"We are not doing anything modern; we are not doing anything fusion," NADU executive chef Pujan Sarkar told Phoenix New Times the week the restaurant opened at Desert Ridge Marketplace. "What we want to present is more about classics and what we see as preserving it."
That promise is printed right on the menu. Almost every dish name is followed by a place: Delhi, Surat, Kolkata, Mumbai, Kerala, Lucknow, Patna, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Kashmir, Bengal, Bihar, Goa. Read together, those place names work as a map of India, and a dinner here can be ordered by following it.
The restaurant behind the place names
NADU opened on Friday, June 26, 2026. Feringhee's Zest Hospitality Group runs it in partnership with chef Sujan Sarkar. Feringhee is the Chandler restaurant Sarkar and Madhavi Reddy opened four years earlier with the aim of putting the Valley on the map for Indian fine dining. Feringhee is known for modern takes on Indian cooking. Phoenix New Times describes NADU as the opposite, a showcase for classic dishes from across the country.
Much of the opening coverage called it a Michelin-recommended Chicago import, and that label needs a little sorting out. The original NADU, at 2518 N. Lincoln Ave. in Chicago, received a 2025 MICHELIN Bib Gourmand. That is the guide's award for value, not a star. The star belongs to Indienne, Sujan Sarkar's progressive Indian restaurant on West Huron Street. Indienne says it first earned the star in fall 2023 and kept it in 2024 and 2025. So the Desert Ridge outpost comes from a Bib Gourmand restaurant, and the family behind it holds a star.
The Phoenix kitchen is run by Pujan Sarkar, Sujan's brother. The two have cooked together for a decade, most recently at Tiya in San Francisco. Pujan has traveled around India to find regional dishes and learn them from the cooks who know them best. He explained the menu's organizing idea to Phoenix New Times: "It will not be a story of only one India. Every 100 miles you go, it's completely changing."
Reading the menu by compass point
The place name next to most dishes tells you more than the section heading above it. Group the menu by direction and four distinct cooking traditions show up.
- North and Delhi. Dahi Bhalla, Delhi's soft lentil dumplings in sweet-and-sour yogurt with tamarind and mint chutneys. Aslam Chicken Tikka in the Old Delhi style. Murgh Makhani, the butter chicken. Lamb Chop Burra, served three chops to an order. From Lucknow come the Green Shami Kebab and the Duck Seekh Kebab, and from Kashmir the Paneer and Mawa Kofta.
- East and Bengal. The Kolkata Prawn Cutlet comes coated in flattened rice, after the city's cabin-style snacks. Tender Jack Kosha is young jackfruit and potato in a mustard-oil masala, served on banana leaf. From Bihar come the Beef Bihari Kebab, named for Patna, and the Champaran Mutton Curry, which is slow-cooked on the bone in an earthen pot.
- West and Mumbai. Surat's Paneer Ghotala and Mumbai's Lamb Keema Masala both come with buttery Ladi pav, the soft bread rolls of Indian street food. Berry Pulao, a Mumbai rice dish with Persian roots, is cooked with barberries, cashews and fried onions until the bottom turns crisp.
- South and the coast. The Benne Dosa is from Karnataka, Chettinad Vegetable from Tamil Nadu, and Inji Puli Pork Ribs and Moplah Fried Chicken Rice from Kerala. Goa sends the Butterfly Goan Fish, grilled branzino in a coconut curry with kokum.
That last group is where the menu goes furthest from a typical Valley Indian restaurant. The dosa is made with benne, a white cultured butter, and comes with coconut and tomato chutneys. You choose the filling: Tapioca and Potato Podimas, Chicken Pepper Fry, or Shrimp Ghee Roast. The coastal section ends with the Crab Milagu Fry from Kerala, a whole Dungeness crab cooked with Thalassery peppercorns. The menu marks it as limited and recommends ordering it ahead.
Building a dinner that crosses the country
Because most dishes have a home region, you can order a meal that moves around the country rather than one that repeats itself. Phoenix New Times suggested a route that starts in Delhi with Dahi Bhalla and then heads south for the dosa. In its roundup of the best dishes it tried in August, the same paper's food team chose the Champaran curry. They described it arriving in a salmon-colored clay handi that releases garlic and slow-stewed goat when the lid comes off, and recommended garlic naan to finish the gravy.
