Star of India Garden has opened in Van Aken District’s Market Hall, bringing biryani, curry and fresh bread to the Shaker Heights food hall. Brothers Ramesh and Sanjeev Sharma have brought an east-side version of their long-running Lakewood restaurant to the district.
The stall is an offshoot of the brothers’ India Garden restaurant, which they have run in Lakewood for nearly 20 years, according to Cleveland Scene. India Garden describes itself as an authentic Indian restaurant on its website, serving Cleveland’s west side.
Fans of the Lakewood original will recognize much of what's on offer at the new stall, even if the menu is scaled down for the food hall format. The lineup includes a wide selection of appetizers, biryani, meat, seafood and vegetarian curries, and bread dishes, the report notes. Star of India Garden serves lunch and dinner daily, including carry-out, from 11:30 a.m. to 8 p.m.
A New Tenant for Market Hall
The arrival follows the closure of Ninja City’s Market Hall stall, after which Star of India Garden was announced in late 2025. The new restaurant has since taken over that space.
Market Hall General Manager Jesse Rathner said the restaurant adds variety to the hall’s cuisine and operators, according to the same Cleveland Scene report. Rathner had also noted that the stall would expand the district’s ethnic food offerings.
Part of a Larger Redevelopment
Star of India Garden is part of a district built through a longer redevelopment effort: the City of Shaker Heights says the first phase of the mixed-use, transit-oriented Van Aken District was completed in 2019, after nearly 20 years of planning and infrastructure improvements. Van Aken District describes the 7-acre development as including office space, retail, housing and three new streets.
Indian Food Returns to the Area
The opening also brings Indian cuisine back to Market Hall, where Doug Katz’s Chutney B closed in 2021. Shaker Heights has also lost Saffron Patch, which relocated to Legacy Village in Lyndhurst, according to Cleveland Scene. Star of India Garden gives Market Hall visitors another option for curry and biryani in Shaker Heights.
