Santa Monica’s Hip New Indian Restaurant Should Open by March

An Indian food comeback story is underway in Santa Monica, with the inbound opening of Tumbi Craft Indian Kitchen on Santa Monica Boulevard in between 2nd and Ocean Avenues. The place has been a long time coming, but should surface for real in the next month or so.

Westside diners have long been eyeing the empty corner Tumbi space, surrounded as it is by popular names like Plan Check, Little Ruby, Stout, and Ye Olde King’s Head pub. The place was for a time a different Indian restaurant called Gate of India, which has since moved over to 5th Street. So now comes Tumbi, a pan-Indian spot focusing on lightly updated takes on a variety of regional cuisines. There will be staples like samosas on the menu, though much of the food will be presented as a more shared-plates experience, in line with typical restaurants today.

The long-gestating space itself is lined with brick and offers room for a few dozen diners at a clip. There’s an expansive back dining area that can double as a private dining space, and a patio up front on the sidewalk. The owner of Tumbi is none other than RJ Singh, who for years operated Tantra in Silver Lake (now Sawyer) and, before that, the original India’s Oven. He’s also the name behind the Sirtaj Hotel in Beverly Hills, and has quietly held the lease for the still-empty Tang’s Donuts corner location in Silver Lake for two years. As for an official opening timeline, expect something in about a month.

Tumbi Craft Indian Kitchen
115 Santa Monica Blvd.
Santa Monica, CA

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