Khodal Kathiyawadi Restaurant

Khodal Kathiyawadi Restaurant is a Kathiyawadi Gujarati restaurant in Bodakdev, in the western part of Ahmedabad, Gujarat, India. Kathiyawadi cooking comes from Saurashtra, the peninsula of western Gujarat, and is known for a bolder, spicier and more garlic-and-red-chilli-driven style than the milder, sweeter cooking often associated with central Gujarat. The restaurant is one of the places in Bodakdev where visitors can try it in a sit-down setting, in an area of the city with many hotels, offices and residential blocks.

The menu is built around Kathiyawadi staples. Dishes associated with the restaurant include sev tamatar (a tomato curry topped with crisp gram-flour noodles), ringan no olo (smoky roasted aubergine mash), bajra rotla served with garlic chutney and the full Kathiyawadi thali, which brings several of these dishes together with buttermilk and jaggery. The food is vegetarian and served with a generous amount of oil and spice, so those unused to Indian chilli levels may want to ask for milder preparations. Prices run at roughly INR 500-800 per person.

The dining room character is casual and family-oriented, with a noise level that rises at peak meal times. Dress is casual. Gujarat is a dry state, so beverages are limited to buttermilk, soft drinks and tea, and the traditional pairing of buttermilk with spicy food is well worth taking. The restaurant provides a waiting area, which reflects the fact that it is a walk-in restaurant where queues can form.

Reservations are not usually available, and the approximate hours are 11:30AM-3:30PM for lunch and 7PM-11PM for dinner; visitors should confirm before visiting. Arriving as a sitting opens shortens any wait. Because the coordinates are approximate for the Bodakdev area, visitors should confirm the exact address with the restaurant or a mapping service before setting out. It fits well into a day spent in west Ahmedabad, near the SG Highway and Sindhu Bhavan Road corridors.