Indian fusion restaurant Burger Naan to open in DeKalb

DeKALB – A new restaurant fusing fast-food and Indian cuisine is preparing to open its doors for business in downtown DeKalb as early as July.

Burger Naan will take over the establishment formerly occupied by longtime community staple Hillside Restaurant, 121 N. Second St. Hillside Restaurant closed in March after almost 70 years downtown.

Manager Syed Nasar said he is excited for the community to get a taste of what Burger Naan has to offer.

“It’s going to be a fusion of Indian as well as the Western,” Nasar said.

The restaurant’s menu will feature butter chicken, Italian beef, burgers, shakes, wings, chicken tandoor, gyros, hot dogs and chicken biryani, among other things.

[We’re] here for the students. We thought of keeping it open late nights for the students, especially for [Northern Illinois University].”

—  Syed Nasar, Burger Naan manager

At Burger Naan, Nasar said, everything is made to order.

“Everything is made fresh,” Nasar said. “It has its own unique taste. It won’t be spicy for people for who do not like spicy. It’ll be mild.”

Nasar said he has 36 years of experience in the fast-food industry. He said he also has previous experience running and operating his own restaurant.

“We used to have one on the South Side of Chicago,” Nasar said.

He said the idea behind fusing fast-food and Indian cuisine is nothing new to him.

“I’ve been doing this so long,” he said. “They’re going to see different fusions. The poutine is not that famous, but it’s one of the bestsellers in Canada. We use the fries with the cheese curd and the gravy. It’s known as poutine. Plus, I’m going to be doing the fusion like nobody has ever tried, like macaroni with butter chicken. I’m trying to make the fusion of Indian and Western.”

Nasar said the reason he chose to do business in DeKalb is because of the college-town atmosphere.

“Actually, you know, we see the community. [We’re] here for the students,” he said. “We thought of keeping it open late nights for the students, especially for [Northern Illinois University], for them eating at a reasonable pricing and late open night, until 12:30 to 1 a.m. [Also] so that it’s accessible for the students as well as for the DeKalb people, so they can see how the Indian food taste is the reason we choose DeKalb.”

Nasar said he is looking forward to getting to know the community better.

“I want to call the mayor and everybody from the city and from the chambers,” he said. “I want to invite them. I want to give them an invitation. I definitely want to be a part of the community.”