After Mexican restaurant Coco Bolos closed its doors at the Prairiefire shopping center, a locally owned Indian restaurant faced a new opportunity.
The available space came at a convenient time for Bijendra Rana and his family, who own and operate Rajmahal Indian Restaurant. Rana said the restaurant had been looking to move from its former Olathe spot due to impending construction with the I-35 and Santa Fe overhaul project.
Now the restaurant will head east to south-central Overland Park. Rajmahal Indian Restaurant will open its new Prairiefire location this summer, pending some finishing touches to the space.
Rajmahal Indian Restaurant will open at 5621 W. 135th St.
- The restaurant will occupy a space on the east side of the Prairiefire shopping center, just off 135th Street and Nall Avenue.
- Coco Bolos occupied that space for roughly a decade before its closure.
- Once it opens, the restaurant’s hours will likely be 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., and 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. daily.
Rajmahal Indian Restaurant will offer an “elevated” dining experience
In Olathe, Rajmahal Indian Restaurant’s menu featured dishes like biryanis, tandoori chicken wings, and curries.
Though the owners are keeping most of the specifics of the Overland Park menu a surprise until the opening, they said it will offer a variety of classic Indian dishes “with some innovation” to them.
The restaurant’s new bar program will also offer craft cocktails as well as some new “bar bites”.
“It’s not just any regular Indian restaurant — this is going to be more authentic,” said Vivek Chasiya, who will be helping with front-of-house operations at Rajmahal. “We want to give people the authentic taste (of India).”
Compared to the restaurant’s former Olathe digs, the new space will lend itself more to a “fine dining” experience for the customers, with “cozy” and upscale decor and elevated service, Bijendra Rana said.
“Here, we have an opportunity to serve authentic food as well as the experience to the customers,” he said.
Rajmahal has had a decade-long run in Johnson County
Rana’s father, Raj Rana, opened Rajmahal’s original location at 118 S. Claiborne Road about a decade ago.
He’d been seasoned in the restaurant world before that, though, working in professional kitchens in New Orleans, Louisiana, before moving to the Kansas City area in 2015.
The restaurant’s move to Overland Park marks a new chapter for the restaurant. When it came to finding a new space for Rajmahal, the owners said Prairiefire stood out, in part, for its lively ambience.
Overland Park might not be where the growth ends, either, if all goes well with this new location.
“Our goals are to expand as much as we can,” Chasiya said. “We’re excited to give people here in Overland Park and the Kansas City area the taste that they want.”
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