Spice Waala

Spice Waala is an Indian restaurant with two locations in Seattle, Washington. Uttam Mukherjee and Aakanksha Sinha started the business in 2018, initially as a pop-up in Fremont and South Lake Union. The first brick and mortar restaurant opened on Capitol Hill in 2019, followed by a second in Ballard in 2021. Spice Waala's street food offerings have received a positive reception.

Spice Waala
Exterior of the Capitol Hill restaurant, 2023
Restaurant information
Owner(s)
  • Uttam Mukherjee
  • Aakanksha Sinha
Food typeIndian
Street address340 15th Avenue East #202
CitySeattle
CountyKing
StateWashington
CountryUnited States
Coordinates47.6217°N 122.3125°W / 47.6217; -122.3125
Websitespicewaala.com

Description

Spice Waala serves Indian street food at two locations in Seattle.[1][2] The menu has included samosas,[3] roti with paneer masala, chicken tikka, and ground lamb as fillings,[4] as well as mango lassi.[5][6] In 2021, for Holi, the restaurant served a four-course meal with kachoris, daal (lentil stew), puri (thin fried bread), mutton curry (goat curry), pulao (spiced rice), and gujiya.[7][8]

History

Spice Waala was established by spouses Uttam Mukherjee and Aakanksha Sinha in 2018.[1] The business initially operated pop-ups in Fremont and at the South Lake Union Farmers Market.[9][10]

The first brick and mortar restaurant opened on Capitol Hill in April 2019,[11] in a space which previously housed Kanak Cuisine of India.[12] A second restaurant with the same menu opened in Ballard in January 2021, in a space which previously housed Boar's Nest.[13][14][15]

Spice Waala donates meals to the community.[16][17] Its Bhojan community meals program has provided approxiamtely 17,500 meals as of 2021.[18]

Reception

In 2019, Seattle Refined's Tess Owen wrote, "Spice Waala's success is anything but a surprise. They offer something that can't be found anywhere else on Capitol Hill: cheap, delicious, high-quality Indian food."[19] Naomi Tomky included the business in Thrillist's list of 15 "Pacific Northwest fast food chains the entire country needs" and wrote: "An academic and a brand manager serving up Indian street food with a side of social justice mission might be just the kind of thing that would show up in a parody of Seattle, but it turns out that the lamb kebab kathi roll tastes even better when you know that the employs get fair compensation and the owners make sure to take care of the community as well." Tomky recommended the menu's snack foods the most, especially the papdi chaat and bhel puri.[20]

In 2022, Spice Waala was named Washington's best Indian restaurant by iHeart,[21] and Sinha was included in the Puget Sound Business Journal's "40 Under 40" list.[22] Leonardo David Raymundo, Maggy Lehmicke, and Jade Yamazaki Stewart included the business in Eater Seattle's 2022 list of 17 "incredible" Indian and South Asian restaurants in the Seattle metropolitan area.[23] In 2023, Stewart and Sophie Grossman included the business in a list of 21 "essential" Capitol Hill restaurants,[24] and Seema magazine included Spice Waala in a list of Seattle's 15 best Indian restaurants.[25]

