After months on the sidelines, Wah Jee Wah, one of the Bay Area's rare spots still cooking Indian street food skewers over live coals, is set to make a comeback this week in Milpitas. Chef-owner Ron Dumra is hauling his charcoal-grilled meats, vegetables and trademark skewers into a tight new address at 418 S. Main St., starting with dinner service only. When doors open on Friday, the restaurant will feature both indoor seats and sidewalk tables.
As the San Francisco Chronicle reports, Wah Jee Wah is slated to start service this Friday at 418 S. Main St. in Milpitas, rolling out with dinner only, while a weekday lunch thali geared toward nearby workers is planned for roughly a month later. The Chronicle noted that the restaurant landed at No. 19 on its 2025 Top Bay Area Restaurants list and that Dumra is sticking with live charcoal in the street-food style that made the place a cult favorite. The paper also pointed out that, for the first time, Wah Jee Wah will pour cocktails thanks to a full liquor license.
Why It Closed And How Dumra Stayed Afloat
Dumra shut down the Hayward outpost last summer after a landlord-driven rent hike that pushed the numbers past what the business could handle, KQED reported. He told the outlet his monthly costs jumped from about $4,000 to more than $11,000 once maintenance and extra fees were folded in. While he hunted for a new permanent home, he kept Wah Jee Wah's name in circulation with pop-ups and catering gigs around the East Bay.
What’s New At The Milpitas Outpost
In Milpitas, Dumra plans to roll out a few new tricks, including specials like lamb birria and braised lamb shanks, while hanging on to the skewers and street-cart flavors that built the fan base in the first place, according to the San Francisco Chronicle. The snug dining room will hold about 20 guests inside, with space for roughly 20 more outside, and Dumra says the charcoal grill is still the star of the show. Once the kitchen finds its groove, the initial dinner-only routine is expected to expand into a daily thali service aimed at nearby workers.
Why The Coal Grill Still Matters
Live-fire Indian barbecue remains a rarity in the Bay Area, and critics along with regulars have praised Dumra's knack for pulling big smoke and spice out of relatively modest skewers, KQED noted. The shift to a smaller Milpitas space tracks with a broader trend of chefs responding to rising costs by trimming dining rooms and leaning harder on pop-ups and takeout. For Wah Jee Wah loyalists, the real headline is simple: the charcoal smoke and those long skewers are coming back.
