Indian restaurant chain serving fusion cuisine opens 1st US location in Columbus
Taranovas Pizza, a restaurant chain based in India, opened its first U.S. franchise Friday in Columbus in the former Bluewater Grill location on Warm Springs Road.
Sisters-in-law Palak Patel and Vishwa Patel co-own the restaurant that offers a fusion of American, Italian and Indian cuisine.
Their family owns a couple of gas stations, Palak told the Ledger-Enquirer, so they decided to do something different when opening a new business.
“It all comes back to my father back in India,” Vishwa said.
The family has foodies in the United States and in India, she said. They like finding quality fast-food restaurants with a good ambiance.
They wanted to open a restaurant that would appeal to a diverse group of people with different cuisines, Vishwa said, so they decided to go with a fusion. This is where her dad stepped in.
“We have a franchise here in India,” he told them.
Her father was acquainted with the owner and helped to get them connected. Taranovas Pizza has 34 restaurants in India, according to its website, and opened its first location in 2023.
The Patels already owned the building at 4640 Warm Springs Road, Vishwa said, so the pieces came together.
After working to renovate the restaurant and overcoming the challenge of training the staff online with the trainers being based in India, the Patels, along with their general manager, Jemiral Warrior, celebrated Taranovas Pizza opening Friday.
Inside Taranovas Pizza
Taranovas Pizza has about 30 different pizzas, pasta, salads, tacos and wraps, Warrior told the Ledger-Enquirer.
“We make our own dough daily, made fresh,” she said.
Customers can build their own pizza, Warrior said. She recommends the “Four Square”, which allows customers to choose among four types of pizza served in a square.
Warrior also suggests the Peri Peri Paneer Pizza, which features Peri Peri sauce.
“India is full of flavors,” Vishwa said. “We love our spices, so it’s going to hit your palette every time, every bite.”
Taranovas not only uses red sauces, which is typically found on American-style pizzas, but they also use tikka sauces, she said.
The fusion of American, Italian and Indian cuisines are designed to appeal to customers from across the globe, Vishwa said.
“People will have choices to choose from and not just go for one taste,” she said.
Taranovas also has a bar staffed by three bartenders, Warrior said. The bar menu, named after Warrior, is called “Ms. J’s and Jamie Friday Night Flight Special,” she said.
“We’re just trying to go with the flow, to get the feel of the crowd,” Warrior said. “We’re excited to please the neighborhood and the city. I have a lot to look forward to, so I’m excited on this journey.”
From India to Columbus
Bringing the franchise to Columbus presented some unique challenges, Vishwa said.
There were a lot of Zoom meetings with the marketing team and others in India because this its the first U.S. location, she said.
“The time difference between India and America was also a huge difference,” Vishwa said. “People back in India would stay up all night just to teach our staff here. It was a blessed feeling that they were willing to work along with our staff.”
Training was different, Warrior said.
Warrior has worked in the food industry in Columbus for almost 20 years. She is used to various issues that can arise from working in restaurants, but preparing to open Taranovas here presented challenges.
She had to learn the language, the recipes and how to replicate the food online.
“We aced it,” Warrior said. “And we’re ready.”
This type of restaurant is new to the Patel family, Palak said, but it’s also a new experience for people in Columbus. She is excited to go into this venture with her family.
“It’s completely amazing because, if you have support with family, you can do anything,” Palak said.
This story was originally published February 20, 2026 at 4:33 PM.