Here is one way to build that route for two people, and how to extend it for a larger table. Prices are from NADU's posted food menu and may change. Some dishes appear at different prices on the reservation listing, which was last updated in July.
| Stop | Dish | Region on the menu | Posted price | Table |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Dahi Bhalla | Delhi | $12 | Two or more |
| 2 | Duck Seekh Kebab | Lucknow | $24 | Two or more |
| 3 | Champaran Mutton Curry | Bihar | $34 | Two or more |
| 4 | Kolkata Prawn Cutlet | Kolkata | $24 | Add for four |
| 5 | Benne Dosa, Shrimp Ghee Roast | Karnataka | $22 | Add for four |
| 6 | Inji Puli Pork Ribs | Kerala | $24 | Add for six |
| 7 | Butterfly Goan Fish | Goa | $46 | Add for six |
| 8 | Crab Milagu Fry | Kerala | $98 | Pre-order for a celebration |
The first three stops come to $70 before bread and drinks, and that route covers north, central-north and east India. Larger groups can pick up the coast. Vegetarians can follow nearly the same route with Tender Jack Kosha from Bengal, Chettinad Vegetable from Tamil Nadu and the Green Shami Kebab, a patty of green peas, edamame and spinach. The cheapest item on the menu is the $6 Papad and Chutney, which comes with a tomato curry leaf pachadi and makes an easy first order while everyone decides.
The bar is organized the same way
The drinks list follows the same logic, using single Indian ingredients and everyday drinks instead of regions. The house cocktails are Phool for marigold, Kapi for filter coffee, Haldi for turmeric, Chai for masala tea, Khubani for apricot, Khus-Root-Tini for vetiver and Aam for mango. Each is listed between $15 and $17. PHOENIX magazine featured the Aam in September, a clarified mango cocktail with tequila, chile and citrus, priced at $16. The Chai is a clarified milk punch topped with a layered chai jelly. Kingfisher, the Indian lager, is on draft for anyone who wants something simpler. The menu also carries spirit-free drinks, wine, beer and Indian spirits.
The room fits the menu. Phoenix New Times described curved emerald banquettes around a faux olive tree, marigold wallpaper, crystal chandeliers, and a service window where you can watch the kitchen. The wood-paneled bar rises to a vaulted ceiling hung with large paintings by Abhay Shegal, who also made pieces for the Chicago restaurant.
The patios arrive with the cooler nights
NADU opened in late June, in the heat, with its two patios still being built. One is off the lounge. The other is at the front, next to a dining nook that can host private events. Both now show up as reservable seating, listed as the NADU Bar Patio and the NADU Front Patio alongside the dining room and bar seats. Both had open slots in the reservation system as of October 21. For most Desert Ridge residents, this will be the first season they can have a kebab and an Aam outside at this address.
A few practical details before booking:
- Hours. Dinner only. Tuesday through Thursday and Sunday, 4 to 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday, 4 to 11 p.m.
- Finding it. The restaurant is in the middle of Desert Ridge Marketplace, between Marino's Italian Kitchen and Bar and Jin Jia, just east of Tatum Boulevard and Rose Garden Lane. The address is 21001 N. Tatum Blvd., Ste. 40-1360.
- Booking. Reservations are taken online, and the phone number is 480-773-7754. If you want an outdoor table, choose the patio seating area when you book.
- Dress. The reservation listing says business casual.
- The crab. If the Crab Milagu Fry is the reason for the reservation, order it ahead, as the menu advises.
Desert Ridge Marketplace holds its Annual Holiday Tree Lighting on Monday, November 23, from 6 to 9 p.m. The tree is lit at 7:15 p.m. near Jin Jia and Barnes & Noble, a few doors from NADU. NADU is normally closed on Mondays, so that evening is for the lights, not dinner. The Marketplace suggests coming and going by Deer Valley Road and E. City North Drive to avoid backups on Tatum Boulevard.
Kevin Owens and the team at ARC° Partners keep up with tables like this one as closely as we keep up with the streets around them. If you want our current list of patios and dining rooms worth booking near Tatum and the 101, reach out and make a move.