See also

References
  1. Belle, Rachel (2021-11-24). "New 'Your Last Meal': British Bake Off winner, Spice Waala brings Indian street food to Seattle". MyNorthwest.com. Archived from the original on 2022-05-17. Retrieved 2023-05-22.
  2. "Seattle's new Spice Waala makes world-class Indian street food". The Seattle Times. 2019-08-10. Archived from the original on 2023-05-15. Retrieved 2023-05-22.
  3. "Celebrating Holi with Spice Waala's samosa recipe - New Day NW". king5.com. March 16, 2022. Retrieved 2023-05-22.
  4. The Infatuation:
  5. "Celebrate National Mango Lassi Day with Spice Waala". Sip Magazine. Retrieved 2023-05-22.
  6. "2 excellent recipes for a vegetarian (or vegan!) wintertime supper from Spice Waala — plus their best-ever source for inexpensive spices". The Seattle Times. 2019-10-01. Archived from the original on 2020-08-04. Retrieved 2023-05-22.
  7. "Seattle's Indian street food restaurant is offering a $40 Holi meal this weekend | Dished". Daily Hive. Archived from the original on 2021-12-31. Retrieved 2023-05-22.
  8. Stewart, Jade Yamazaki (2022-03-17). "A Malaysian and Taiwanese Pop-Up Collaboration is Coming to Columbia City". Eater Seattle. Archived from the original on 2022-12-10. Retrieved 2023-05-22.
  9. "This Seattle restaurant serves Indian street food -- and their community". king5.com. April 1, 2021. Archived from the original on 2022-06-11. Retrieved 2023-05-22.
  10. "Spice Waala's New Indian Street Food Outpost Opens in Ballard". Seattle Metropolitan. Archived from the original on 2022-06-27. Retrieved 2023-05-22.
  11. "Spice Waala Brings 'Unapologetically Authentic' Indian Street Food to Capitol Hill". Seattle Magazine. 2022-07-08. Archived from the original on 2022-06-25. Retrieved 2023-05-22.
  12. "This Week in Restaurant News: A Brick-and-Mortar Spice Waala and New Rooftop Bar". Seattle Metropolitan. Archived from the original on 2022-09-27. Retrieved 2023-05-22.
  13. Guarente, Gabe (2020-12-01). "Popular Indian Street Food Spot Spice Waala Plans New Ballard Location". Eater Seattle. Archived from the original on 2023-03-23. Retrieved 2023-05-22.
  14. "Spice Waala to open their second location in Ballard – My Ballard". www.myballard.com. Archived from the original on 2021-10-23. Retrieved 2023-05-22.
  15. "Spice Waala opens today in Ballard – My Ballard". www.myballard.com. Archived from the original on 2021-03-04. Retrieved 2023-05-22.
  16. "Seattle restaurant describes struggles losing money to food delivery apps during pandemic". MyNorthwest.com. 2020-07-18. Archived from the original on 2023-02-07. Retrieved 2023-05-22.
  17. Mukherjee, Uttam (2020-07-13). "Why I Can't Afford to Close My Restaurant During the Pandemic". Eater Seattle. Archived from the original on 2022-12-04. Retrieved 2023-05-22.
  18. "Spice Waala Celebrates Three Years of Indian Street Food in Seattle with Specials all Week – My Ballard". www.myballard.com. Retrieved 2023-05-22.
  19. Owen, Tess (2019-11-07). "Spice Waala serves up authentic Indian food with a side of social justice". Seattle Refined. Archived from the original on 2022-12-17. Retrieved 2023-05-22.
  20. Tomky, Naomi. "15 Pacific Northwest Fast Food Chains the Entire Country Needs". Thrillist. Archived from the original on 2021-10-04. Retrieved 2023-05-22.
  21. "This Is Washington's Best Indian Restaurant". iHeart. Retrieved 2023-05-22.
  22. Thompson, Joey (September 21, 2022). "40 Under 40: Aakanksha Sinha, Spice Waala". Puget Sound Business Journal. Archived from the original on September 21, 2022. Retrieved May 22, 2023.
  23. Raymundo, Leonardo David (2017-02-27). "17 Incredible Indian and South Asian Restaurants in the Seattle Area". Eater Seattle. Archived from the original on 2023-03-21. Retrieved 2023-05-22.
  24. Stewart, Jade Yamazaki (2017-09-28). "21 Essential Capitol Hill Restaurants". Eater Seattle. Archived from the original on 2022-09-21. Retrieved 2023-05-22.
  25. Shohon, Habibur (2023-05-01). "The Best 15 Indian Restaurants in Seattle". Seema. Archived from the original on 2023-05-08. Retrieved 2023-05-22.
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