Two Spots Serving Indian Fusion in Central Denver

"Fusion" is a word so ubiquitous, it's thoroughly meaningless — at least in the restaurant world (admittedly, it's a real thing in the field of nuclear physics). Denver has Cajun-Vietnamese, Latin-Asian and New Mexican-Filipino joints scattered around town, so how often are diners truly surprised by culinary mashups? Don't be too jaded: We were pleasantly surprised to find two spots — within a block of each other in central Denver — serving Indian fusion in the form of items like tikka masala pizza and lamb masala fries.

Little Star Mart at 300 East Sixth Avenue sells scratch tickets and six-packs; the convenience store isn't the joint most folks would envision for anything other than pre-wrapped sandwiches or roller-grill hot dogs.

But the spot, from the owner of Little India and Lil Coffea Shop next door, serves a short list of bar food staples (nachos, mozzarella sticks and the like) along with pizza offerings that include a trio of Indian-inspired pies: chicken tikka, paneer makhani and tandoori eggplant. The first two are topped with a mild, vaguely South Asian "masala sauce" and onions in addition to their namesake ingredients, while the latter boasts tandoori-style eggplant, cilantro and a jolt of tangy chaat masala. Order for pick-up or delivery at Grubhub; the pies start at $19 and can be augmented with toppings more familiar to an American audience. Pepperoni, pineapple and paneer, anyone?

Just half a block north, at 609 Grant Street, Gaia Masala & Burger opened two months ago in the spot formerly occupied by Illegal Burger. The fast-casual restaurant offers straight-up Indian dishes, a smattering of Mediterranean entrees like falafel and shawarma, and a handful of burgers. But dig deeper into the menu and you'll find the stuff that got us excited: neon-orange tikka masala cheesesteaks (made with beef at the restaurant's original Boulder location and chicken in Denver); a burger topped with mint, cucumber and tikka masala sauce; and (our fave!) cheesy masala fries served plain or loaded up with a choice of chicken, lamb or cheesesteak.

Raj Khwakhali, Gaia's project manager, says the unusual menu came about when the Boulder location opened its doors three years ago. "There are so many restaurants on the Hill, and the younger generation isn’t so fond of fine-dining Indian food," he notes. "College students are late customers, after 8 or 9 p.m. After that time, Indian food doesn’t do so well."
In an attempt to bring in more to-go customers, the operation wanted to create something new in addition to maintaining proven takeout offerings like wings and pizza. A Gaia chef who had previously worked at the University of Colorado (where he apparently honed his instincts about college students' tastes) came up with the idea of slathering tikka masala sauce on an otherwise par-for-the-course beef patty. A handful of pickled veggies later, Gaia's tikka masala burger was born. Khwakhali says that burger is one of the most popular items on the Denver menu, attributing it to the fact it's available in both vegetarian and vegan versions, though he also notes it's his favorite — and not just at Gaia. "Whenever I go into a quick-serve restaurant, I always try the burger," he admits.
The restaurant also offers three different burger variations for both vegetarians and vegans, as well as a vegetarian jackfruit cheesesteak. And you can get most of its Indian entrees made vegan, too. But in addition to wooing plant-based eaters, Gaia is one of the few Denver spots angling for late-night diners.

The Mile High City was a go-to-bed-early town even before COVID took its toll on nightlife, but Gaia's kitchen is open until 2 a.m. daily. Its small bar is currently serving under a temporary liquor license (Khwakhali notes that Denver is three months behind on issuing permanent liquor licenses). If you're visiting in person, don't be misled by the lack of a sign: Just make a beeline for the north end of the strip mall and order some cheesy lamb masala fries, stat. Call it Indian-Philly-bar food-all-American fusion.

Little Star Mart is open daily from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Denver's Gaia Masala & Burger is open daily from 2 p.m. to 2 a.m., and its Boulder store is open from 11 a.m. to 2 a.m. every day.