Despite a pandemic, new restaurants are still popping up in St. Petersburg, and an Indian street food spot is the latest to join the mix.
Mowgli’s Tiffin is moving into the former Chi-Town Beefs location at 165 Dr. MLK St. N, just on the edge of the Edge District (stylized as EDGE District).
Owner and Tampa Bay native, Amita Mukherjee, told Creative Loafing Tampa Bay that the concept is not related to a U.K.-based chain of a similar name, but rather is inspired by her frequent trips to India with her parents in her early years, which helped blossom a love for Indian street food.
“I would crave that street food,” says Mukherjee. “But when I went to Indian places around here I noticed that you don’t get those options. Most Indian places seem to center around curries.”
Mukherjee calls Mowgli’s Tiffin a 25-year passion project, and will base the 16 seat, 526-square-foot restaurant around a user-friendly, limited menu.
“I wanted to make the whole experience comfortable for people who are interested in trying new flavors and foods,” Mukherje adds.
As of now, the menu is still in the works, but Mukherjee says the signature item is a play on the traditional kati roll, which she calls Kolkati Roll. “It’s a roti wrapped around a kebab, for a lack of a better explanation," jokes Mukherjee.
The storefront is also coming long, and a new sign from Hot Metal Designs was recently installed.
Mowgli’s Tiffin was originally planned to open now, but with the rising COVID-19 cases, Mukherjee says she’s hoping for a fall debut.
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