Red Hot Chili Pepper, Evanston's 1st Indo-Chinese Restaurant, Opening This Summer

Indo-Chinese food's popularity continues to grow, as it's now arriving in suburban Evanston. Hopefully attorneys won't get upset this time like they did at Piece, but the singular noun-named Red Hot Chili Pepper plans on opening by August, according to the Daily Northwestern. The restaurant would be Ramakant Kharel's second, as he also owns Mt. Everest, an Indian/Nepalese spot also in Evanston.

RHCP will go inside a former Giordano's at 500 Davis St. that closed last year. Indo-Chinese fusion isn't anything new. Imagine stir-fried noodles—Hakka noodles—flavored with the heat from Indian spices. For diners who are fans of pot stickers, Indo-Chinese dumplings—not too different from Nepalese momos—come stuffed with minced lamb or veggies found in Indian appetizers such as deep-fried samosas or vadais. Hoffman Estates' Bombay Chopsticks has served these dishes for years in the Northwest Suburbs. It's run by India House, and even at their flagship restaurants and city spots like Gaylord Fine Indian Cuisine, they've expanded their menu to offer more Indo-Chinese items on their menus, recognizing its surging popularity.

But city dwellers don't have to travel under a bridge or ride a roller coaster to find this food. Over on Devon Avenue, Usmania Chinese restaurant serves up those dishes, offering Halal items that cater to Muslims, especially those in the Pakistani population. Red Hot Chili Pepper over in Evanston will have seating for 85 within a 3,000 square-foot-space, reported The Daily Northwestern.