Credit: Douglas Trattner
Like the infamous Cleveland Browns’ quarterback jersey, we can now add another name to the long and growing list of restaurants hoping to succeed at 2391 West 11th St. in Tremont. Most recently Merchant Street, the picturesque storefront on Lincoln Park has been home to Ligali’s Bistro, Porcelli’s Bistro, Bistro on Lincoln Park, Sage Bistro, Oz Bar & Bistro and Miracles – in reverse chronological order – since 2000.

Next up for the storied space in SalsaRito, which is described by owner Ashish Patel as Indo-Mexican. Nearly four years ago, Patel opened Tandul Indian restaurant (2505 Professor Ave., 216-860-4530) in the same neighborhood, succeeding in a property where others have failed.

“We love the location and we like the space,” Patel explains. “We think that our experience with Tandul has been so phenomenal, and the community has supported it as well, we are going forward with the same hope that we can emulate what we are doing at Tandul at this location with Mexican cuisine and that our patrons will be receptive of that.”

Billed as “Mexican, but with an Indian twist,” the cuisine will largely have the familiar look and feel of Mexican food – with a menu populated by chips and salsa, tacos, burritos, enchiladas and margaritas – but with some Indian spices and flavors incorporated into some sauces, salsas and dishes. Other dishes will be a “fusion” of Indian and Mexican items.

“The idea came from some of these large cities like New York and D.C., where they have different varieties of Indo-Mex that they are experimenting with,” Patel reports. “But those are more of the fast-casual variety. We wanted to do something more sit-down, where a family can enjoy a meal together.”

Patel says that the look and feel of the old Merchant Street space, which was dramatically reshaped to great effect prior to that restaurant’s opening, will largely remain.

The goal is to open around the first week of October.

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This article appears in Sep 4-10, 2019.

For 25 years, Douglas Trattner has worked as a full-time freelance writer, editor and author. His work as co-author on Michael Symon's cookbooks have earned him four New York Times Best-Selling Author honors, while his longstanding role as Scene dining editor has garnered awards of its own.

2 replies on “SalsaRito to Bring Indo-Mexican Cuisine to High-Profile Tremont Property”

  1. Intriguing. I recently read about Punjabi-Mexican cuisine in California in the early 20th century, so I’ll be curious to see if there are any similarities on that front.

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