Bhuna is an Indian restaurant in Portland, Oregon's Northwest District, in the United States.[1][2][3] Established by chef Deepak Kaul in 2018, Bhuna has been described as the city's first Kashmiri restaurant.[4]
| Bhuna | |
|---|---|
 | |
 | |
| Restaurant information | |
| Food type | Kashmiri (Indian) |
| Street address | 704 Northwest 21st Avenue |
| City | Portland |
| County | Multnomah |
| State | Oregon |
| Postal/ZIP Code | 97209 |
| Country | United States |
| Coordinates | 45°31′40″N 122°41′39″W / 45.5279°N 122.6942°W |
Description
editThe Indian restaurant Bhuna operates on 21st Avenue in northwest Portland's Northwest District. Eater Portland has described the business as a "blue-tinged, window-lined"[5] and "sparsely decorated fast-casual spot".[6] The interior has blue-green walls and white subway tiles.[7]
Bhuna serves "Kashmiri soul food" such as rice bowls with kholrabi and collards with Kashmiri dried chilies, lamb rogan josh with black and green cardamom, and chickpea-fried calamari.[8] Among cocktails are negronis, old fashioneds, palomas, and rum lassis.[9]
History
editChef Deepak Kaul started Bhuna as a pop-up restaurant at Culmination Brewing in 2018,[10][11] before moving into a brick and mortar space on 21st Avenue on October 17;[4][12] the space had previously housed Dick's Kitchen.[13][14] Like many restaurants, Bhuna operated via take-out at times during the COVID-19 pandemic.[15] In 2023, Bhuna celebrated its fifth anniversary by hosting a potluck party featuring dishes from other local chefs.[16] For Diwali, the restaurant hosted a candle- and lamp-lit dinner after sundown. The dining room had a shrine to the Hindu gods Ganesha and Lakshmi, and the menu included gulab jamun, kheer, cardamom chocolate chip cookies, and mango kulfi.[17]
Reception
editKaul won in the Chef of the Year category of Eater Portland's annual Eater Awards in 2018.[18] Nick Woo included the Chettinad chicken in the website's 2019 list of thirteen "stellar" curries in the city,[19] and Waz Wu recommended Bhuna in a 2021 overview of recommended restaurants for "standout" vegan curries.[20] Eater Portland's Brooke Jackson-Glidden included the masoor dal in a 2022 list of sixteen "sick day delivery standbys to order" in the city,[21] and Ron Scott included the business in a 2024 overview of "exceptional" Indian food in the Portland metropolitan area.[22]
In 2019, Willamette Week called Bhuna "a boon to the Portland area's small but vital group of worthwhile Indian restaurants",[23] and Portland Monthly said the restaurant had "the ambiance of a Chase Bank lobby, but don't let that stop you from sampling its simple, spice-laden bowls".[24] Krista Garcia included Bhuna in The Infatuation's 2024 list of the city's best restaurants.[25]
See also
edit
References
edit- ^ "Acclaimed Pop-Up Bhuna Finds a Permanent Home for Its Addictive North Indian Cuisine". Willamette Week. 2018-11-28. Archived from the original on 2021-03-02. Retrieved 2024-07-24.
- ^ Walsh, Chad. "Deepak Kaul's Bhuna, and His Unlikely Path into the Restaurant World". Portland Mercury. Archived from the original on 2024-07-25. Retrieved 2024-07-24.
- ^ Piech-Gitenstein, Nicole; Gitenstein, Eric (2020-06-01). Portland, Oregon Food Crawls: Touring the Neighborhoods One Bite and Libation at a Time. Rowman & Littlefield. ISBN 978-1-4930-4569-3. Archived from the original on 2024-07-25. Retrieved 2024-07-24.
- ^ a b Jackson-Glidden, Brooke (2018-10-15). "Portland's First True Kashmiri Restaurant Opens Wednesday". Eater Portland. Archived from the original on 2023-04-01. Retrieved 2024-07-24.
- ^ Jackson-Glidden, Brooke (2017-12-22). "Jaw-Dropping Happy Hours Spotted Across Portland". Eater Portland. Archived from the original on 2019-03-06. Retrieved 2024-07-24.
