Navi Kitchen, an American café with Indian flavors — and sister restaurant to Juhu Beach Club — opened last week for breakfast in Emeryville. The James Beard-nominated Preeti Mistry says “the concept came out from the space, and what we were excited about,” she explained during a recent phone chat. She says she and her wife/partner Ann Nadeau also thought about the neighborhood, “What people would want or need.” Her answer? There are scant breakfast options in the mostly residential Emeryville, so Mistry and Nadeau kept to the space’s previous café concept — it used to be occupied by Basic Café. But Mistry also was inspired by the hipster cafes in Mumbai, which serve American food alongside a daily curry. Last week, they began serving dishes on the “Brekkie” section on the menu, from 8 a.m. to noon. That means avocado toast with Indian spices, or Mistry’s take on a breakfast sandwich: the Mumbai morning burger, with pork-ginger sausage, chutney and a fried egg. Starting this Wednesday and running through Sunday, they plan to add lunch service: soups and salads, plus a “comforting” menu with dishes such as a curry meatball sub, tikka masala mac ’n’ cheese, and a daily “tiffin,” or light meal. Dinner will feature Indian-flavored pizzas, including the Kheema Kale with a meat sauce on the bottom (“Indian sloppy joe”), covered with three cheeses and topped with massaged Lacinto kale.
5000 Adeline St, Emeryville, NaviKitchen.com.
