After years of driving by, I finally ate at the Indian restaurant

Taste of India in Buttonwillow — population 1,339 — has always drawn my eyeballs to its red pavilion-style roof and simple advertising. Words of encouragement — “try our vegan food” — appear on the rooftop in white lettering. 

The restaurant’s branding distinguishes itself from the roadside town, otherwise awash in generic logos for motels and gas companies. Approaching Buttonwillow, I-5 rises from an overpass to offer drivers a full view of the Central Valley village below. Taste of India is the first landmark that northbound drivers see when passing by this outpost west of Bakersfield. And, in each direction, it provides a milepost for the long drive ahead.

After years of passing by, I had to pull off the highway and finally try this classic roadside oddity.

The restaurant’s owners told me they recognized that their straightforward marketing ploy was a success after taking over in 2008. They have continued to capitalize on their proximity to the highway, in addition to beginning to branch out across the Central Valley. A second Taste of India recently opened in Lost Hills about 20 miles away. 

“When someone is hungry, they start to look for food — then they see the sign. The sign adds a lot,” said Malkit Sogy, a co-owner of the restaurant. He and his business partner, Pritpal, purchased Taste of India in 2008 after Pritpal, who owns a nearby gas station, ate at the restaurant and immediately saw an opportunity. 

Sogy said the entire business deal occurred across a single day; they ate, handed over a check and received the keys. 

There was already “Taste of India” in yellow letters on the roof when the two men purchased the restaurant, but they soon responded to customer demand. “A lot of people asked for vegan food, so we put it on the roof,” Sogy said. A new set of white letters soon appeared.

In 2016, they renovated the restaurant by removing its carpet and painting the ceiling black — a small design choice that helps cool off customers after they escape the outside heat. Madhu Yellaprada has worked as a server ever since the change of ownership and said the restaurant sees a significant boost whenever there’s heavier traffic on I-5, often on weekends or holidays.

Big rig truckers, who almost always order takeout, are loyal customers, Yellaprada said. To specifically cater to this clientele, Taste of India stocks a mini market of goods, including chai, portable gas stoves, Shakkar molasses powder and imported liquors from India. 

The Washington Post reported earlier this year that Punjabi truckers are dominating the Indian trucking industry, making up nearly 20% of the U.S. trucking industry. 

Akin to a roadside restaurant found across Pakistan and India called a dhaba, Taste of India provides a familiar cuisine and welcoming pit stop for Punjabi truckers hauling up the main California corridor. The restaurant is also a change of pace from the common road-trip fast food nosh and a chance for me to stretch my legs and dart from the desert humidity. 

I heard a variation of the homely Westminster Chimes play upon entering the front door. Inside, the walls are painted yellow and burgundy, a stark contrast to that jet-black canopy. Ceiling fans hummed in motion against soft, rhythmic Sikh hymns playing via YouTube. 

Yellaprada sprang from the counter to welcome me to a table within the cafeteria-style dining room and then pointed out the popular food items. “Everybody likes the butter chicken,” he said, noting the nonvegan side of the menu. “We only keep things that people want to eat.” 

I ordered the butter chicken, garlic naan and a dish off the now-famous vegan menu: mushroom matar in a curry sauce. The menu’s pricing was heavily redacted and updated due to inflation — a handwritten note at the bottom said the restaurant can change prices without notice — but $11 for a hearty bowl of Indian food is still a steal from a San Franciscan perspective. 

Taste of India in Buttonwillow, Calif., off Interstate 5, serves a variety of dishes, including butter chicken and shahi paneer, top left, and aloo gobi, top right. (Images via Yelp users Vishal S., Lindsay B., Jaron L., Kiersten Y.)
Taste of India in Buttonwillow, Calif., off Interstate 5, serves a variety of dishes, including butter chicken and shahi paneer, top left, and aloo gobi, top right. (Images via Yelp users Vishal S., Lindsay B., Jaron L., Kiersten Y.)

Dabbing some bites with mint chutney and scooping the rest with naan, I topped off my meal with a refreshingly creamy mango lassi, feeling satisfied and comforted by the indoor oasis. I contemplated the unintended side effect of saucier foods battling my bowels for the miles to come, but thankfully, the rest of the road trip went smoothly. Taste of India passed all my tests. 

Sogy mentioned that the restaurant’s biggest challenge is retaining a chef and employees. Like in other kitchens, there’s a lot of turnover, but the restaurant continues to employ eight people in Buttonwillow and three in Lost Hills. To help mediate their staffing issue, the restaurateurs, who both live in Bakersfield, purchased a home in Buttonwillow just for their staff and provided them with a car. Sogy hopes this will retain workers in the Central Valley outpost. 

On my way out the door, Yellaprada insisted on offering a cup of chai for the road. The sultry climate didn’t keep me from sipping on the spices as I blew past a sign for Los Angeles, just 120 miles away.