Bhuna, a bright and airy Kashmiri restaurant from chef Deepak Kaul, serves up vibrant dishes and inventive cocktails in a casual setting perfect for food lovers.
"Bhuna, the blue-tinged, window-lined Kashmiri restaurant from chef Deepak Kaul, serves happy hour from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. with an assortment of knockout snacks, $8 Old Fashioneds made with masala-spiced demerara, and glasses of wine in the single digit prices — an increasingly rare sight on Portland menus. It is extremely hard to go wrong with $5 crispy lotus root fries or $7 skewers of the restaurant’s intricately spiced Chettinad chicken, but the happy-hour-exclusive, $6 pav buns layered with raita and fillings like paneer or chicken, is the must-order." - Dianne de Guzman
"Local Indian food fans know that the city’s westside suburbs are where to go for a dosa and dal fix, but in Portland proper, it’s the fast-casual Bhuna in Nob Hill that stands out. Born out of a beloved pop-up, Bhuna showcases Kashmiri cuisine with small plates and rice bowls that are vibrant and aromatic. Think turmeric basmati topped with lamb rogan josh or a rich tomato and eggplant curry spiked with mustard oil. The light-filled restaurant—it’s a flatiron building, so there are plenty of windows—is also a good pitstop for Happy Hour snacks, like lotus root fries, sliders, grilled skewers, and cocktails after some 21st Avenue shopping. " - krista garcia
"Deepak Kaul opened the airy and contemporary Bhuna in Nob Hill after creating buzz with his Kashmiri soul food pop-up in Culmination Brewing — it even earned him Eater’s Chef of the Year title in 2018. The classic cocktail menu here features a subtle Indian influence, from the Old Fashioned made with masala-spiced demerara sugar to the Negroni infused with cardamom and curry leaf. For food, try chickpea battered calamari, pork vindaloo, or the happy hour Bhuna sliders with the choice of pork, chicken, or paneer. If dining with a group, Bhuna offers a four-person thali meal with a handful of side dishes and mains, rice, naan, papadum, and sauces." - Rebecca Roland, Ron Scott, Eater Staff
"Bhuna, the blue-tinged, window-lined Kashmiri restaurant from chef Deepak Kaul, serves happy hour from 4 to 6 p.m. with an assortment of knockout snacks, $8 Old Fashioneds made with masala-spiced demerara, and glasses of wine in the single digit prices — an increasingly rare sight on Portland menus. It is extremely hard to go wrong with $5 crispy lotus root fries or $7 skewers of the restaurant’s intricately spiced Chettinad chicken, but the happy-hour-exclusive, $6 pav buns layered with raita and fillings like paneer or chicken, is the must-order." - Brooke Jackson-Glidden, Maya MacEvoy
"Once a pop up within Culmination Brewing, 2018 Eater PDX Chef of the Year Deepak Kaul’s casual Indian restaurant opened last year bringing tasty Kashmiri pakora and curries to the Alphabet District. Among many standout dishes, the Southern Indian Chettinad chicken comforts with notes of yogurt, turmeric, and chilies. Topped with poppy seeds and tomatoes, Mary’s free range chicken thigh meat is mixed in a mildly spiced blend of garlic, ginger, and coconut-based curry. Fried shallots and saffron rice tie the whole dish together, and a side of lotus root fries won’t hurt either." - Nick Woo
