Chapel Hill’s Franklin Street restaurant scene has a new Indian contender: Taal, a sprawling concept that combines fine dining, casual seating, street food and a sports bar under one roof. The restaurant soft-opened in July in the former CholaNad space and is still operating with a limited menu and seating while renovations and permits are finalized.
The 5,280-square-foot restaurant at 310 W. Franklin St. includes a fine-dining room for up to 80 guests, additional seating for about 70 students and casual diners, an outdoor patio called Taal Social, and a sports bar area with an LED wall for live games and karaoke. According to The News & Observer, owner Chari Kambara bought the former CholaNad restaurant business in April and expects a grand opening could follow in August.
Kambara, 53, has told The News & Observer that he measures success less by how much money the restaurant makes than by whether customers leave happy. “When customers tell me they love and enjoy the food, that gives me satisfaction,” Kambara said, putting a distinctly hospitality-first spin on the usual restaurant math.
Taal’s Menu Runs From Dosas To Goat Ghee Roast
The menu posted online leans into both familiar Indian staples and more adventurous regional dishes. Taal’s online menu lists masala dosa, a giant 70-millimeter dosa, goat ghee roast, curry-leaf shrimp, tandoori pomfret, black pepper chicken curry, Goan coconut fish curry, biryani-style breads and a selection of vegetarian mains.
Taal is open for lunch from 11 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., with dinner service running from 5 to 9:30 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and until 10:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday. Reservations are recommended, especially as the restaurant expands its seating and finishes work inside the space.
The project is also an expansion for Kambara, who launched Bharath Cafe last year as a fast-casual Indian restaurant at 1704 E. Franklin St. in Chapel Hill. Bharath Cafe’s website lists that Chapel Hill location alongside its sister restaurant in Cary, giving Kambara’s growing Triangle footprint both a quick-service option and a more elaborate dining concept.
A Quick Turnaround For The Former CholaNad Space
Taal’s arrival follows a surprisingly quick changeover at the downtown address. In its quarterly business roundup, Chapelboro reported that CholaNad closed in April and that a sign for Taal soon appeared in the window, initially promising an opening without giving many details.
Now the details are coming into focus: a restaurant designed to handle a student crowd, a date-night crowd, sports fans and diners looking for Indian street food, all in the same Franklin Street address. For now, Taal is open in its in-between phase, with the larger finished product still waiting behind the construction dust.
