There is a new Indian cuisine restaurant on campus: Chaat House, on the ground floor of the Memorial Union Building (MUB). It is officially open as of Wednesday, Jan. 8, 2025, and will continue to be open 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., Monday through Friday. Full meal prices are comparable to that of other on campus dining options, ranging from $7.99 to $11.99. Chaat House is pushing the diversity of food culture in the UP, standing as the only Indian cuisine restaurant in the Keweenaw Peninsula. The food is an exciting palette of spice and flavor, with enough options to create new combinations all semester long.
Head Chef Luis Delgado is building unique flavors with spice-forward cuisine, using standard building blocks of Indian cuisine– cilantro, cumin, and onions– mixing them with a variation of spice and sauce combinations to create new and exciting flavors. With a menu allowing students to build custom bowls, this power is both in the hands of the chefs and the students. The menu allows the customer to pick a base, a protein, sauce, and a side. With many variations of flavorful food, Chaat House may quickly become the most popular on campus dining option among students.
The opening day of Chaat House brought in 121 student customers, a much better first day response than that of former restaurants in this spot. One student in line who tried the food said, “I love Indian food, I think this is a great way for students to try new cuisines. It’s
nice they have this as it brings out the much needed increase in cultural food diversity here.” This excitement is shared among many other students. For some students, this place provides a taste of home to aid homesickness.
So far the most popular dish has been the rice bowl, with tandoori chicken, tikka masala sauce, and as a side, the tarka dal and cucumber raita. For those diving into Indian cuisine for the first time, the rice bowl with tandoori chicken, and classic curry sauce is recommended.
