A new restaurant bringing a modern twist to traditional Indian cuisine is headed to St. Petersburg.

Florida-based restaurant group Tabla, which operates several concepts throughout Central Florida and beyond, plans to open Tabla Modern Indian Cafe at 10324 Roosevelt Boulevard in the north St. Pete’s Ibis Walk plaza. The new concept will replace the closed Indian eatery, Cafe Masala.

Tabla describes itself as a place where “bold, authentic Indian flavors meet modern favorites,” offering traditional Indian, Indo Chinese, and Thai dishes in addition to fun reinterpretations of familiar American comfort foods like a Indian-inspired pizza and burgers.

In 2008, owners Anshu and Nora Jain opened the first Tabla location in Orlando as a fine dining restaurant, but rapidly expanded with additional fast-casual and fine dining locations in the following years.

The Indian restaurant became a franchise in 2024, and now has over ten locations throughout Florida, Texas and Illinois.

An official grand opening date and menu for the St. Petersburg location has not yet been announced.

Tabla’s appetizers include a variety of popular Indian street food items, such as samosa chaat, aloo tikki chaat, pani poori, kachori chaat, and bhel variations, in addition to fritters, samosas, pakoras, momos, and dishes like Gobi Manchurian and Chili Baby Corn.

Entrees include a full slate of Indo-Chinese wok dishes, including fried rice, Hakka noodles, Manchurian, chili garlic, and Schezwan options.

Indian classics are also available, including tandoori dishes cooked in a traditional clay oven, such as paneer tikka, chicken tikka, lamb kebabs, shrimp, wings, and whole tandoori chicken.

There’s also an extensive list of sweet and spicy Indian curries such as the traditional tikka masala (a creamy tomato sauce flavored with bell peppers and onions), korma (a mild and creamy onion sauce flavored with nuts and Indian herbs), and vindaloo (a spicy, tangy sauce made with vinegar, chilies, and garlic).

Drums of Heaven, crispy chicken lollipops marinated and tossed in Tabla’s Special Indo-Chinese sauce | Tabla

Leaning further from tradition, Tabla offers Indian-style pizzas topped with paneer tikka or Schezwan paneer, Indian-inspired burgers like aloo tikki and butter chicken melts, and a long list of street-snack fries and puffs.

Drinks range from a Mango Lassi, the classic yogurt-based mango drink, to creative mocktails like roadside-style banta soda, a Lychee Basil Masala made with lychee juice, lime, and basil, and a Guava Mule blending guava juice, spices, and a hint of lime.

There are also warm drinks, such as the Cardamom Chai, an Indian drink made by simmering black tea with milk, water, and crushed cardamom.

Traditional desserts close out the menu with selections like Gulab Jamun, which are fried balls of dough served in a honey syrup, or Gajar Halwa, a traditional Indian carrot pudding simmered with milk, cardamom, and nuts.

Tabla’s soon-to-open St. Pete location joins a growing list of upcoming restaurants Tabla has planned for cities like Lexington, Kentucky; Boston, Massachusetts; and Grapevine, Texas.

Follow Tabla on Facebook and Instagram for its grand opening announcement and additional details on the new St. Pete location.