A gorgeous new Indian restaurant is set to open in Menlo Park next summer, and the debut is drawing such interest that it’s even earned a nod in the Michelin Guide‘s list of the most highly-anticipated restaurant openings from Michelin chefs in 2024.
Soon Bay Area foodies will be flocking to Eylan in Stanford Middle Plaza for flavorful Cal-Indian food from decorated chef Srijith “Sri” Gopinathan, who previously earned two Michelin stars at SF’s Taj Campton Place. Eylan is also the next project from celebrated restaurateur Ayesha Thapar, known for cultivating an alluring dining experience at several other Bay Area institutions.
Thapar and Gopinathan have successfully opened three popular Bay Area eateries, including Copra in SF, Ettan in Palo Alto, and Little Blue Door in Los Altos. If these dining spaces are any indication, Eylan will surely offer a feast for the eyes as well.
Palo Alto Online writes that Eylan will be an “encore” to the celebrated restaurant Ettan, known for its captivating sunny dining space with a massive skylight and jaw-dropping chandeliers. While Ettan has a distinct blue-and-white color scheme, Michelin writes that Eylan will feature more earthy tones.
Chef Gopinathan’s menus are known to showcase creative and flavorful Cal-Indian fare, plated up as colorful showstoppers that look perfectly at home in Thapar’s lavishly-decorated dining spaces. According to the Michelin Guide, Eylan will deliver seasonally-minded menu items roasted over a wood grill, reimagined Indian breads, and a snack cart lined with beloved Indian snacks including savory chaats and farsans.
If you just can’t wait for Eylan’s summer 2024 opening, consider a visit to the Gopinathan and Thapar’s recently-opened SF restaurant Copra, as it will more than tide you over. Here the menu is dedicated to South Indian cuisine from Gopinathan’s childhood, and the seafood-centric menu is something you’re not likely to find elsewhere in the country, much less the Bay Area.
Eylan is the only Bay Area restaurant opening mentioned in the most-anticipated restaurants of 2024 from Michelin chefs, but it’s in good company here in California. Four of the sixteen restaurants mentioned are located in Los Angeles, so there’s plenty more to look forward to right in our home state.