VAJRA
Indian restaurant · Wicker Park ·
Indian & Nepalese specialties, cocktails, lobster momo, goat steak
Indian & Nepalese specialties, cocktails, lobster momo, goat steak
"Pivoting once again, the Indian restaurant is adding a coffee shop inside its former dining room as it shifts to takeout-only service. The new cafe partners with Sparrow Coffee on an espresso menu and pastries, with plans to roll out house-made sweets and potential brunch offerings from chef Min Thapa. The space—formerly Vajra’s bar—will offer Wi-Fi for remote work as part of a neighborhood-focused push." - Jeffy Mai
"A Wicker Park Indian restaurant is shifting back to takeout-only service, as Vajra will close its bar and dining room but continue carryout. The move comes after it briefly resumed sit-down dining in 2024 following years of takeout-only operations in West Town and at its current Wicker Park location during the pandemic closures, and the team is teasing a new takeout-only concept, Oma Mediterranean by Vajra." - Jeffy Mai
"Tucked away inside a historic Wicker Park building, Vajra’s premium ingredients and great cocktails make this South Asian restaurant stand out. They’re going a little retro for lunch with a buffet. This is controversial, as the buffet was introduced to Americans as a low-cost way to introduce Indian food to locals. But it’s 2025 and Vajra’s has graduated with a mix of familiar and unfamiliar Indian and Nepalese items." - Ashok Selvam
"Operating in West Town, I considered Vajra a South Asian powerhouse that was included among the new Bib Gourmands." - Eater Staff
"Vajra is an Indian and Nepali restaurant with fantastic food, as evidenced by the fact that their takeout single-handedly carried us through almost all of 2020 (especially winter). And our favorite order when it’s five degrees is the shahi korma, a thick, slightly-sweet curry made with cashews. We like ordering this with shrimp—they’re large, perfectly cooked, and go really well with the sweetness of the sauce." - adrian kane
