TEWKSBURY, MA—Mehfil, New England’s largest Indian restaurant with seating for 270 people, has opened inTewksbury, MA. It has 3,000 square foot of kitchen, eight buffet stations and one dosa station. Owners say they will differentiate Mehfil from others restaurants in terms of providing freshly-cooked food. (Photos by INDIA New England News)
“We are different than other restaurants because we are trying to provide fresh and healthy food,” said Amjad Shaikh, one of the four partners of Mehfil. “None of the items are pre-prepared. They are marinated but prepared when they are ordered. There are no pre-cooked items.”
Shaikh is a biochemist by profession. Other partners of the restaurant are: Hannan Syed, a chemist; Mohammad S.R. Chowdhury (Tipu); and Razia H. Shaikh. All four partners are related. The restaurant offers lunch buffet, dinner, takeout and catering. In addition, it provide free venue for events and parties as long as food is ordered from the restaurant to serve the attendees. It can host up to 300 people. The restaurant has a podium and a central music and speaker system.
Mehfil opened in May and is located at 1777 Main Street in Tewksbury.
Shaikh said that the partners were initially looking to open a grocery store in the area and then they came across this location that was serving as a Chinese restaurant called Brave Troop Buffet.
“We inherited their lease and made some changes to cater to our needs,” said Shaikh, adding that kitchen was also changed and upgraded to meet needs of Indian cuisine.
Regarding the massive size of the restaurant, Shaikh said: “Basically, in New England we have not seen any Indian restaurant that has seating for more than 70 people. We have a lot of space. This is a new venture for us. Our goal is to provide quality food and quality service.”
