickled oil, the warmth of the spices. It became an instant favorite, and now it is a staple on the menu."

For vegetarians, the options are just as intentional. "My family was vegetarian for a long time. My mom still is. Growing up, vegetarian options were always a quesadilla or a grilled cheese, or they would just remove the meat and sprinkle on some cheese. I wanted to put real thought into making something my mom would love to eat." Dishes like the smoky cauliflower taco, made with garam masala, berries for sweetness, and peanuts for crunch, or the chana la veriana, a rich, reduced-down garbanzo bean curry, offer complex and satisfying flavors. The chile relleno, made with roasted lentil flour, is another standout, providing a hearty, nutty flavor that can be made vegan.

In addition to the vegetarian offerings, Tandoori Taqueria serves a variety of non-vegetarian tacos, such as the Tikka Tikka taco - chicken cooked in a creamy tomato gravy, topped with tangy slaw and zesty tomatillo chutney on a ‘naan’ tortilla. Other options include the Pozole taco, featuring braised pork slow-cooked with spices, and the Beef and Chorizo taco, combining slow-cooked beef roast grilled with chorizo, both topped with tangy slaw and zesty tomatillo chutney on a tortilla.

When asked what message she most wants to convey, Ripple does not hesitate: "My passion is the food and the experience. I would love it if people would come in with an open mind, to just try something new, not make a comparison, not come in thinking they know what something is going to be like. Just come in for a new experience, whatever it is."