Indian Restaurant G’Raj Mahal Will Reopen in East Austin

Closed Rainey Street Indian restaurant G’Raj Mahal is now reopening in Austin. The former Rainey Street spot will now be found on 2207 Alamo Street in the Blackland neighborhood starting sometime later this year.

G’Raj founder and chef Sidney Roberts is reviving her restaurant with the help of the relatively new restaurant group Present Tense Hospitality, which consists of East Austin butcher shop and restaurant Salt & Time, its wine bar and shop, and bagel company Rosen’s Bagels.

The menu’s focus will remain the same: Indian-Texas fusion dishes. Expect newer items like brisket tikka masala (which makes sense given the Salt & Time connection), smoked tandoori chicken, and Frankies (Indian burritos made with roti). Plus there will be wine, beer, and non-alcoholic drinks. This new G’Raj will have indoor and outdoor dine-in services, as well as takeout capabilities.

Roberts opened G’Raj in 2009 originally as a food truck, and then transformed it into a physical restaurant in 2014. The restaurant’s lease was actually up right before the pandemic in January 2020, but her landlord allowed her to continue to operate through July 2021 when she officially closed. (That address is now becoming a new brewery.) She also expanded with South First Indian restaurant Mumtaz Market on South First in October 2020.