Tikka Taco Rito To Open in the Pearl This Summer

I imagine you’ve heard of Indian-style pizza, and of course there is Indian-style Chinese food (chicken chilli is my favorite Indo-Chinese dish), but what’s new to me is Indian-style Mexican food. And we will get a chance to check it out at Tikka Taco Rito, which is opening up on the ground floor in The Rodney luxury apartment building (built on the former site of a strip mall).

Tikka Taco Rito’s Menu

I reached out to Hari Venkatram, the person behind Tikka Taco Rito, and he told me a little about it. It will be a fast casual restaurant serving burritos, bowls, tacos, salads, and kati rolls prepared with an Indian style grill (claypot or Tandoor grill). The proteins in particular will be cooked in the claypot oven, which gives them a “unique smoky taste and flavor.” He explained, “I want to keep the menu simple with a known format of burritos, bowls, and tacos and provide Indian/Mexican flavors for rice, beans, protein, and sauces.”

Proteins include chicken, goat, paneer, and tofu; sauces include red, green, sour cream/cheese/yogurt dip.

The tortillas/roti will be made fresh for every order, and will be ready in under a minute. He adds, “You can expect the fusion of Indian and Mexican/Latin American flavors for sauces and drinks.” See hints at their menu on their website.

Taco Bombs and Boba Caviar

He highlighted a few of the unique dishes on their menu: taco bombs and boba caviar. So what is a “taco bomb”? I had no idea, so I asked. Turns out its a riff on the pani puri: “a crispy shell [filled] with protein, veggies, and sauces (liquid) that is eaten in one bite such that the contents explode in the mouth.”

“Pani Puri meets Taco.” Photo credit: Tikka Taco Rito

At first I thought the boba caviar was a kind of dessert. I was wrong—it’s savory. “Boba caviar is a replacement for rice in the burrito/bowl/tacos, using tapioca pearls,” Hani explains. “I have had this simple dish since childhood. It’s savory and I tell my son that these are fish eggs.” It’s known as sago upma, though it seems in this case that instead of using sago (traditionally sourced from tropical palm stems), they are using tapioca (made from cassava root), which is what they make boba out of.

They will open their door to the public on Monday, July 1; the grand opening is 11am to 3pm that day. Moving forward, look for them to be open daily at 11am, and close every day at 9pm except Wednesday when they will close at 10pm.

All the best to Hari and the Tikka Taco Rito team as they prepare to open this summer.

Tikka Taco Rito [opening July 1, 2024]
1436 NW Glisan Street, Portland
tikkatacorito.com | Instagram | Facebook

Updated June 26, 2024.