GAINESVILLE, FL (352today.com) – Amrit Palace is a well-known family-owned Indian restaurant based in Ocala that opened in 1996. What originally began as a small restaurant meant to last until the retirement of Satnam Singh and his wife became the passion project of his son, Harpreet “Harp” Singh in 2023. Now, the restaurant has grown exponentially as the Singh family is preparing to open their second location.

Amrit Palace serves a variety of authentic Indian cuisine featuring chicken, lamb, tandoori and seafood. They offer a lunch special tray where guests can choose two items between curry, masala, aloo gobhi and palak paneer, a choice of side, a choice of tandoori roti and naan and a choice of gulab jamun and rice pudding. The dessert menu features rice pudding, mango ice cream, gulab jamun and mango cheesecake.

Although the original plan was to build a second location in Tampa or St. Petersburg, the now-defunct Hooters at 3105 SW 34th St., Gainesville closed its doors in June of last year, allowing the perfect opportunity for the Singh family to take its place. Renovations on the expansion are currently underway as Harp Singh builds everything by hand, showing dedication to the family business. They are optimistic about a late January opening date with plans to cater the menu to the new community.

Singh shared that although changes to the menu can be a challenge, they plan to listen to the feedback of their customers and adapt as they go to provide the best quality. He also shared that the hardest part about the expansion has been keeping the charm of the Ocala location while keeping customers happy with the personal touches locals love. However, they are excited to expand to a new community and serve a wider population.

This expansion is highly anticipated for the Singh family and community alike with Indian cuisine and a personal touch proving to be a local hot spot. It doesn’t end there, however, as Singh shared excitement about more expansion in the future.