Aruna Cafe, Santa Fe

I found out about Aruna Cafe by reading The Bite, August 14th, version 6 which is an online food newsletter from Edible New Mexico.

Aruna Cafe is a to-go Southern Indian Food Cafe located on 1314 Rufina Circle. Every Monday, the menu is posted on Facebook and The Aruna Cafe website. Pickup is on Friday. There are scheduled times starting from 5:05 to the last pick up at 6:50. I ordered online at the Aruna Cafe website. When we arrived at our appointed time of 5:25, there was a line of three people. I always feel better about a new place if there is a line ahead of me.

We had a three course dinner for two for 44.00 plus tax . So for 46.94, we had an exquisite Southern Indian Food Experience. The man ahead of me explained that the Chef also cooked at Paper Dosa. I had read that in the article from The Bite. He also told me that Chef Dhiru was a master of spices. He puts together spice combinations that taste incredible and you have no idea which spices that the Chef uses. This was also useful intel.

There was a short wait because Chef Dhiru was cooking the vegetable fried rice. The rice was still warm when we got home. All good!

We had an beautiful Asian Vegetable salad made with Napa Cabbage, pickled radish cucumber, and roasted cashews that was served with a side of Sesame Ginger dressing. This was vegan and also gluten free. It tasted as good as it looked.

The second course was a delicious cauliflower Manchurian which was flash fried cauliflower florets tossed in homemade sauce. This dish was vegan, gluten-free and nut-free. I couldn’t believe this was cauliflower. The onions and pepper added to the complexity of this dish. Ok, anything fried is usually delicious but this was beyond delicious.

Vegetable Fried Rice was some of the best fried rice I have ever eaten. It contained fried rice with vegetables like peas, sliced green beans, onions, and I requested eggs. This dish was gluten and nut free.

This is what The Bite had to say about Aruna Cafe on Saturday Aug 14, 2021, version 6. “We’ve heard wonderful things about the uttapam at Aruna Cafe in Santa Fe, created by a veteran of Paper Dosa. Chef Dhiru’s first pop-up was two years ago at the Folk Art Market; Aruna is now using a takeout model. Order by Wednesday for Friday’s dinner. “

Aruna Cafe is located at 1314 Rufina Circle A3, they are right next to one of my all time favorites, Alicia’s Totilleria. PickUp Hours at 5-7 on Friday ONLY. You can order on-line starting on Monday. Their phone number is 505.310.7902 if you have questions or want to pay in cash.

Please remember to tip. These people are working hard, so tip on carry-outs.

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