The Indian restaurant Bhuna operates on 21st Avenue in northwest Portland's Northwest District. Eater Portland has described the business as a "blue-tinged, window-lined"[5] and "sparsely decorated fast-casual spot".[6] The interior has blue-green walls and white subway tiles.[7]
Chef Deepak Kaul started Bhuna as a pop-up restaurant at Culmination Brewing in 2018,[10][11] before moving into a brick and mortar space on 21st Avenue on October 17;[4][12] the space had previously housed Dick's Kitchen.[13][14] Like many restaurants, Bhuna operated via take-out at times during the COVID-19 pandemic.[15] In 2023, Bhuna celebrated its fifth anniversary by hosting a potluck party featuring dishes from other local chefs.[16] For Diwali, the restaurant hosted a candle- and lamp-lit dinner after sundown. The dining room had a shrine to the Hindu gods Ganesha and Lakshmi, and the menu included gulab jamun, kheer, cardamom chocolate chip cookies, and mango kulfi.[17]
Kaul won in the Chef of the Year category of Eater Portland's annual Eater Awards in 2018.[18] Nick Woo included the Chettinad chicken in the website's 2019 list of thirteen "stellar" curries in the city,[19] and Waz Wu recommended Bhuna in a 2021 overview of recommended restaurants for "standout" vegan curries.[20]Eater Portland'sBrooke Jackson-Glidden included the masoor dal in a 2022 list of sixteen "sick day delivery standbys to order" in the city,[21] and Ron Scott included the business in a 2024 overview of "exceptional" Indian food in the Portland metropolitan area.[22]
In 2019, Willamette Week called Bhuna "a boon to the Portland area's small but vital group of worthwhile Indian restaurants",[23] and Portland Monthly said the restaurant had "the ambiance of a Chase Bank lobby, but don't let that stop you from sampling its simple, spice-laden bowls".[24] Krista Garcia included Bhuna in The Infatuation's 2024 list of the city's best restaurants.[25]
