Bhuna sits on NW 21st Avenue in Northwest Portland, where chef Deepak Kaul cooks the cuisine of his native Kashmir alongside dishes drawn from across India's regions. Kaul immigrated to the U.S. from Kashmir in 1980, grew up in New Jersey, and studied biology at Boston University before turning to kitchens in Cambridge, San Francisco, New York, and London — including stints at Jardiniere and Union Pacific — ahead of opening Bhuna to cook from his own heritage.
The menu moves beyond a single regional style: Chettinad chicken, Kashmiri palak paneer, Goan pork vindaloo, and Kashmiri lamb rogan josh sit alongside vegetable dishes like tomato and eggplant or kohlrabi and collards, rounded out by turmeric basmati rice, masoor dal, naan, raita, and mango pickle.
Regulars point to Kaul's hospitality as much as the cooking, and to Bhuna as one of the few places on the West Coast serving Kashmiri food specifically rather than folding it into a broader Indian menu.
The menu moves beyond a single regional style: Chettinad chicken, Kashmiri palak paneer, Goan pork vindaloo, and Kashmiri lamb rogan josh sit alongside vegetable dishes like tomato and eggplant or kohlrabi and collards, rounded out by turmeric basmati rice, masoor dal, naan, raita, and mango pickle.
Regulars point to Kaul's hospitality as much as the cooking, and to Bhuna as one of the few places on the West Coast serving Kashmiri food specifically rather than folding it into a broader Indian menu.