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Photograph by George Sakkestad

Diners Wayne Cao and Thai Trinh dish it up at Banjara Indian Restaurant, which opened Sept. 2 at Town & Country Village.

Indian restaurant opens around the old oak tree

By Katherine Petersen

Downtown Sunnyvale can boast of many different ethnic restaurants, and now an Indian one can be added to the list. Banjara Indian Restaurant, located in Town & Country Village, opened its doors Sept. 2.

Banjara Indian Restaurant is owned by three partners: Reddy Yluru, who also owns a restaurant in Walnut Creek; Reddy Vanga; and Lu Muvva, who also works as a hardware engineer.

The three partners chose downtown Sunnyvale because it had no Indian restaurant, and it's a prime location for workers at nearby high-tech companies, Vanga said.

"There are a lot of companies close by, so we hope to get a big lunch crowd," he said.

Banjara Indian Restaurant offers an all-you-can-eat lunch buffet for $6.95. Soft drinks and mango ice cream are included. Customers can choose from four vegetarian and four nonvegetarian main dishes accompanied by bread, soup and condiments, Vanga said. Customers can order off the menu during lunch, and prices range from $6.95 to $12, Vanga said.

The restaurant features both northern and southern Indian specialties on its menu of more than 160 items, Muvva said. Tandoori chicken; chicken tikka masala; and masala dosas, lentil-stuffed crepes, are some of the most popular dishes.

"Most Indian restaurants have tables and chairs and we have all booths, so we're not a typical Indian restaurant," Muvva said.

Banjara Indian Restaurant has two banquet rooms in addition to its main dining room. One accommodates 150 people while the other can hold 75.

"We have a lot of parties here. The bigger banquet room has a 2,000-square-foot dance floor," Muvva said.

The restaurant also has a full bar and can seat up to 50 people on the patio during nice weather.

Banjara Indian Restaurant replaces the Towne Oak Restaurant. The owners did a lot of remodeling, such as creating a granite lobby area, but left the original oak in place.

Towne Oak had been built around an oak tree, surrounded by glass, and it's still on view for customers, Muvva said.

Banjara Indian Restaurant, 407 Town & Country Village, Sunnyvale. Mon.-Fri. lunch from 11:30 a.m. to 3 p.m., dinner from 5:30 p.m. to 10 p.m. Sat.-Sun. 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.

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This article appeared in the Sunnyvale Sun, September 24, 1997.
©1997 Metro Publishing, Inc. All rights reserved.