Indian food was once a bit scarce in Wichita, but four new restaurants have just popped up

It’s not that Wichita didn’t have any Indian food restaurants.

But over the past several decades, the city’s foodies have had far fewer choices when they’re craving chicken tikka masala, naan and biryani.

Favorites like Passage to India, Kababs, Deshi Curry and New Paradise Biryani Pointe have drawn diners for years, — and in Passage to India’s case — for decades. It first opened in Wichita in 1994. But in Wichita, it’s far easier to find Lebanese, Vietnamese and Mexican food.

Over the past several months, though, Wichita has suddenly seen a surge in the availability of Indian food options. Three new Indian restaurants have opened since September, and the city also now has a food truck offering Indian fare. Not only that, but a couple of the new restaurant operators say they’d eventually like to open second and event third locations.

Here’s a guide to Wichita’s newest Indian restaurants:

Astoria Biryani House

3242 N. Rock Road, opened on Thursday

The owners of this new restaurant started their soft opening period late last week and are now serving a limited menu until their grand opening, which should hit just before Thanksgiving. The owners, who are from Omaha and own two Indian restaurants there, say they will serve something Wichita is missing: authentic Indian food, not the Americanized version that lacks spices like cardamom, cloves and cinnamon.

Astoria specializes in biryani — a rice dish made with different proteins, vegetables and spices, and it will eventually have around 20 different types on the menu. Its featured dish is “Hyderabad Dum” biryani, which is the type of biryani made famous in the Southern Indian city of Hyderabad and is made with marinated meat and rice cooked together slowly in a sealed pot with aromatic steam. The restaurant also serves curries, tandoori “sizzlers,” stuffed naan, soups and appetizers. The owners say they’re open to eventually adding a second Astoria restaurant in Wichita.

Astoria will have a drive-through, but it won’t be ready until the week of Nov. 6. For now, the restaurant is offering dine-in, carry out and catering services. Its hours are 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. and 5 to 9 p.m. Tuesdays through Fridays and 11:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. and 5 to 9 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays.

The Mango Tree Indian Kitchen + Tap House

111 E. 47th St. South, opened Oct. 16

Another Indian restaurant also owned by operators from out of state opened in mid-October in the former Angry Elephant space near 47th Street South and Broadway. The owners are from Idaho, and they own an Indian restaurant there as well as one in Spokane, Washington. Owner Rakesh Kaushal said that he’s hoping to open at least one or two more Mango Tree restaurants in the Wichita area.

Since opening day, Kaushal said, customers have been ordering chicken tikka masala, coconut chicken and the restaurant’s signature mango chicken with mango rice. The restaurant’s stuffed naan also has been popular, he said. At Mango Tree, diners can get the Indian bread stuffed with things like vegetables, garlic, cheese — even coconut or pepperoni.

Mango Tree, a full-service restaurant, also has a full bar with specialty cocktails and 14 beers on tap. A lunch special featuring two eight-ounce servings of curry plus rice and naan is served from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday through Saturdays.

Its hours are 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily.

Rajwadi Pointe

Inside the Wyndham Garden Inn, 221 E. Kellogg, opened on Sept. 11

This Indian restaurant was opened by the newest operator of the Wyndham Garden Inn, who took over in January. It’s run out of one of the restaurant spaces on the hotel’s main floor, just behind the lobby. It’s a full-service Indian eatery that’s open to the public and offers a menu of Indian specialties like samosas, Indian soups, dosa, biryani, curry dishes (including goat curry) and flatbread. One of the most popular dishes so far, the owner said, has been the restaurant’s chicken tikka masala.

Rajwadi Pointe does not serve alcohol. It’s open from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily.

Flavours of India on Wheels

5120 E. 21st St., opened in August

This Indian food truck — which started serving at the Wichita State University Food Truck Plaza in August — has been drawing crowds since it chose a “fixed location” at the start of October: the parking lot of the Family Dollar store at 5120 E. 21st St. The bright yellow truck is now parked there from 6 to 9 p.m. daily serving vegetarian Indian specialties, mostly from southern India. Starting on Tuesday, Oct. 31, the truck also will start offering lunch service from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. daily

The truck is owned by Milan Sapariya, who grew up in Gujarat, India. He always wanted to get into the food business, he said, and with the truck, he’s recreating and serving the Indian street food items he’s always loved.

Among the items he frequently serves: pav bhaji, which is a soup of vegetables and spices served with bread; paneer kathi rolls, which are flatbread sandwiches stuffed with grilled vegetables, spices and chutney; and vada pav, which features a spiced potato fritter in a bun topped with chutney. The truck also serves drinks like mango lassi and masala tea.

Diners can visit the truck or order food for pickup online or via DoorDash and GrubHub during the truck’s operating hours.