Sitar Indian Express Opens in North Tuscaloosa Focused On Quick-Service and Delivery

A long-loved Indian restaurant in Tuscaloosa has opened its second location, an Express model complete with drive-thru, where the focus is on quick service and online delivery orders.

The Thread has previously profiled Sitar of India and its owner, Mandy Pruthi, extensively. Her family has run one of the first restaurants offering Eastern cuisine in Tuscaloosa since 2004, although it has not been in a static location.

We also announced their plans to expand north of the Black Warrior River soon after the closure of Chang's, a decades-old local favorite Chinese restaurant at the far end of the Northridge Center at the corner of McFarland Boulevard and Watermelon Road.

Get our free mobile app

Now, Sitar Indian Express is officially open and serving great, authentic food at 1825 McFarland Boulevard North, Suite 250.

Pruthi told the Thread their focus is on express options which can be enjoyed in their small space the shopping center, taken out to eat back at home or the office, or ordered online and delivered by third parties to most parts of the Tuscaloosa area.

The new menu includes rice bowls, wraps stuffed with healthy proteins and herbs, Indian pizzas and more - all options which are not on the menu in their primary location on 15th Street in Tuscaloosa.

"We are so excited to open this new location, Sitar Indian Express, and I think slowly people are learning of it, and a lot of people are excited," Pruthi said. "We have a different menu over here, we're doing bowls and wraps, we've got this delicious Indian pizza, we're doing loaded fries. But we've also got everyone's favourite chicken tikka masala, lamb tikka masala - whatever you've learned to love at our other location, which has been here for 20 years."

Pruthi said she hopes the reputation Sitar has built over the last two decades will translate to name recognition for the new location, which is now open from 11 a.m. until 8:30 p.m. every day except Monday.

For more exclusive coverage of restaurant and retail development in West Alabama, stay connected to the Tuscaloosa Thread.