New Raleigh restaurant 'Tamasha' named to 50 Most Beautiful Restaurants in America

RALEIGH, N.C. (WTVD) -- A new restaurant in North Hills has already been dubbed as one of the most beautiful in the entire country.

For Tina Vora, Tamasha has been a two-year long labor of love. She custom-designed every single element inside. A main feature of the design is metallic light fixture that snakes through the space.

"It's made out of 2,300 individual pieces," she said. "I had to manually sketch those patterns and then I worked with the manufacturers overseas."

There are also brass arches in the restaurant where customers can dine under domes.

Vora, a co-owner, created a space that truly lives up to the restaurant's name.

The word 'tamasha' means drama or grand performance in Hindi.

All of Vora's work was just recognized by People Magazine and OpenTable.

The North Hills restaurant was named one of the 50 Most Beautiful Restaurants in America.

"It means the world to me," she said. "We opened in February 2024. With us being such a young restaurant, such a new restaurant, and being recognized on a national platform as one of the most beautiful restaurants in America is very, very rewarding."

Vora and co-owner Mike Kathrani said the restaurant is not only gorgeous, but also fills a gap in the local culinary scene.

He said that modern Indian food already had a presence in major metropolitan cities like Chicago, New York and San Francisco.

"Raleigh was ready for this," said Kathrani.

Chef Bhavin Chhatwani, who has Michelin-star experience and has cooked for the Prime Minister of India, has crafted a menu that pays homage to the homeland and exposes guests to the country's progressive cuisine.

The Raleigh spot is the only Indian restaurant to be named one of the 50 Most Beautiful.

The owners said the ranking is even more meaningful right now, as our country is celebrating Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month.

"Getting this award and especially in AAPI month, it's a huge honor. It's the biggest blessing you can ever ask for," said Kathrani.