Fast-casual Indian restaurant opens newest U.S. location in Charlotte. What to expect.
If you’ve got a taste for flavorful Indian food, there’s a new spot in Charlotte you may want to check out.
Kolapasi Indian Canteen, a fast-casual restaurant for biryani, curry and more, has made its way to the Queen City. Its official grand opening will be Saturday, April 26.
Born out of a “vision to share Indian culture with the world,” the restaurant is what the team calls a chef-less concept that provides authentic Indian dishes in a fast-casual setting.
Think “the Chipotle of Indian food” — but with nearly a thousand combinations of menu items where guests are encouraged to sample different options before settling on a meal.
The “See. Taste. Order.” approach
“We flip the experience saying that, ‘Hey. See, taste and only if you like, you get to order.’ So if you don’t like it, you don’t have to order,” co-founder Santhosh Muruganantham told CharlotteFive.
“We have taken the mall philosophy into the restaurant philosophy. Like if you go to a mall, you go to a clothing store, you get to try your clothes before you buy, right? You go to an electronic store, you get to play with your laptop before you buy your laptop. So why couldn’t we get that same experience into a restaurant?”
Similar to its first U.S. location — in Greenville, South Carolina — the new Kolapasi Indian Canteen will have a multitude of menu options capturing the flavors of Indian cuisine, including vegan and vegetarian options.
The chain, which originally opened 2013, has multiple locations in India and Australia. The Charlotte restaurant, nestled in the Steele Creek area near Charlotte Premium Outlets, will be Kolapasi Indian Canteen’s second in the U.S. It will also serve as the flagship store for more to open, including several already planned around the city.
“Charlotte is not an area that is saturated with the food scene right now. I think there’s explosive growth, and you’re seeing a lot of different cuisines and people being very open to that in Charlotte,” Brandi Hymel, the restaurant’s chief growth officer, told CharlotteFive.
“We knew that in Charlotte, with neighborhoods kind of being sectioned the way that they are, that we had the potential to be able to grow out another five to 10 stores very easily in that market.”
Kolapasi Indian Canteen
Location: 2040 Freeman Park Dr #100, Charlotte, NC 28273
Cuisine: Indian
Instagram: @kolapasi.charlottesteelecreek
This story was originally published March 7, 2025 at 5:30 AM.
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