We love Indian food as a family. You’ll often find us going up to Everest Cuisine in Old Worthington or New India Restaurant on Bethel Road, but we love finding new places to try.
We had heard about the opening of Mehak Indian Kitchen & Bar on Cleveland Avenue in a stand-alone building across from Columbus Square Mall (which is another spot for great international food), so we were excited to check it out – it
Mehak was opened by Chef Ravinder Sharma, who worked for many years at Aab Indian Kitchen. He opened his own restaurant in the fall of 2022.
Mehak was pretty quiet during our Saturday night visit. Only two other customers sat at a nearby booth, while a couple of takeout orders went out the door. But the dining room is bright and comfortable, with a setup for your lunch buffet.
Shortly after we were seated, the server brought us free fern – crispy lentil waffles – with sides of spicy pickles.
Since this was our first visit, we decided to order the old family standards, to help us compare Mehak to our other favorites.
This usually includes a plate of samosas, pakoras and other fried goodies; saag paneer; chicken tikka masala; nave wicker corner; and garlic naan baskets.
The mixed dish it’s a good deal at $7. It features a keema samosa with minced meat, paired with various pakoras: fried vegetable bites, paneer (a soft white cheese) and chicken. It comes with sides of their mint chutney and a tangy, slightly fermented tamarind sauce.
We used the beautiful and fragrant garlic naan to take delicious bites.
We gave all three dishes an unqualified thumbs up. My personal choice was nav rattan korma, a mixed vegetable dish with a cashew-based butter sauce. This is quickly becoming a favorite anywhere we go.
We also really dug the chef’s special naan, filled with chicken, spiced mashed potatoes, onion and cottage cheese. I would highly recommend it.
I would definitely bookmark Mehak for your future explorations. The experience, food, and service were all great, and we’ll definitely keep it on the list the next time we’re craving Indian food.
Mehak Indian Kitchen & Bar
5720 Cleveland Ave.
Columbus, OH 43231
(614) 392-4070
Website: mehakindiankitchen.com
FB: Mehak Indian Kitchen & Bar
IG: @mehakkitchen5720