Home Sweet Home!
I arrived in Tucson as an international student in August 2022. I’m from Indore, a city in central India. Occasionally, when I’m hungry – and especially when I’m feeling a little homesick – I crave food that is just like what my family and I enjoy at home in Indore. Fortunately, Tucson has several great Indian restaurants, one of which is a small place not far from the University of Arizona’s campus called Kebabeque Indian Grill. Specializing in kebabs, it has become the go-to eaterie for me and my friends who are also from India.
As soon as I enter the place I get a sense of belonging which reminds me of home. I see some paintings on the wall, with beautiful chandelier-like decorations hanging through the ceiling. And as I look in front I see a beautiful lady behind the counter with a friendly smile welcoming me. In front of her, I see a big board with a menu of too many items from several regions which waters my mouth just looking at them.
All of India in one place?
I look at the menu intriguingly. They have a variety of dishes ranging from chicken tikka roll of Punjab (Northern India) which was introduced during the Mughal era to haryali roll from Kolkata (East India) to everyone’s favorite samosa from the Middle East and biryani from Lucknow. The whole menu was very diverse.
The receptionist, Shambhavi told me that the owner, Mr. Mintu Singh is originally from Punjab and hence the menu mostly consists of North Indian food. He wanted to give Tucson a taste of the delicious Indian food which he loves so much. They serve North Indian and Central Indian food with a little indie twist. For example, they accommodated the delicious garlic naan interestingly as Jalapeno naan to suit the American crowd. Indian food is typically very very spicy, but to please its customer from all over the world they have different spice levels for food which can be adjusted by the customer for the best experience.
They also serve these fresh and rich drinks like masala chai, strawberry, mango and salted lassi, mango and strawberry juice. My personal favorite beverage from here is definitely the mango lassi. On the right-hand side of the counter, there is a soda counter. They have all different types of sodas like coca cola, sprite, etc. available. You can either order by walk-in or online through their website.
Kebabeque has become the go-to restaurant for me and my friends. Their varied menu makes us want to try new dishes each time. Even though it is hard to choose from such a breathtakingly tasty menu, my personal favorite is Samosa chat and mango lassi. Shambhavi told me the customer’s all-time favorite is Chole bhature and chicken tikka kebab. This place specializes in kebabs and hence the name “Kebabeque”.
The Heart Desires More!
I had the opportunity to directly talk with the owner, Mintu Sareen, who told me some interesting facts about this wonderful place. I got to know that this is not the only place to taste absolute heaven. He has three more food branches of this place in Tucson. They are opened under the name Saffron bites and India Twist. These food branches have won the “Best Indian Food” in Tucson consecutively for five years. I was not at all surprised by this information because I absolutely enjoy their food.
The whole ambiance and aesthetic of the shop was very cozy. On the left-hand side they had these mesmerizing abstract paintings. The receptionist told me they were the paintings of Lord Ganesha. The owner’s religion is Hindu. He believes in Lord Ganesha. Lord Ganesh is worshiped first before starting anything new. Lord Ganesha clears the obstacles and paves the way for us to move forward in life. The large elephant head of Lord Ganesha symbolizes wisdom, understanding, and a discriminating intellect that one must possess to attain perfection in life.
The ceiling has these glowing lights which illuminates the whole restaurant and give it a festival look. It is located right in front of the Sunlink stop at University Boulevard, commuting becomes very easy. The place has seating arrangements inside the building as well as outside on the pedestrian street. From inside you can sit and notice the hustle of college students as well as enjoy your delicious food. Or the customers have the choice to sit outside and enjoy the breezy and sunny weather of Tucson. The best time to come here is at night when you can enjoy the nightlife of University Boulevard after a long day. One cup of chai from here is my relaxing tonic for most days.
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Yashi Gupta is a Computer Science major at the University of New Mexico.