Sai Indian Cuisine
Amarillo’s restaurant culture tends to circulate rather than regenerate. Prominent chefs move from one kitchen to another. Servers at one location pop up at a new restaurant. Reliable, successful operators may introduce new concepts, but they’re often drawing from the same creative energy.
That’s not a complaint. It results in a reliable and surprisingly robust restaurant scene. Nevertheless, in a mid-sized city like ours, it’s rare that someone arrives from outside and introduces something new.
That’s exactly what happened in early 2024 with the launch of the family-owned Sai Indian Cuisine at 3701 Olsen Blvd. Suddenly, Amarillo’s Indian culinary scene—long dominated by Indian Oven and It’s a Punjabi Affair—had a new flavor.
That year, Siva Seelam and his nephew Sai Gonparthi, along with their families, moved to Amarillo from the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex, where they had been managing Indian restaurants since the 1990s. Seelam immigrated to the U.S. from India in 1980, and entered the restaurant business in 1988 after moving to Texas from California.
Ultimately, the family was drawn to the Texas Panhandle by a simpler lifestyle and reduced competition—especially compared to the Metroplex.
“When I opened in 1996, at that time, there was no Indian restaurant in Dallas,” Seelam says. “Right now, it’s almost 300 restaurants.” The increasing competition made it harder and harder for the family to relax. They were hustling. “I lived 25 years worrying, then I said I can go [to Amarillo] for a religious, peaceful life. That’s why I can move here.”
The family had a friend in Canyon who kept inviting them to check out the area, knowing that the market could support another quality Indian restaurant. They visited, found the Olsen location—which was once home to the late, great Brent’s Cafe and already had a fully equipped kitchen—and decided it was time to make a move.
Sai opened in March 2024 and, within just two weeks, captured attention right out of the gate. They offer a robust evening menu and, at lunch, a traditional Indian buffet.
“People like the buffet,” Seelam says.
The family hails from Andhra Pradesh on the east coast of southern India. Because of its proximity to the coast, the South Indian culinary tradition is more coconut-based, with tangy and spicy flavors. Amarillo diners have reacted with enthusiasm. “It’s very good,” Gonparthi says about business. “To be honest, you are overwhelmed. People are so nice and just different [from the Dallas area]. We get a lot of travelers and the reviews are also very nice, very positive.”
Popular dishes include a variety of curries (vegetarian, chicken, seafood, and lamb and goat), along with tandoori and biryani dishes. The weekday buffet offers plenty of opportunities to sample these.
The real standouts, however, are some of the uniquely South Indian sides from the menu, like idli (steamed rice cakes) and enormous, crepe-like dosa (made from a fermented rice batter). The naan, baked in a clay oven, is perfectly soft and doughy, accompanied by flavorful dipping sauces, including a coconut chutney.
Customers in the know wash the rich flavors down with Sai’s specialty mango lassi, a sweet, smoothie-like drink made from mango pulp and homemade yogurt. During one recent lunch buffet, about 75 percent of the tables seemed to be sipping on lassi.
“God blessed me,” Seelam says. “I’m a lucky guy.”
3701 Olsen Blvd.
806.437.1399
saiindiancuisine.com