- ^ Reed, Conner (2019-11-15). "How Eater Portland's 2018 Chef of the Year Redefined Indian Dining on His Own Terms". Eater Portland. Archived from the original on 2024-07-25. Retrieved 2024-07-24.
- ^ Russell, Michael (2018-12-19). "13 new Portland restaurants you should know about right now". The Oregonian. Archived from the original on 2021-01-18. Retrieved 2024-07-25.
- ^ Jackson-Glidden, Brooke (2018-08-28). "The 10 Most Anticipated Openings in Portland This Fall". Eater Portland. Archived from the original on 2020-06-18. Retrieved 2024-07-24.
- ^ Frane, Alex (2021-01-15). "14 Portland Bars and Restaurants Still Offering Cocktails To-Go". Eater Portland. Archived from the original on 2021-04-19. Retrieved 2024-07-24.
- ^ Jackson-Glidden, Brooke (2018-03-20). "A Bunch of Pop-Ups and Carts Are Finding New Homes". Eater Portland. Archived from the original on 2021-10-05. Retrieved 2024-07-24.
- ^ "You Can Now Eat Spicy, Funky, Kashmiri Soul Food at One of Portland's Best Breweries". Willamette Week. 2018-03-07. Retrieved 2024-07-25.
- ^ Jackson-Glidden, Brooke (2018-10-18). "NW Portland Explodes With Three New Spots in One Day". Eater Portland. Archived from the original on 2023-05-12. Retrieved 2024-07-24.
- ^ Jackson-Glidden, Brooke (2018-07-30). "Indian Pop-Up Bhuna Will Find Its Own Home in Northwest Portland". Eater Portland. Archived from the original on 2024-07-25. Retrieved 2024-07-24.
- ^ Walsh, Chad. "Deepak Kaul's Bhuna, and His Unlikely Path into the Restaurant World". Portland Mercury. Archived from the original on 2022-07-11. Retrieved 2024-07-24.
- ^ Jackson-Glidden, Brooke (2020-03-16). "Where to Find Takeout and Delivery During Portland's COVID-19 Outbreak". Eater Portland. Archived from the original on 2021-03-26. Retrieved 2024-07-24.
- ^ Wong, Janey (2023-10-13). "Salt and Straw Will Open on the Vancouver Waterfront in 2024". Eater Portland. Archived from the original on 2024-01-02. Retrieved 2024-07-25.
- ^ Wong, Janey (2023-11-03). "Where to Celebrate Diwali in Portland". Eater Portland. Archived from the original on 2024-07-25. Retrieved 2024-07-25.
- ^ Jackson-Glidden, Brooke (2018-12-05). "Portland's 2018 Eater Award Winners". Eater Portland. Archived from the original on 2019-01-26. Retrieved 2024-07-24.
- ^ Woo, Nick (2019-07-25). "13 Stellar Curries in Portland". Eater Portland. Archived from the original on 2020-06-03. Retrieved 2024-07-24.
- ^ Wu, Waz (2021-02-08). "Where to Find Standout Vegan Curries in Portland". Eater Portland. Archived from the original on 2021-10-26. Retrieved 2024-07-24.
- ^ Jackson-Glidden, Brooke (2022-01-05). "16 Sick Day Delivery Standbys to Order in Portland". Eater Portland. Archived from the original on 2022-03-05. Retrieved 2024-07-24.
- ^ Scott, Ron (2017-06-09). "Where to Find Exceptional Indian Food in Portland and the Nearby Suburbs". Eater Portland. Archived from the original on 2022-02-15. Retrieved 2024-07-24.
- ^ "The Top Five Places to Eat in Portland This Week". Willamette Week. 2019-01-16. Archived from the original on 2019-01-17. Retrieved 2024-07-24.
- ^ "Where to Eat This Week: Jan 23–29". Portland Monthly. Retrieved 2024-07-24.
- ^ "The 24 Best Restaurants In Portland, Oregon 2024 - Portland, OR". The Infatuation. 2022-01-21. Archived from the original on 2024-04-06. Retrieved 2024-07-24.