Blue Taj Indian Cuisine will take over 35 E. Butler Avenue, the former Buutchiis Grille, as soon as the end of the month.
“We’re looking to bring authentic Indian food to Ambler,” owner Manu Nischal said. “We’re aiming to open around the end of October or the middle of November. It’ll depend on inspections, but we don’t expect any issues.”
Restaurant personnel includes Ajay Ananda, Nischal’s business partner, and Blue Taj’s manager, Samita Verna, who said they hope to bring more than just food to the Ambler community.
“We not only plan to introduce Indian food but also Indian culture. Every First Friday, we hope to offer cultural entities like Indian dance, Indian folk music, festivals,” Verna said. “We hope that people will enjoy that.”
The name Blue Taj is a tribute to Nischal’s favorite color.
“And of course the Taj Mahal is a famous place. So we thought we should combine them. Blue conveys loyalty, richness, and it’s significant when it comes to customer service,” he said.
Nischal is also the owner of Palace of Asia in Fort Washington, which first opened 18 years ago. Prior to that, he was in Allentown running another Indian restaurant.
“I’ve been doing this since I came to the U.S.,” he said. “I have almost 25 years of experience in the industry, and we’ll hopefully do a decent job in Ambler. I’m very excited.”
Nischal said he’s been visiting Ambler regularly for the last two months, eating at restaurants and meeting people. His plans in Ambler will overlap with his plans for the Palace, which he expects to convert over the coming months.
“It’s a good support system in Fort Washington, but after the pandemic, a lot of offices moved out, so we don’t have the lunch clientele quite as much,” he said. “So we decided to go to Ambler. We’re looking to convert the Palace into more of a banquet hall and takeout facility. People have a lot of memories here.”
We’ll be in touch with a grand opening date soon. Stay tuned.
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