When Mahesh’s Kitchen opened in Sugar Land Town Square on Sept. 10, the restaurant actualized a dream 10 years in the making, co-owner Shubhangi Musale said. Lifelong foodies, Musale said she and her brother Mahesh Puranik, who died in 2018, had long talked about opening a cafe or restaurant together.

“It did not happen when he was here—but in his honor and memory we wanted to make his dream come true,” Musale said. “And that's why we opened my Mahesh’s Kitchen in memory of him.”

Located at 16019 City Walk, Sugar Land, the upscale Indian restaurant features many of Musale’s recipes, she said. An aspiring chef, Puranik was accepted into the Le Cordon Bleu culinary school in Paris shortly before his death.

Additionally, the restaurant’s cuisine honors the family’s Indian culture and customs. The menu features traditional options, including palak paneer; goan prawn shrimp; murgh makhani, or butter chicken; Chinese noodle chat; mango habanero salmon; and toofani chicken sizzler.

“Food was something that brought people together on certain occasions—I mean it didn't even take occasions to come together,” Musale said. “[My family] would meet very often and have a great time over a great meal.”

Musale said they also incorporated aspects of Mahesh’s personality into the restaurant’s atmosphere.

“He used to spread laughter among any person that he came across. He spread love and that touch of attention that everybody needs,” Musale said. “That is something that we are trying to incorporate in the restaurant and the feeling, so anybody who walks in is taken care of.”

Mahesh’s Kitchen is open for dinner, but plans to offer lunch once the restaurant is fully staffed, Musale said. The restaurant has indoor seating for 85, a patio that seats 26, select seating at the bar and in a semi-private dining space, and a chef’s table with room for six.

Musale said Puranik had always talked about opening a restaurant close to Japaneiro’s—one of their favorite restaurants.

“It just kind of gelled together as if it were supposed to happen,” Musale said. “So many things happened in a miraculous way that we all kept saying, ‘This is Mahesh pulling those strings from above.’”

281-937-7796. www.maheshskitchen.com