Indus Progressive Indian, the highly-acclaimed Highland Park restaurant reimagining traditional Indian cuisine through a modern lens, is celebrating its second anniversary with the launch of Indus 2.0: a refreshed new menu centered around shared plates to meet the needs of the modern diner. Indus opened its doors at 617 Central Avenue in summer 2024, led by husband-and-wife team Ajit and Sukhu Kalra. Since then, Indus has taken Chicago's culinary scene by storm, building a reputation for inventive, modern cuisine, bold spice work, scratch-made cooking, and a design-forward dining room that serves as the perfect backdrop for every occasion. The new menu, available beginning September 1, serves up the best of the Indus experience via a shared-plates format built for grazing and connecting with loved ones over new flavors, served alongside a selection of some of their beloved full-size entrées.
Ajit and Sukhu, longtime Highland Park residents, first introduced Chicago to their cooking through Bhoomi Modern Indian Grill, the stall they opened in September 2021 at what was then Chicago's Urban Space Food Hall, and had planned to open a second fine dining concept in Lincoln Park. Those plans changed after the July 2022 mass shooting at Highland Park's Fourth of July parade, when the Kalras chose instead to bring their full-service restaurant vision to their own downtown, determined to help restore a sense of joy and gathering to the community they call home. Ajit, whose late father Jiggs Kalra was one of India's most celebrated restaurateurs, food writers, and television personalities, brings that lifelong immersion in Indian food culture to every dish on the menu. That commitment has been recognized well beyond Highland Park: Indus was named Best Suburban Restaurant in the Chicago Tribune's 2024 Readers' Choice Food Awards and has been honored by Eater Chicago as one of the city's Most Anticipated Restaurant Openings and Best Indian Restaurants.
The new menu leans further into that shared-plates format, while holding onto many of the dishes and techniques Indus regulars know and love. New additions to the small-plates lineup include eggplant chutney, Lamb Keema pao, halibut in citrus butter, crispy tangy Bhel, duck kebabs finished with a balsamic reduction; chargrilled lamb chops with herb chimmichutney; and a pork belly vindaloo that's cured for seven days, hickory-smoked for twelve hours, and braised in a three-day fermented sauce. Guests craving a full plate can still order the entrées Indus is known for: the 20-hour smoked masala brisket, trio of dough-sealed biryanis made with vegetables, pasture-raised chicken, or grass-fed goat. Other favorites include their executive chef Vetri’s coastal fish curry and the vegan coconut curry.
Of course, the beloved Mamma’s cholle (Sukhu's mother's chickpea recipe) with crispy poori will continue to be a feature on the menu. Sukhu grew up in the elegant city of Chandigarh in an obsessively foodie family that prioritized artisanal, farm to table dining for all their meals. They invested in farmland where local farmers would supply fresh dairy, vegetables, and milled grains to their home for everyday cooking and hosting friends and family.
The new menu is designed to be explored alongside Indus's wine and cocktail program, which has become as much a part of the restaurant's identity as the food itself. The bar draws on Indian spirits and flavors not commonly found on Chicago menus, including artisan Indian whiskeys, gins, and house-made syrups and extracts, in cocktails like the Kokum Mezcal, Indian Bird and Dirty Chai Martini, alongside an expanded menu featuring made from scratch zero-proof cocktails. The wine list – which is celebrated by and draws oenophiles from all over Chicagoland spans Indus's own exclusive McArthur Ridge Vineyard bottlings of Pinot Noir and Sauvignon Blanc from Central Otago, New Zealand, to a deep bench of highly allocated old and new world wines, offered through an industry leading Coravin reserve program that lets guests order rare pours by the glass.
With its new shared-plates format, Indus continues to evolve as a destination for both first-time guests discovering Indian flavors and longtime regulars looking for something new to explore. For reservations, catering inquiries, or more information, visit www.eatindus.com. Reservations are available on Resy.