A restaurant in Little Elm called BarraCruda Tex-Mex is serving an amazing only-in-Texas fusion combining Tex-Mex and Indian cuisines under one roof.

The restaurant is at 498 W. Eldorado Pkwy. where it opened in 2021. However, it got a second life after it was taken over by owner Pavan Paladugu and his family in 2023.

Paladugu, a former software engineer, began his cooking journey after moving from India to the U.S. for college in 2009. He found some of his favorite Indian recipes online and learned to make them at home.

“I always wanted to open a restaurant and wanted to have something with Indian influence,” Paladugu says.

He took over BarraCruda, a Mexican restaurant, and decided to start incorporating Indian dishes into the Tex-Mex and Mexican seafood-centric menu.

Fusion dishes include butter masala chicken enchiladas, curry chicken tacos, and Malai chicken fajitas— featuring chicken in a creamy and spicy sauce of yogurt and mint chutney cooked in a tandoori oven.

Other items on the menu include the trendy quesabirria, ceviches, fajitas, and meat or vegetarian quesadillas.

Seafood dishes include fried tilapia, shrimp skewers, and an interesting dish called Piña Loca Mariscos (crazy pineapple seafood) — half a pineapple stuffed with shrimp, fish pineapple chunks, rice, and cheese.

Prices range from $7 for a cup of tortilla soup to $45 for a molcajete for two, a piping hot stone bowl filled with meats, vegetables, cactus, and cheese.

They have a full bar serving cocktails, beer, micheladas, and specialty drinks. Three TVs behind the bar make it a prime spot for watching sports.

“Even at the bar, apart from the traditional drinks, we have some specialties like Namaste that has an Indian twist to it,” Paladugu says. “It’s made with turmeric, spicy tamarind-infused vodka, and gin."