Amiya Offers Unique Indian Dining Experience

A . Its name is Amiya, and owners say the eatery hopes to put a unique spin on Indian food in eastern Morris County.

“Our cuisine is different in a sense that we have a lot of signature items. It’s not just the typical curries that you think of when you think of Indian food,” said Amiya's Puja Lal. “We introduce ingredients that you wouldn’t find in Indian dining, but in more contemporary dining. We’ve combined that with traditional Indian ingredients to come up with a new menu.”

Amiya also features a large bar with a small plate menu, a signature cocktail menu, catering for weddings and other special events and two party rooms for corporate or residential events.

The owners say they hope the eatery's diverse menu and unique amenities will bring traffic into the Route 46 location from all over Parsippany and surrounding towns.

“We’re such a centralized location. There are some really good towns—Montville, Pine Brook, Mountain Lakes, Denville—and it’s kind of central for all of these big towns,” said Amiya's Keta Agarwal. “We’re in close proximity to the highways from this location. Not only is there a large Indian population, but it’s a mix of all kinds of clients, residential and corporate.”

That and familiarity were the deciding factors in the opening of the restaurant’s Par-Troy location, which is the sister site of a restaurant of the same name in Jersey City.

“We’ve been open in Jersey City for the last seven years, and we’ve been looking for a second location in this area because we’re all from this area. We’ve lived here for over 10 years, so we all know this area really well,” Lal said. “We do our business here, we eat out here, we have bank accounts here; that’s why we chose Parsippany.”

Since the new business opened, word has spread quickly about its existence. This has occurred thanks to the support of local officials, including Mayor James Barberio and President Robert Peluso, who celebrated Amiya's grand opening at a February ribbon-cutting ceremony. The PACC also provided the fledgling enterprise with practical advice on advertising and promotions.

“We did a large mailing when we were opening saying that we were coming soon, and a lot of people came because of that,” Lal said. “We’re also doing another large mailing of our menus now, which is covering most of Parsippany and neighboring towns. We hope to get featured in every local paper, so hopefully, people will be reading about us.”

Above all else in this unique location, Lal said, what stands out the most about Amiya is its atmosphere.

“You wouldn’t find this type of restaurant [anywhere else] in this area,” he said.