Hira Kunwar moved to Boulder from Nepal nearly 10 years ago for “the American dream.” And he’s become quite the success story.
Since opening Gaia Masala & Burger in 2019 on The Hill at the University of Colorado in Boulder, Kunwar and his business partner Nandalal Nyaupane have expanded into a second in Denver’s Capitol Hill neighborhood last year, and have a third on the way, which should debut at 1530 Blake St. by the end of August. “Hopefully there’s more and more to come,” Kunwar said.
Gaia Masala & Burger first caught the attention of hungry college students for its late-night Indian, Mediterranean and American fare, like tikki masala cheesesteaks and cheesy masala fries — craveable dishes that taste even better after a night on the town. The fusion restaurant’s Boulder location is open until 4 a.m., and the Denver spots serve food until 3 a.m.
When he first moved to Boulder, Kunwar said he worked his way up from dishwasher to head chef at CU Boulder’s food halls, where he met Nyaupane. Kunwar was more familiar with American cuisine, and Nyaupane considered himself an Indian chef, so the two decided to fuse the cuisines.
After finding a spot on The Hill, they met Yunish Wataban, who owned a since-closed Mediterranean restaurant in the same space. The owners decided to bring him on board as head chef, adding a Mediterranean section of the menu with gyros and shawarma.
“We were scared before we started this business since this was a completely new concept,” Kunwar said. “But the response from customers, who crave our unique dishes, has been so pleasant.”
Other fusion menu items include: a chicken tikka masala burger with mint, diced onion and cucumber, and tikka masala sauce; gyro pizza; peri peri wings; and jackfruit cheesesteaks. But there are also non-fusion dishes, including saag, biryani, samosas and korma, as well as hummus, falafel, and cheeseburgers, calzones, fries and onion rings.
And so far, their risk has paid off. Kunwar said they chose to stay open late, since there weren’t many options for “a party college like CU Boulder, where kids walk around until 5 a.m.,” which he saw while previously working part-time as a food delivery driver.
The new Denver location will be open until 3 a.m., like its predecessor. It will also have a cocktail list, unlike the Boulder location, with inventive drinks featuring Indian spices, plus some lunch specials to support the daily office traffic nearby, according to general manager Rose Neupane.
“We want to give our customers a unique experience, and now, it will be easier for more people to get to us and taste our cuisines from three different sides of the world,” Neupane said.
