A cosmopolitan fast-casual Indian concept is making its Dallas debut: Called Tikka Shack, it's a small chain from a skilled hospitality team and it's coming to 5927 Greenville Ave. in a former Pie Five where it will open this fall.
UPDATE 9-30-2024: Tikka Shack opened on September 30.
Tikka Shack is a spinoff of Masala Wok, an Indian-Asian concept founded in Dallas in 2003 by business partners Pramod Prodduturi and Bhoopal Reedy. They opened the first Masala Wok in Richardson, featuring a combination of Indian and Asian dishes inspired by Hyderabad, India where Prodduturi grew up. Masala Wok went on to become an enduring success and currently has seven locations, including Plano and Irving.
In 2016, they debuted the first Tikka Shack, focused solely on Indian dishes such as curries, biryani, and tikka masala.
"Since we opened Masala Wok, the popularity of Indian food has grown quite a bit," Prodduturi says. "We saw it in our sales at Masala Wok with more than two thirds of the orders going for the Indian side of the menu. So we decided to create a modern casual Indian with Indian dishes only."
They opened the first location in Lubbock — "and people took to it right away," he says. There are now 10, including Austin, Houston, Phoenix, Charlotte, North Carolina, and two in Pennsylvania.
"We love the location on Greenville Avenue because it's close to the SMU campus but we also love the neighborhood," he says. "That part of Greenville Avenue has mixed crowds, young crowds, with a variety of buildings and a lot of character. It also has parking."
Tikka Shack serves the best of Indian cuisine — with dishes that appeal to both newcomers and curry enthusiasts — in a welcoming, casual, and fun setting. They also have an open kitchen.
"We did a survey asking our regulars, 'If Tikka Shack were closed, where would you go?' and were surprised by the answers," Prodduturi says. "It wasn't other Indian restaurants, it was Chipotle, Panera Bread. Those are the customers we attract, we are appealing to a wider audience looking for fresh naan bread and kebabs — fresh grilled meat on a skewer — with everything made from scratch."
Tikka Shack array includes skewers, loaded fries, and pizza.Tikka Shack
The menu is like a greatest hits including tikka masala, the rich savory sauce with tomato, cream, and ruddy spices like paprika and turmeric; you can get tikka masala versions of chicken, shrimp, lamb, or paneer. Butter masala with onions and garlic is another best-seller.
They do three varieties of naan, the puffy, irresistibly-stretchy Indian bread, including plain, garlic, and Shack naan with garlic, cilantro, and cheese.
They also offer fun, inventive street-food style dishes including tacos in naan bread; loaded fries; wings; and pizza — using naan as the crust, topped with mozzarella, red onion, tomato, and tikka sauce standing in for the traditional tomato sauce.
Prices are low: Starters range from $5 to $9 and entree-type dishes are $11 or $12.
"We do adhere to authentic traditions," he says. "For example, Indian food cannot be served Chipotle-style — it needs to be prepared to order. We respect how it's supposed to be made and consumed."
