New Restaurant Bringing Indian Food Back to Lorton

North Indian food is returning to Lorton. Aroma, which has two other locations in the D.C. metro area, will open in the place of the short-lived Mexican restaurant Pasilla, at 9429 Lorton Market St., which used to be an Indian food restaurant.

"The thing about three restaurants is consistency. People want predictable food—something they can count on," said manager Jose Mukherjee while digging into Paratha, a salad and a hot cup of chai Wednesday. "We plan to have a soft opening the first week in April and then a grand opening in May."

Indian to Mexican..and back to Indian 

Eight months ago, Pasilla was My Karma Indian Bistro, and owner Tony Gavri took a chance in converting the restaurant from Indian to Mexican. "It wasn't making it (as My Karma), to be honest," Gavri . "We had a very good following. Everybody loved the food, the service, the ambiance. I think some people were upset when we closed, but we needed to make a business decision to survive and to feed my family." 

Mukherjee thinks it was a hasty decision. "My Karma was doing pretty good. It seems like a move of desperation," he said. "We will now corner this market. There isn't another Indian restaurant in five square miles. The nearest one is in Woodbridge."

The 75-seater will also have free delivery within two miles of the restaurant. Mukherjee recommends the chicken tikka masala and butter chicken.

Aroma owner Daljeet Singh hails from New Delhi and worked as the manager of Bombay Palace for 10 years. Singh opened Aroma in D.C. in 1993, and the Shirlington location opened nine years later. The company is also an authorized vendor at high profile hotels, and plans are in the works to make meals for international airline companies.

They're Hiring 

Aroma in Lorton will employ 10 part-time staff, and the restaurant is hiring for all positions. "But I don't just want someone who is looking for a job. We want people interested in service," said Mukherjee.