Maya's Kitchen, a casual North Indian restaurant, will celebrate its second anniversary in March. It's run by the Pokhrels: Nama, his wife Maya and their two children, Gaurav and Krishna. They serve tandoor-baked dishes and bread plus a variety of delectable entrees and desserts.
The family business, located on Bell Road just west of State Route 51 operates exclusively for dinner, from 5 to 9 p.m. every day except Monday. This schedule accommodates Krishna, the youngest family member, who is finishing high school. After dropping Krishna off at school each morning, Nama and Maya head over to the restaurant to prepare the dishes for dinner service and to work on their catering business.
Gaurav, Krishna's older brother, recalls helping their parents when he was in high school.
"I was involved with the restaurant business since I was 16 years old," he says. "It was my first job. I worked with my dad and knew from the beginning that his passion and drive to make North Indian food far exceeded anyone else who worked in the kitchen."
Now 27, Gaurav upholds the family’s culinary legacy while working full-time as an engineer in Mesa. After clocking out, he heads back to north Phoenix to assist his family at the restaurant — and to enjoy his parents' delicious creations.
Maya's Kitchen, a casual North Indian restaurant, will celebrate its second anniversary in March.
Mike Madriaga
While the chicken variation is priced at $14.50, diners can opt for lamb, fish or shrimp for an additional $2.50. This popular dish is packed with tomatoes, onions, ginger and garlic and spices all simmered to perfection.
"Our spice ranges from three to ten," Gaurav explains. "With three being mild, five being medium, and ten being chef hot. We start with three rather than one because we cannot guarantee no spice, as taste buds vary between customers and Indian food always carries some type of spice due to the many spices and ingredients in the dish. A kid can very well have a three-spice dish in our restaurant."
The menu also features vindaloo curry with potatoes, creamy coconut curry and the top-tier goat curry, made with bone-in goat meat, onions, garlic and ginger, seasoned with a unique blend of dry spices and herbs. All the meats used in the recipes are halal.
These curries can be enjoyed with basmati rice or naan, perfect for scooping up and absorbing the flavorful sauces. The family handmakes naan from scratch, baking it in their tandoor, or clay oven, and basting it with butter. They also offer Chilli Naan, a spicy version of the classic topped with herbs and chopped green chiles, and garlic naan with minced garlic and cilantro. The butter variation costs $2.99, while the latter cost $3.95 each.
Nama and Maya's passion for North Indian and Nepalese fare comes from their younger days spent in Kathmandu, Nepal. The couple also lived in New Delhi, India, for about five years.
"Due to the similar cooking styles between Nepal and India, my father quickly adapted to the Indian cooking culture," Gaurav says.
In 2000, when Gaurav was a toddler, Nama made the difficult decision to move to San Francisco, aiming to earn more for his family back home. Nama worked in Indian restaurants in California, starting as a dishwasher and then as a server. He soon applied his culinary knowledge from Nepal and India to create recipes tailored for Americans.
"It's in my DNA, my father was a good cook as well," Nama says with pride.
In 2004, he moved to Phoenix to start an Indian restaurant with two friends from the San Francisco area, opening Tandoori Times Indian Bistro in Old Town Scottsdale.
Around the same time, Maya and Gaurav emigrated from Nepal to join Nama and celebrate his success together.
“There was a huge demand for an Indian restaurant here,” Nama recalls.
The restaurant opened in 2005 and quickly became a hit. Phoenix New Times featured a story on the then-new establishment, stating, "Nepalese chef Nama Pokhrel does not cut any culinary corners. Each curry is different from the last, borne of a complex bounty of spices blended together by Pokhrel's expert hand."
Krishna Pokhrel, the youngest in the family, helps out at the restaurant when he's not at school.
Maya's Kitchen
"So I was running the whole show at all three restaurants, since 6 a.m. to go to one, cook there, go to the second one, cook there, then go to the third one," Nama explains.
In 2016, after more than ten years of preparing and cooking thousands of Indian dishes for the Valley, Nama left Tandoori Times to pursue his dreams. However, a non-compete contract prevented him from opening or working in another Indian restaurant in Arizona for two years. During this time, Nama drove for Uber and Lyft, which enhanced his communication skills and allowed him to explore metro Phoenix, gaining insight.
“In the meantime, I discovered more opportunities on what’s going on in the market,” Nama says.
After the non-compete agreement ended in 2018, Nama cooked for Tasty Touch on Bell Road
"I cooked there for three years, then around COVID, they sold it in 2021," he says.
Gaurav adds, "We started catering from home on the side, and the food exceeded everyone's expectations, so we knew we had to open a restaurant to meet the demand."
At the beginning of 2023, the family opened Maya’s Kitchen, named after the family's matriarch, who plays an integral role in the business by prepping and cooking the food, interacting with customers and ensuring everything runs smoothly.
Upon entering, diners are greeted warmly by Maya or one of the couple's sons and invited to choose a colorful booth or a table. The front counter boasts a symmetrical montage of reflective silver wall decor surrounding the order counter, complemented by a small order window that offers a glimpse into the bustling kitchen where Nama works his magic.
Above, umbrellas hang gracefully alongside velvet paintings of deities. Another wall has a painting of a serene rural landscape inspired by the owners' hometown of Kathmandu.
The restaurant continues to attract clients from the previous establishments.
“I have three customers that come here from 2005 in Scottsdale,” Nama says. “That’s the secret to our success — return customers."
But those customers won't see the same old dishes on repeat. One unique item at Maya's is the Samosa Chaat comprised of a halved samosa topped with garbanzo beans, yogurt, chorley and chutneys. The chutneys add flavor from different fruits, vegetables and spices while the chorley seasoning adds texture.
Another fan favorite is the chicken tikka masala, a tomato-based curry with cream, herbs and spices. Nama explains the key is finding the right balance of spices.
"We are not overpowering with our spices; we put exactly what we need to," he says.
Ginger and garlic are staples in many of his dishes, complemented by cumin, turmeric, cardamom and cilantro, among other spices from India and Nepal. For an extra kick, Nama adds serrano peppers.
Maya's goat curry is made with bone-in goat meat, onions, garlic and ginger, seasoned with a unique blend of dry spices and herbs.
Mike Madriaga
"My parents have always been my greatest inspiration, demonstrating the value of hard work and perseverance," he concludes. "Their tireless efforts instilled in me the resilience that I bring to my engineering day job and my nights at the restaurant."
As Maya’s Kitchen marks its second anniversary, the Pokhrel family looks forward to many more years of serving North Indian cuisine, blending tradition with their unique family touch to keep enticing metro Phoenix taste buds.
