Feringhee team brings new elevated Indian restaurant to Phoenix this month

When Feringhee debuted in Chandler four years ago, its founders, Madhavi Reddy and chef Sujan Sarkar, set out to put the Valley on the map for Indian fine dining.

Since then, the modern restaurant has garnered acclaim and accolades, while Sarkar has opened additional dining destinations across the country and received a Michelin star for the progressive Indian fine-dining restaurant Indienne in Chicago. One of the chef’s newest debuts is Nadu, a regional Indian eatery and cocktail bar that opened in the Windy City in 2025.

Soon, Nadu will have a location in Arizona as well. Feringhee’s Zest Hospitality Group partnered with Sarkar to open an outpost of the Michelin-recommended restaurant at Desert Ridge Marketplace later this month.

While Feringhee presents Chandler diners with modern takes and unique twists on Indian cuisine, Nadu will showcase classic dishes from across the vast country, while doubling down on upscale Indian dining in the desert. 

“It’s going to be a little different, but everything is very authentic,” Reddy says. “The Valley will be happy about it.”

What to expect at Nadu

The restaurant sits in the heart of Desert Ridge Marketplace, nestled between Marino’s Italian Kitchen and Bar and Jin Jia, just east of Tatum Boulevard and Rose Garden Lane.

Stepping through the tall glass doors, diners will be able to see the entire 86-seat dining room and bar from the entryway. A faux olive tree sits at the center of converging, curved emerald banquets. Vibrant marigold wallpaper and crystal chandeliers make warm, lavish statements. 

Just past the tables, there’s a service window where you can spy Nadu’s chefs at work.

The name Nadu means “land,” Executive Chef Pujan Sarkar explains, sitting in a rattan-backed chair at the center of the restaurant’s dining room. He’s traveled around India to discover unique regional dishes and learn how to cook from its masters.

“We are not doing anything modern; we are not doing anything fusion,” Sarkar says. “What we want to present is more about classics and what we see as preserving it.”

Sarkar is the brother of Feringhee co-founder and chef Sujan. He has worked with his brother for a decade, most recently partnering with him on Tiya, a Michelin-recommended Indian restaurant in San Francisco. 

From Nadu’s kitchen, Sarkar will craft a menu that includes shareable plates, kebabs, rice and tandoor-baked breads, elevating less-common regional dishes. The restaurant’s menu highlights each dish’s origin.

“It will not be a story of only one India,” Sarkar says. “Every 100 miles you go, it’s completely changing. It’s not only the food — the language, the people, what you are wearing — everything is changing.”

A country-trotting meal can start in Delhi with Dahi Bhalla, a chaat of yogurt-soaked lentil dumplings topped with chutneys, crispy potato straws and pomegranate. A folded, stuffed dosa then takes diners to Bangalore. Nadu’s Benne Masala Dosa gets its name from the use of benne, a cultured butter, in the Indian crepe that is crisp on the outside but has the supple, airy texture of a pancake inside. In Phoenix, diners can choose from several dosa fillings: pepper chicken, prawn masala or a kappa masala — a tapioca curry.

The Phoenix menu will showcase kebabs cooked on the kitchen’s charcoal grill. Those will include meaty versions made with fish, duck or beef tenderloin as well as a cold-smoked vegetarian version made with green chickpeas, edamame and peas. 

Kebabs can pair with Berry Pulao, a Mumbai dish with Persian roots. Basmati rice is cooked with barberry, cashews and fried onions until the bottom is crisp. Fans of biryani may gravitate to a Kerala-inspired aromatic rice dish served with spice-marinated, deep-fried chicken, pickles, vegetables and yogurt.

Sarkar anticipates expanding the menu in October with a short tasting menu and brunch.

The dining room flows to an opulent, wood-paneled bar that draws one’s eyes up the vaulted ceiling to large, modern paintings by Abhay Shegal, who likewise created pieces for Nadu in Chicago. 

That bar boasts the Indian lager Kingfisher on tap, along with a global selection of wines, spirits and a roster of craft cocktails and mocktails. Nadu’s house tipples take inspiration from well-known Indian ingredients, such as mango, turmeric and tea. The tea-inspired cocktail is a clarified milk punch infused with masala chai flavors and garnished with a chai jelly.

The restaurant will feature two patios, with one off the lounge and the other at the front of the restaurant, next to a dining room nook that can be used for private events. Those outdoor spaces are still under construction but will debut later this year, general manager Kishore Thadikamalla says.

He and the rest of the team bubbled with excitement and eagerness to share the new restaurant with Phoenix, as elevated Indian dining continues to trend around the country. 

Over the last few years, Sarkar has watched the elevation of Indian food lead to new restaurants “going above and beyond.”

“There’s lots of opportunity; it’s increasing,” he says. “Phoenix is a vast area, and it’s still untapped.”

Nadu

Opens in June
21001 N. Tatum Blvd.