Pataaka, a family-style Indian restaurant from Chef Anish Nair (Jai Ho), opens at the Spring Quarter development in Midtown on Aug. 22.
Located on the ground floor of the Sora residential tower, Pataaka, the Hindi word for “firecracker,” will serve tapas-style dishes inspired by those found throughout the Indian subcontinent and South Asia.
Nair was born in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India and studied Indian cuisine and French culinary techniques at IHM Chennai. Over his 25-year career, Nair has worked as a pastry chef and in the kitchens at Taj Hotels, before moving to the U.S. in 2002. Nearly a decade later, he opened his first restaurant called Fusion in Hilton Head.
After relocating to Atlanta in 2013, Nair joined Savi Provisions as the corporate chef, and helped open Jai Ho Indian Kitchen in 2017 and the Jai Ho food stall at Krog Street Market in 2020.
While Nair always wanted to explore fine dining, having a family and restaurant industry trends kept him focused on more casual dining. But three years ago, Nair said he decided to make the jump into fine dining and began searching for investors to back the opening of Pataaka at Spring Quarter.
The menu
The menu combines regional Indian flavors with Nair’s training in New American cuisine and French technique. Consider the menu a culmination of his experience and lessons from chefs he’s worked with from around the world, Nair explained of the premise behind the menu.
Expect dishes like duck confit with mango sauce and beurre blanc, a pimento dahi kabab with a passionfruit reduction, and fermented black garlic chicken tikka. The Italian-influenced, slow-braised lamb shank pays tribute to Nair’s time in South Carolina. Pataaka’s menu also includes a several vegetarian dishes.
The chef recommends ordering multiple small plates and spliting a larger entree to share family style with the table.
The drinks menu from Prrateek Chaudhary (The Leela Palace, Chanakyapuri, IHG Hotels India, Shangri-La New Delhi) is broken into categories: somras (signature cocktails), aamras (non-alcoholic beverages), and mukhwas (dessert cocktails).
Pataaka will open for dinner first. Lunch will begin in a few weeks, serving dishes like smoked gouda naanwiches and pesto dosas.
Pataaka joins a number of new restaurants now open at Spring Quarter, including Habaneros Mexican restaurant and rooftop lounge and restaurant Celestia, omakase restaurant ISHIN, and Sozou Japanese restaurant from Chef Fuyuhiko Ito.
Hal’s “The Steakhouse” will open next year in the former Patterson House space at Spring Quarter, featuring an art gallery, coffee shop, and European-style cafe.
Pataaka, 1020 Spring St., Midtown. Open Sunday–Thursday, 10:30 a.m. to 10 p.m.; Friday and Saturday, 10:30 a.m. to 11 p.m.
