Bright pink tables and colorful chairs fill Gully Kitchen’s front patio, with a matching vibrant pink and yellow logo hung against the brick beside its entrance on East Third Street.
Inside, a sleek ordering counter with seating lets customers watch their bowls be prepared and listen to the music filling the room from the speakers above.
Gully Kitchen, a modern Indian street food restaurant, opened on July 25 at 203 E. Third St. The menu combines Indian flavors in dishes such as bowls, burritos, quesadillas, sandwiches and burgers.
Co-owner Tushar Lakhan Paul said he wanted to make Indian food more approachable while maintaining the flavors he and his three co-owners, Daksh Rana, Hiren Patel and Phavik Patel grew up loving.
“We tend to make Indian food too complicated when it doesn’t have to be,” Paul said.
Paul believes people who are unfamiliar with Indian cuisine are often intimidated by long wait times and lengthy menus at traditional sit-down Indian restaurants.
The concept for Gully Kitchen began when the four co-owners traveled back to India for Paul’s wedding.
The group operated other small businesses together in the Bethlehem area, but kept going back to the same idea — to bring the food they grew up with to the Southside.
“We didn’t want to do just another coffee shop or tea shop,” Paul said. “We wanted to do something completely new.”
For co-owner Rana, Gully Kitchen represents a larger career change.
Rana previously worked as an accountant before moving into business ownership.
He said working a traditional job didn’t give him the same sense of accomplishment as entrepreneurship and building a business. For Gully Kitchen, Rana took on the business side of operations, crafting a logo and selecting packaging.
“It’s not the same when there’s no real purpose,” he said. Before developing Gully Kitchen, the owners tested the concept at a convenience store in Red Bank, New Jersey, which previously operated as a deli. Paul said the group used the kitchen to experiment with Indian-inspired sandwiches and other menu items to gauge public interest.
During the trial in Red Bank, they gained traction on social media from local news outlets, giving them the confidence to open on the Southside, surpassing all expectations.
“Just believe in yourself, I would say,” Rana said. “Whatever you do, just do it completely.”
Head Chef Richard Vicent prepared for his new role by training at an Indian restaurant in Atlantic City to learn a cuisine he was previously unfamiliar with.
Vicent began cooking at 14 years old in an Italian restaurant, where he worked as a prep cook and dishwasher before taking on more responsibility in the kitchen.
He said when he made the staff meals, they wouldn’t believe he cooked them.
Over the course of his career, including 11 years in Bethlehem, Vicent has worked as the head chef at Common Grounds at Lehigh, a sushi chef, on Disney cruises, at multiple local restaurants and food festivals with a renowned chef from the television show Chopped.
“This was my first time ever doing Indian food,” Vicent said. “So for me to jump right into it and catch it right away was actually shocking to me.”
Vicent said he expected a steeper learning curve, but with his training under an Indian chef, he felt that the process came naturally from there.
As he continued to experiment, Vicent said he unleashed creativity he didn’t use at other restaurants.
At Gully Kitchen, he was free to create dishes such as the butter chicken quesadilla, chicken tikka burrito and lamb smash burger.
For Paul, Vicent’s creations weren’t as unusual to him as customers may expect.
Paul said growing up, his family would often have food leftover after hosting gatherings. The next day, he’d take the leftovers and make them into sandwiches.
“I’m just bringing to market what I’ve been doing my whole life,” Paul said.
Many of Vicent’s dishes were developed similarly.
The butter chicken fries were a dish he made while working in the Red Bank location by covering french fries in butter chicken sauce, adding chopped battered chicken on top.
The dish quickly became part of the restaurant’s secret menu.
Other dishes, including the chicken quesadilla and burrito, began as secret-menu options before they became popular and were added to the regular menu. After months of planning and refining the menu, Gully Kitchen officially opened on July 25, offering free bowls for the first two hours. Paul said they sold out by 7 p.m.
“There was a line down the road, and we got so much love and support from the community,” Paul said.
Since opening, the owners have tried to make Gully Kitchen a place where customers can spend time socializing and leisurely eating a meal.
The restaurant stays open until 3 a.m. on Thursday, Friday and Saturday, offering a late-night option in South Bethlehem.
A staircase past the dining area leads to an upstairs lounge, which Paul said was designed with students in mind. He encourages them to use the space to work, spend time with friends and relax.
“I want this place to be for everyone,” Paul said.
A month after opening, Paul said they’re already looking forward to expanding, with multiple requests for catering.
They also hope to partner with local organizations including hospitals and Lehigh.
“I’m excited for this,” Vicent said. “I can’t wait for the next step, and the next after that.”
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