Indian restaurant takes over Afghan spot The Mantu in Short Pump

Indian Aroma opened earlier this month at 11636 W. Broad St. (Jack Jacobs photos)

A father-and-son duo behind several Indian restaurants in Chesterfield has expanded their business to western Henrico.

Indian Aroma is now open at 11636 W. Broad St., in the Regal Cinemas-anchored Downtown Short Pump shopping center.

Co-owner Himanshu Singh said that he and his dad weren’t actively looking to plant their flag in the area, but decided to jump on a chance to buy The Mantu restaurant that previously occupied the space where Aroma opened earlier this month.

Singh said the location next to the movie theater was a draw, and that he hopes the restaurant is able to tap into the moviegoing crowd.

“We never thought about opening a restaurant in Short Pump until I found the exact, perfect location,” Singh said. “It caught my attention. I was like, I can’t leave this opportunity.”

In addition to Indian restaurant staples like chicken tikka masala ($17) and garlic naan ($4), Aroma also sells fusion dishes including chicken tikka poutine fries ($10) and butter chicken wings ($12). The restaurant’s lamb and goat dishes run $18 to $21, and vegetarian meals $14 to $16.

Singh said that it cost about $250,000 to transform what had been a pizza spot into Aroma. The restaurant has indoor seating for 50 people and a patio that can handle 20 to 25 diners.

“We were mainly focusing on having a nice, warm atmosphere and ambience. So we had to totally flip it with new furniture, flooring, new kitchen equipment, everything,” he said.

Indian Aroma occupies the space that was formerly home to The Mantu and before that, Two Guys Pizza.

The Singhs bought The Mantu’s Short Pump location from Hamid Noori, who last spring bought what had been the long-running Two Guys Pizza to launch a fast-casual restaurant there. What started as The Mantu Express evolved into a second location of Noori’s Carytown-based, sit-down Afghan restaurant during his brief run operating at the Short Pump location.

Singh and his father, Rampal, are friends with Noori and when he was looking to exit the Short Pump space, that presented an opportunity for the Singhs to expand north of the James River.

In Chesterfield, they run Pakwaan Indian Cuisine on Hull Street Road, their first restaurant that opened in 2018; Swagat Indian Cuisine on Centralia Road; and Taste of India on Midlothian Turnpike, which they bought several years ago. Last year, they purchased the local franchise of Vocelli Pizza on Hull Street Road.

Aroma joins other tenants at Downtown Short Pump including Barnes & Noble and chicken joint Hangry Joe’s. The recently closed Walgreens that occupied one of the center’s outparcels is now being eyed by Sheetz for a new location.

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