On September 10, the Open Tandoor Indian restaurant will fire up its clay tandoori ovens on North Williams Avenue, and in the gallery above, Eater photographer Dina Avila reveals the restaurant's vivid design. "We worked with our designers and architect to create a modern and contemporary design that still links back to our roots from Punjab," says Navi Kang, who co-owns Open Tandoor with chef Kinder Gill. Open Tandoor worked with Mark Annen with Annen Architecture and Design (Boke Bowl, Pok Pok) and Murmur Creative.
Kang describes Punjabi culture as inviting and community-focused, and Open Tandoor aims to recreate this atmosphere with bright colors and roll-up doors that open onto the sidewalk. But the restaurant's design plans seemed in jeopardy when the Biketown program announced it would set up a station with around ten bicycles right in front of the restaurant.
"We thought, 'OMG we were going to lose parking,'" says Kang. But then he and Gill learned the bikes would be orange. "With our indoor chairs being orange, we had a moment of relief. We felt the bikes actually complimented our design well, and it also helped when we realized that we would gain more sidewalk space."
Open Tandoor opens tomorrow, September 10, and for the grand opening, which runs both Saturday and Sunday, 10 percent of all sales will be donated to The Portland Kitchen nonprofit. Gill formerly operated the Portland Masala Food Cart, which she established two years ago, earning a reputation for well-priced Indian dishes made with freshly ground spices. Open Tandoor is located at 4311 N. Williams Ave., and it will be open for lunch and dinner daily, from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. See Eater's prior coverage to check out the menu.
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