A new tenant has already moved into one of downtown Columbus's most familiar restaurant addresses. Sitara Fine Indian Cuisine opened Oct. 2 at 427 E. Main St., stepping into the space long occupied by Indian Oven before that restaurant closed up shop and set its sights on a move north.
According to NBC4 WCMH-TV, the space housed Indian Oven for 25 years before it closed in September to relocate to Delaware. A separate account from 614NOW puts that run at 26 years at the East Main Street address, so the exact tenure depends on which outlet's count you take as gospel. Either way, it was a long goodbye for a Columbus dining institution, and the turnaround to a new occupant was fast.
Sitara is owned by the Singh family, who said in a statement that they were excited to welcome the Columbus community and share their food and hospitality, per the station's report. The family isn't new to the Ohio Indian food scene — they also launched Ammar India Restaurant in Zanesville in 2024, which serves a similar lineup of classic Indian dishes, according to the same account. That Zanesville spot, per its own website, leans into a daily lunch buffet, event catering and a full bar for groups and parties.
What's On the Menu at the New Downtown Spot
Sitara's menu reads like a greatest-hits tour of Indian comfort food. Appetizers include samosas and pakoras, while main courses run through biryani, tandoori dishes and curries, the station notes. Entrees range from butter chicken and paneer tikka masala to lamb vindaloo, rounded out by naan and desserts including rice kheer and vanilla ice cream — all backed by a full-service bar.
The restaurant offers dine-in, takeout and delivery, so it's covering every angle for downtown workers and residents alike. On weekdays, Sitara serves lunch thalis — multicourse Indian meals served on a single large platter — and also runs a weekend lunch buffet.
Hours, Buffet Pricing and a Downtown Refresh
Pinning down exact hours takes a bit of cross-referencing. Sitara's own website lists Monday through Friday hours of 11 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. and 4:30 to 9:30 p.m., with Saturdays from noon to 10 p.m. and Sundays from noon to 9 p.m. The Columbus Dispatch, however, reports a slightly different weekday split — Mondays through Thursdays from 11 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., and Fridays specifically from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. and 4:30 to 9:30 p.m., with Saturdays and Sundays matching the hours listed elsewhere.
The Dispatch also has the pricing details diners will actually care about. The weekend lunch buffet, served Fridays from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. and Saturdays and Sundays from noon to 3 p.m., runs $17.99 per person. The weekday thalis are priced at $13.99 for vegetarian versions and $14.99 for non-vegetarian, the paper reports.
Diners walking in will also notice the space itself looks different. The Dispatch describes the expansive restaurant as redone with new flooring and plush booths lining the walls and running down the center of the room — a refresh for a space that, per the same account, didn't sit empty for long after Indian Oven's closure caught many downtown regulars off guard.
Where Indian Oven Is Headed Next
As for the restaurant that used to call 427 E. Main St. home, Indian Oven's next chapter is still taking shape. The business first opened on High Street in Old North Columbus in 1996 before relocating to the East Main Street location in 2001, according to an earlier NBC4 WCMH-TV report. That same report says Indian Oven is planning to move north toward Delaware, Lewis Center or Polaris, though a new location had not been selected as of that story's publication — its tandoori and biryani dishes, curries and kabobs presumably headed for a fresh address somewhere in that corridor.
