Guelph’s Kirtida Kitchen is set to expand in the city with its new dine-in restaurant on Edinburgh Road.
Kirtida Kitchen opened in 2017 with a food truck and then months later a takeout storefront on Eramosa Road. Before then it had a booth at the Guelph Farmers’ Market.
The new restaurant of the same name is set to have its soft opening on Oct. 24 at its location at 245 Edinburgh Rd., the plaza on the southwest corner of the Edinburgh Road/Municipal Street intersection, and a grand opening a couple weeks later. The capacity is just over 100 people and co-owner Hitesh Jagad said he likes to think of it as a mini banquet, hoping there will be celebrations held there.
It’s a new and challenging endeavour to open a dine-in restaurant for Hitesh and his wife and co-owner Kirtida.
Kirtida Kitchen at 265 Eramosa Rd. will still be open but is closed for a couple of months for renovations.
The dine-in restaurant idea Hitesh credits to the Guelph community for its support, motivation and encouragement. “You should open a dine-in because your food is so good. Then we love to come with our friends or family to have actual dining in your facility,” Hitesh said customers have told him. It’s exciting for Kirtida and she said customers have told her the same thing.
When Hitesh walked into the space at Edinburgh Road he decided within one minute this would be where he and Kirtida’s restaurant would be.
The Kirtida Kitchen menu featuring vegetarian and vegan north Indian cuisine will be the same as usual when it comes to the soft opening. As things progress the restaurant plans to have a breakfast menu with Indian breakfast dishes and expand its offerings with south and west Indian cuisines on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays.
An example of an Indian breakfast Kirtida Kitchen plans to offer is idli medu-vada which is masala donuts which has spices served with a yogurt dip. The restaurant will also serve dosas which are savoury crepes.
Hitesh always wants to bring a taste of live music for the weekends since there is a stage at the restaurant. Kirtida is excited about the new restaurant since she has a huge kitchen now and more people to help, said Hitesh.
He’s optimistic the new location will work well for the restaurant. “So we have very positive vibes coming through the community as well as through the neighbourhood of the new location,” he said.
Hitesh and Kirtida have been to restaurants to learn how that side of the hospitality industry works so they can better serve their customers as they start their next chapter of Kirtida Kitchen.
“I have no words what to exactly say but this is all blessings, community support,” said Hitesh.
Before he and Kirtida came to Canada in 2004, they never thought they would open a restaurant but it started as a way to support their family and it then became a family business.
It’s kind of surprising we have been doing this for six years “... I just think that time flies,” said Hitesh.
