Houston is full of culture, and we show this best through our food. That goes for the outskirts of town, too. If you’re ever in the NASA area, you’ll still be able to find some great restaurants that offer a taste of the city’s diversity.

Noon Mirch in Webster is one of these gems. Opened in 1989, fueled by Monica Nanda’s passion for food and sharing her Indian culture with those in the area, the family-owned restaurant has since become a stronghold in the community for its take on Indian food and customer-first mindset. Now, after 35 years, the torch has been passed down to her son, Navul Nanda, who is ready to take the restaurant to the next level.

“We’ve added our own touch to it, but to succeed, I think you just have to be like the way my mom is—she’s really tough,” Navul says. “She always tells me to never give up.”

Monica struggled at the beginning of her journey to Noon Mirch: She didn’t fully realize what she was getting into when she entered the male-dominated restaurant industry, and faced hostility even from some of her own employees. Working in the kitchen, she would get burned by hot skewers people left on the counters and was ignored by cooks when asking for help to learn new things.

One day, the head chef and his nephew, who worked on the tandoor, didn’t show up to work. The dishwasher stepped in—as it turns out, he had been observing the cooks and writing the recipes down on napkins, memorizing what they were doing. The dishwasher moved to the tandoor, and Monica took on making the curries. That was when she really began to master the art of cooking her cuisine.

As Monica fine-tuned her skills, other hardships out of her control affected the restaurant. When Saddam Hussein invaded Kuwait in 1990 and President George H.W. Bush sent troops to the Middle East, there was a sense of fear in America, Navul says. No one was spending money. As the Gulf War ramped up, sales at Noon Mirch plummeted. Her profits for that entire month were around $500. She thought about just shutting the restaurant down. “But something in her told her, ‘no, I can do this,’” Navul says.

She kept pushing through, and Noon Mirch eventually got back on its feet. During times when there wasn’t a head chef or staff changes happened in the kitchen, you could find Monica back there, cooking herself, and training people along the way.

Noon Mirch was going strong until 2020. Amid the pandemic shutdowns and other issues, Monica and her husband, Vijay, began to think about their next steps. After buying the shopping center Noon Mirch is in, they told Navul they would sell the restaurant to him if he wanted it. Following a conversation with his wife, Annika, they decided to take on the venture. He jokes they even got a family discount.

Navul has been practically working in the family restaurant since he was 9 years old. As a young boy, he remembers learning about the importance of high-quality ingredients, food safety, and how to cook items from Noon Mirch’s menu. He also owns a Dairy Queen in Cypress and is familiar with how to run a business.

Although the decision to pass the restaurant down to the couple happened in 2020, they didn’t purchase it until April of this year. Annika, a biology major who's worked in research labs, says this is mainly because a lot of training had to be done.

“We first came [to the restaurant] to help Navul’s mom out, but then we realized that we enjoyed it,” Annika says. “I was in the front interacting with customers, and I realized there was so much nostalgia here with the regulars.”

While Annika was being taught the front, Navul was in the back of house gaining knowledge of the different spices, recipes, and cooking techniques used at Noon Mirch. Like his mom, Navul also faced some challenges in the kitchen. He had to earn the trust of the folks in the back and prove to them that they’re all on the same team.

“The perception was ‘you’re just the owner’s son, what do you know?’” Navul says. “But then they kind of realized that I can do the job, too.”  

The most important thing the couple has learned is the difference between eating a dish and truly tasting it to decipher its flavor palate and the spices in it. Navul says his mom has a special talent that allows her to reverse-engineer any dish and turn it into something even better, which is ultimately their goal.

Under the new ownership of Annika and Navul, one of the biggest changes regulars will see to Noon Mirch is a new beverage program. The Nandas are working to appeal to younger diners with cocktails, wines from family-owned vineyards, and craft beers from local breweries. They also plan to make pairing recommendations for diners’ meals.

Being in a melting pot like Houston, Navul says he’s seeing more fusion food on menus around town. Noon Mirch will be adding more items to keep up with the times. They’ve already debuted an everything bagel naan stuffed with cream cheese and topped with smoked salmon, a play on the bagel sandwich using naan bread seasoned with everything bagel. The Nandas have also introduced a pumpkin-flavored curry to ride the pumpkin spice trend that takes over the holiday season, as well as lamb sliders, a play on the American miniburger with an Indian filling.

Of course, traditional menu items remain at Noon Mirch, like the butter chicken, tandoori chicken, and chicken dum biryani. Navul says their version of butter chicken is different from some other Indian restaurants in its attention to detail with the spices used—18 to be exact—and the ratio of tomato sauce, cream, and butter. The sauce tastes rich and doesn’t feel like you’re eating chicken topped with spaghetti sauce like at some other restaurants, he says.

More changes are coming in 2025. The Nandas want to add an Indian take on tacos and a butter chicken sushi roll, but nothing will be solidified until the recipes are at their best. They’d like to eventually revamp the whole menu, adding more vegan and vegetarian options. It’s a slow process—Annika acknowledges that sometimes when drastic changes are made, it can deter regulars. With many ideas being developed and a bright future ahead, the goal for now is to continue to build on the hard work of Navul’s mom.

“Now it’s up to us,” Navul says. “We have big shoes to fill.”