Popular Indian restaurant back in new location

Sitar Indian Cuisine, a popular restaurant near UAB for nearly a decade, held a grand opening in mid-May for its new location at 1801 Fourth Ave. S. after being closed for a nearly six-month hiatus.

Known for its all-you-can-eat buffet, Sitar had operated in the UAB Townhouse at University Boulevard and 20th Street South since 2010. The eatery was forced to leave the Townhouse in 2018 after UAB announced plans to demolish the aging structure.

Subash Karki, son of Sitar owner Bhakta Karki, told Iron City Ink it has taken some time to adjust to the new space, which is only about 1,000 square feet — much smaller than the old location, which measured 5,000 square feet.

“It’s like a brand-new thing working with this small space,” Subash Karki said.

However, much of Sitar’s lunch crowd from UAB Hospital likes the new location. “It’s close, just a couple of minutes instead of walking all the way [to 20th Street],” Subash Karki said. 

And the restaurant’s loyal customers have followed Sitar. “The first day, we had more than 250 people come in, and it was almost everyone we knew,” he said.

Subash Karki attributes this loyalty to the “family way we cook the food.”