After seven months of an empty storefront, the walls of 914 Noyes St. will finally be filled with the aromatic smell of sandwiches again. Inspired Indian, an Indian boutique and take-out restaurant, will open next week.

The shop will offer vegetarian Indian sandwiches along with its signature spice kits, various Indian snacks and drinks.

Founder Kalpana Waikar (Kellogg ’06) started Inspired Indian in October 2019, selling homemade Indian spice kits with around 25 different spices. 

Waikar, who worked in the Kellogg School of Management for almost seven years, operated her original store at 812 Dempster St. from December 2021 to January 2024. After taking time off for two knee surgeries, she acquired her new location last spring.

At her shop on Noyes, Waikar will introduce vegetarian Indian street-style sandwiches such as the Bombay sandwich, a popular Indian sandwich made with various sliced vegetables, spice blends, red chili spread and chutney spread, served on sourdough bread. Other menu highlights include the railway omelet (based on a type of omelet frequently made in train stations in India), chana melt and paneer tikka sandwich. Many of the sandwiches can be made vegan. 

“Indian vegetarian food can convert even the biggest carnivore,” Waikar said.

Waikar said Inspired Indian will only take online takeout orders to start, but snacks will be available for purchase inside the store. 

She said she hopes her store, only a short walk from Northwestern’s North Campus, will appeal to students. She is in the process of setting up a Wildcard discount, she added.

Inspired Indian will provide a healthy food option to the Evanston community, Waikar said.

“Food costs have gone up dramatically,” she said. “So I want to provide really good value at a really good price point. I want this to be the kind of place that people can come to eat several times a week, instead of once or twice a month and not be priced out.”

Waikar said she plans to engage the local community by hiring residents and students and partnering with local organizations like Youth Job Center in Evanston.

Evanston resident Laurice Bell said she has been a fan of Waikar since she first discovered the shop on Dempster Street. Bell is looking forward to the new restaurant, she said.

Bell, who was visiting the store with a friend, said she loves the spices that Inspired Indian makes and is excited about the new sandwiches.

“We walked down here, and all I did was talk about it for two blocks hoping that it was open,” Bell said.

Evanston resident Ande Breunig, who founded Our Evanston Magazine and a Facebook group dedicated to supporting local businesses, said she has been a loyal customer of Waikar’s since she discovered her spice kits some years ago. 

Breunig said knowing how committed Waikar is to customer feedback and the Evanston community, the restaurant is “sure to be a standout.”

As a vegetarian, Breunig is excited about Waikar’s new venture selling Indian food and has high hopes for the new shop.

“Vegetarians are always looking for spaces that go out of their way to create actual menu options for them,” she said. “Many of us are tired of just eating sides or boring non-inventive salads and sandwiches.”

Waikar is also cognizant of the history of the space, which was the home of an Evanston staple restaurant, Al’s Deli, for 74 years. The Deli officially closed last January following the death of co-owner Bob Pottinger. 

By chance, Waikar said she ran into John Pottinger, the former co-owner of Al’s Deli, on the street and invited him in for a tour.

“I told him it might be a little bittersweet because it looks completely different, so I thought it might be kind of hard for him to see,” Waikar said. “But it was great. He came in, wished me good luck and told me he was excited about eating here.”

Waikar said she plans to further honor the shop’s history by hanging a photo of her and John Pottinger alongside a brief written history of Al’s Deli.

Waikar is excited to open her store and interact with residents face to face once again, she said. She is hopeful that one day, Inspired Indian will, like Al’s, become a staple of the Evanston community.

“Hopefully, it becomes a true family business with both of my kids running it,” she said.

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