When customers enter Kabab and Curry on Ninth Street, they enter a hidden retreat. Beneath ornate copper panels that engulf the ceiling and past the fragrant spice jars that line the entrance are spacious booths topped with red napkins.
“We care about what the customer wants,” said Dinesh Naharki, one of the restaurant’s two owners.
Housed in the building that was once Blue Corn Cafe, Kabab and Curry is Ninth Street’s newest restaurant, with a menu comprising both North Indian and Nepali dishes that reflects its owners’ culinary roots.
From masala to momos
The Durham restaurant is a spinoff of another restaurant by the same name that opened in Raleigh 11 years ago.
After Blue Corn Cafe closed in December, Naharki, 39, and his partner Panche Moktan, 40, rushed to claim the space and spent the following several months renovating and redesigning the interior for its grand opening on June 25.
Spending their early lives in Nepal, Naharki and Moktan grew up with the flavors and dishes of both Nepali and Indian cuisines. That shows in the restaurant’s menu selections.
Kabab and Curry serves a variety of Indian curry and masala dishes, dals and tandoori meats, as well as Nepali snacks like chili chicken and chili paneer, and momos: thick, pillowy pouches of dough stuffed with spicy chicken or vegetables served with chutney that are a staple of Nepali cuisine.
Naharki and Moktan agree that their most popular dishes among Durham customers are the staple Indian dishes on the front of the menu.
“Our most popular dishes are definitely the butter chicken, the chicken tikka masala and garlic naan,” Naharki said.
In addition to butter chicken, Naharki especially likes goat balti, an Afghani-inspired curry made with cinnamon and other spices, cooked with vegetables and goat meat. Moktan’s favorites include momos.
Although North Indian and Nepali cuisines contain similar spices and ingredients, the two cuisines have distinct forms and flavors.
Kabab and Curry’s Indian dishes use bold, aromatic spice blends as well as creams and coconut milk to build thick, saucy dishes like masalas, curries and vindaloo. The Nepali dishes use lighter flavors and ingredients, including steamed vegetables, fresh ginger, and fresh herbs such as cilantro. The sichuan pepper used in spicy dishes like chili chicken and chili-infused momos is widely used in Nepali cooking, according to Naharki.
“Some items on the menu, in the Nepali cuisine, use a different pepper called sichuan to bring them a more authentic flavor,” said Naharki.
The journey to Durham
While Naharki and Moktan both grew up in Kathmandu, Nepal, they first met in Qatar. The two followed parallel careers working in hospitality until their paths intersected while working for Qatari Airways in 2006.
Later that year, they both moved to North Carolina, settling in Morrisville.
“We are on the same journey,” said Naharki.
The two had complementary skills to complete the restaurateur duo: Naharki manned the front-of-house, serving and waiting tables, and Moktan manned the back, cooking. Moktan improved his craft beyond the standard line cook gig, learning from online classes and from other chefs at Third Eye Momo and Grill in Cary and Curry House in Wake Forest, where he worked with Naharki before they began at Kabab and Curry.
After 13 years of working in food service around the Triangle, Naharki and Moktan started at Kabab and Curry’s Raleigh location in 2019, where they both became managers. And in 2025, they took the next step in their journey together:
“We always worked for other people. If we [had] our own business, then we could get more experience, and have a better relationship with the [customers]. That’s why we decided,” said Naharki.
So the two became the owners of the second Kabab and Curry venture, and looked towards Durham, specifically Ninth Street, to open their new restaurant. They hoped the restaurant would appeal to international students, among others.
“Durham is this really good location, especially with Duke’s college and the hospital,” said Naharki. “And Ninth Street is really good for business, so we came here.”
The restaurant runs seven days a week, from 11:30 a.m. to 10 p.m., to accommodate customers’ schedules. Noticing that many Ninth Street restaurants close at 9 p.m., Naharki and Moktan decided to keep Kabab and Curry’s doors open until 10 p.m. to accommodate late diners. They also do not close the restaurant at midday, instead staggering staff breaks so the dining room can stay open continuously.
“If someone gets out of a meeting at 2 and all of the restaurants close at 2:30, then they have nowhere to eat. We get that some people only have one time to eat,” said Naharki.
Wilmington resident Christy Jones, 62, visited the restaurant while on a trip to Durham on Monday, deciding to grab lunch there before a doctor’s appointment.
Sitting in a large, turquoise cushioned booth towards the back of the dining room, near one of many glass raindrop chandeliers hanging from the copper ceiling, she watched as her order — chicken vindaloo, a spicy, tangy, and deep-orange curry dish, with a side of basmati rice — arrived in shallow silver bowls.
“The food was excellent,” said Jones as she waited on a to-go box. “And I’ll take it back for dinner tonight, and maybe even lunch tomorrow.”
At top: Owners Dinesh Naharki (left) and Panche Moktan (right) both hail from Kathmandu, Nepal. Photo by Halle Vazquez — The 9th Street Journal
