As the Delmar Loop continues to develop eastward, vibrant and eclectic restaurants are popping up all over the Boulevard. One of the newest establishments is Gokul, a vegetarian and kosher Indian Restaurant. They have one other location, in Overland on Page Avenue.

Indian food connoisseurs, kosher food seekers, and Vegans/ Vegetarians trekked out to the Page location to enjoy Gokul’s rich and flavorful meals. Now that they have a Delmar location, many others can enjoy the authentic food. Since they opened in one of the most popular areas of St.Louis, our cities’ best-kept Indian good secret has been revealed.

Their buffet is a colorful rainbow of a million flavors, spices, and sauces. The restaurant is completely vegetarian so vegetables and cheese are replacements for meat. If you’re the kind of carnivore who doesn’t consider cheese and veggies a meal, Gokul is not the restaurant for you. However, if you enjoy vegetarian food or want authentic Indian flavors, this is the best place in St. Louis to go.

In 2009 Gokul won Best Vegetarian Food in the River Front Times because of their heavy use of butter to make up for the lack of meat and various stocks. Butter covers the oven-baked naan, flows through their korma, and sinks into each chunk of cheese and veggie. Making this vegetarian food experience one to look forward to, not dread. On first and third Monday of every month Gokul offers a vegan buffet between 5 pm and 9 pm.

The Delmar location is the only kosher restaurant in St. Louis. This is a huge deal for those who keep Kosher in the area because finding kosher options in St.Louis is extremely challenging. Jews who keep strict kosher have one of two options, to eat at home, or when they eat out to choose the most bland and simple dishes. When they do eat out, they either have to buy cooking utensils for the restaurant or question the waiter intensely on what else goes into the pots and pans they will be using. Most orthodox Jews never have the opportunity to eat outside their home or the homes of their friends and family. Considering how large the Jewish community is in St. Louis, it’s very surprising that it took this long for a kosher restaurant to open.

For their first few weeks of business On Delmar, they will only offer a buffet, but a full menu will come soon. The buffet goes for around $10 and any dish of the menu is between $5 and $12. One of the best dishes on the buffet is Gokul’s Panner Tikka Masala. This dish is Gokul’s fresh homemade cheese cooked with bell peppers, tomatoes and onions in a creamy garlic and tomato sauce. Paired with rice or naan, this dish is perfection. Their vegetable korma is thick with all kind of flavorful vegetables. They use sweet potato instead of plain ones to make this dish their own. While their deserts are not too tasty or exciting, their long list of exotic shakes and Lassis make up for it.

Gokul, located at 6101 Delmar, is a new, exciting, and delicious edition to the Delmar loop and the Kosher/ Vegetarian community. A great place to dine in, or take out, the environment is warm and welcoming but the food would taste just as good and authentic if you took it home to your own kitchen.