Sree's Kitchen brings the comforts of South Indian cuisine to Pensacola

A new restaurant has made its debut in Pensacola at 5800 North W St. serving from-scratch South Indian cuisine, and it's already capturing its patrons' hearts with its flavorful spices.

Sree's Kitchen owner Sreelatha Pati’s homemade cooking was the kind of stuff that her daughters’ friends would rave about.

While many are familiar with the traditional Northern Indian favorites, such as butter chicken and tikki masala, Pati said it was difficult to find anything reminiscent of the South Indian favorites her family grew up on.

“India is known for its regional differences,” Pati’s daughter, Joshitha Vakiti, added.

When moving to Pensacola in 2009, the closest restaurant Pati could find that was reminiscent of her home cooking was in Atlanta, Georgia. Pati wanted to change that, so she created her own.

What’s inside Sree’s Kitchen?

Not only was Pati’s family supportive, but they were the ones who “forced her” to share her cooking with Pensacola based on the constant positive feedback from family and friends.

While the food at Sree’s Kitchen is intended to remind you of a homemade meal – you can smell everything being made to order from the aromatic biryani, a highly-spiced rice dish layered with meat or vegetables, to the hot chai simmering in the pot with ginger and cardamom – it will also likely feel like home because most of the warm and artistic décor was sourced from Pati’s own living room.

It fuses the traditional, with classic paintings vibrantly reflecting the villages of India, with the modern touches like the restaurant’s name in neon lights.

Vakiti said that the restaurant is intended to nod to the tropics of South India, where nature is part of the connection to the food.

“It’s a reflection of when we go back to our hometown,” she said.

Pati also designed the restaurant to be a comfortable, fast-casual format where you order at the counter, sit down and stay awhile.

What’s on the Sree's Kitchen menu?

The menu is split into snacks and main courses, where you'll see traditional South Indian favorites scattered throughout, like the idli (savory rice cake), dosa (savory crepe), vada (savory fried snacks) and puri (deep-fried bread).

Some of the snack options include different varieties of puri, bonda (deep-fried stuffed snacks served with ginger chutney) and handheld samosas, stuffed with a warm potato and curry filling inside.

Some of the popular meal plates including the masala dosa (lentil rice crepes) with chicken curry, the Pav Bhaji, a spicy Indian street food with mashed mixed vegetables in a buttery tomato curry, or the biryani, which is what Pati anticipates the restaurant will become known for.

Pati said it’s easy to spot when restaurants create shortcuts that expedite the biryani. Hers is steamed slow with chicken and rice layered on top. Every meal is made fresh that day.

While many of her dishes are rich and savory, Pati said they are typically eaten early in the day in India.

“All these are breakfast items for us,” Pati said.

Regardless of how the restaurant grows, one thing will stay the same: the fresh, homemade recipes.

“Everything is from scratch,” Pati said. “We won’t freeze anything; it’s how I cook at home.”

While the restaurant welcomes those to sit and stay, their meals also available on DoorDash, bringing the comfort foods of their kitchen to your doorstep.

This article originally appeared on Pensacola News Journal: Sree's Kitchen opens in Pensacola bringing South Indian cuisine