BUTTE — Owners of a new restaurant on Main Street in Butte are bringing the flavors of India and Nepal to the Mining City.
Sajan Baniya, owner of Kathmandu Indian Cuisine, says he chose Butte because the mountainous landscape reminds him of home.
"Butte....lot of mountains, you know? And I feel like Nepal, you know? Snow. Cold. You know?" Baniya said.
Kathmandu Indian Cuisine brings authentic flavors and family recipes to Butte's Main Street dining scene
The family-run restaurant operates with Baniya, his wife, and his mother. They have several restaurant locations in the Dakotas, Wyoming, Nebraska, and one in Helena. Baniya got his start cooking in Nepal while he was in school.
"Started in Kathmandu... and cooking myself lunch, dinner, and after I finished my studies, I started management," Baniya said.
Baniya emphasizes that his food is flavorful but not necessarily spicy.
"Spices! We use a lot of spices, not spicy, you know? Like more than like 20-30 spices in the ingredients," Baniya said.
The dishes are made fresh daily and consist of chicken, lamb, shrimp, and fish options – comfort food for Butte's chilly landscape.
"So, a lot of people, they also say like, Indian food is really fancy, but I would say (we make) comfort food, you know, because fancy, we are not. Our menu is not huge— expensive, you know?" Baniya said.
Having worked his way up from washing dishes to running several restaurants, Baniya wants people to know the new Butte restaurant is not just an experiment. He's here to stay.
"This is not our first time we experiment, you know. We are very good, experienced. We are planning to stay more and more years in town," Baniya said.
Kathmandu Indian Cuisine is open seven days a week from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. and is located at 549 S Main Street in Butte.
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