A new restaurant serving vegetarian Indian cuisine has officially arrived in Johnson County — in the former home of a barbecue restaurant.
International chain Bikanervala celebrated its grand opening last Wednesday in southern Overland Park.
Bikanervala operates at 8669 W. 135th St.
- The restaurant moved into a space at the Village of Overland Park shopping center, near Basecamp Fitness and Twisters Frozen Custard.
- Smokey’s On The Boulevard BBQ previously occupied that space for five of its nine years before closing in 2021.
- Bikanervala operates from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m., every day of the week.
Bikanervala serves Indian cuisine and sweets
The restaurant’s menu features a range of Indian dishes and “Indo Chinese” fusion dishes — some of which include veggie fried rice, chili garlic noodles, Tandoori platters and curry dishes.
Franchise owner Kapil Jain said the menu is vegetarian and vegan-friendly — meaning the kitchen uses no meat, eggs or fish.
Bikanervala also offers smaller snacks like garlic naan bread, samosas and momo dumplings.
The Bikanervala brand is also widely popular for its sweets. The restaurant offers desserts like rasgulla (sweet dumplings with a syrupy filling) and gulab jamun (fried dough balls) — in addition to sweet beverages like teas and lassi smoothies.
This marks the first Bikanervala in Johnson County
The Overland Park location also serves as the first in the wider Kansas City metro.
Aside from Overland Park, the only other Bikanervala locations in the United States operate in New Jersey.
The brand was founded in India five decades ago, and has gained broader international popularity, expanding into New Zealand and around South Asia.
Jain said he expected it to pick up a loyal following here — but the response in the first few days of being open has already far surpassed his expectations. He described it simply as “crazy.”
“It’s a big brand back in India, and some people were surprised and shocked just to see it here,” he said. “It’s like having India here in Kansas, simple as that.”
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