After closing on the Strip, this family Indian restaurant reopens in sleek new digs

Tamba, the family-owned Indian restaurant that closed in May 2022 after almost 20 years on the Las Vegas Strip, will reopen Dec. 26 in a sleek and roomy new space in Town Square.

Sunny Dhillon, son of the Tamba founders, designed the new Tamba, where executive chef Anand Singh offers his approach to modern Indian dishes and cooking techniques. The restaurant, whose name means “copper” in Hindi, encompasses an 80-seat main dining room, a 60-seat bar and lounge called Bar Jadu, and a 14-seat private dining alcove.

On the Tamba menu

Baked samosas with spicy green chutneys make for a popular start to the menu. The chef’s take on bhuna gobi unites cauliflower, the staple of this vegan dish, with green coconut curry, broccoli purée and Japanese chili oil.

Spiced tamarind hamachi and Kusshi oysters with black truffle-infused ponzu await at the raw bar. Charred octopus cooked on a tawa (a flat circular pan) in a charcoal oven is graced with beetroot aïoli. Tandoori lamb chops are marinated in spiced yogurt before grilling.

Aloo gobi grilled cauliflower and potatoes in green chili masala, murgh makhani free-range chicken in butter fenugreek sauce and nihari gosht, a slow-roasted mutton and onion masala stew, are among the signature dishes at Tamba.

For a sweet finish, you might try the matcha ras malai in which flattened balls of Indian cheese are soaked in a lime, mango and pistachio clotted cream, with matcha added during the clotting process. Berries finish the dish.

Drinking with the maharaja

Over at Bar Jadu, beverage director Giuseppe Gonzalez will present the Maharaja’s Elixirs, a cocktail experience inspired by Indian princely courts. The experience features seven cocktails representing the elixirs of strength, light, rejuvenation, indulgence, fire, serenity and mystery. Strength, for one, brings a Whiskghee Old-Fashioned with bourbon and clarified butter.

A Peacock Martini is prepared tableside. The multicolored drink layers spirits and syrups by density — from heaviest on bottom to lightest on top — in the manner of a pousse café. Gonzalez experimented extensively to achieve the right mix of layers for the Peacock, which requires precision, a steady hand and a bit of time to make. (Be patient; it’s not a shot.)

Tamba is at 6671 Las Vegas Blvd. South, Suite A117, in Town Square. The restaurant will serve dinner from 5 p.m. Wednesdays through Sundays. Visit tambalasvegas.com.

Contact Johnathan L. Wright at jwright@reviewjournal.com. Follow @JLWTaste on Instagram.