Masala Lab PDX

Masala Lab
Interactive map of Masala Lab
Restaurant information
ClosedJanuary 26, 2025 (2025-01-26)
OwnerDeepak Saxena
ChefDeepak Saxena
Food type
  • Indian
  • Indian American
  • Indian fusion
  • Modern Indian
Location5237 Northeast Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard, Portland, Multnomah, Oregon, 97211, United States
Coordinates45°33′40″N 122°39′43″W / 45.5612°N 122.6619°W / 45.5612; -122.6619

Masala Lab PDX (also known as Masala Lab + Market, or simply Masala Lab) was an Indian restaurant and former commissary kitchen in Portland, Oregon. Chef and owner Deepak Saxena operated the business in northeast Portland's King neighborhood, serving gluten-free fusion cuisine such as fritters, sandwiches with Indian ingredients, and shrimp and grits. Masala Lab garnered a generally positive reception.

The restaurant closed permanently in January 2025.

Description

The restaurant Masala Lab operated in northeast Portland's King neighborhood. It served Indian breakfast food as well as Indian interpretations of "classic" American cuisine, according to Willamette Week. Brooke Jackson-Glidden and other Eater Portland writers described Masala Lab as an Indian American restaurant. Fodor's said the restaurant had "colorful purple-and-green color scheme, soaring ceilings with exposed air ducts, and lots of hanging plants", and served a "modern mashup of Indian cuisine and comfort brunch fare".

The gluten-free menu included: a BLT with ghee, tomato chutney, and bacon; shrimp and grits with coconut milk polenta and shrimp tikka mole; and a fritter with chicken or mushrooms. The kitchari had rice dal with cabbage, salad, and pickled eggs. Masala Lab also served chaat hash, saagshuka, scrambled egg bowls with burrata, and cocktails, including a chai hot toddy. The lunch menu had sandwiches made with New Cascadia bread and served with dal, a rotating soup, bean salad, or vadouvan pasta salad, as well as other salads and snacks. A tuna fish sandwich called the Tandoori Tuna had tuna from the Oregon Coast, poached in coconut milk and mustard oil. Another sandwich on the menu had saag paneer and Gorge Greens with turmeric mustard dressing. The Masala Mary, a version of a Bloody Mary, had garam masala green chutney, amchoor, Kashmiri red chile, and a cumin rim.

History

Masala Lab PDX initially operated as a commissary kitchen. It hosted Desi PDX as a pop-up restaurant.

In July 2022, Masala Lab + Market relocated to a brick and mortar space on Northeast Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard, in the space that previously housed Horn of Africa. In November, chef and owner Deepak Saxena developed and launched a lunch menu with sandwiches, salads, and other snacks.

In December 2022, Saxena partnered with chef Jeremy Fong to serve a Chinese-fusion, family-style Christmas dinner with samosa egg rolls, shrimp-smeared eggplant, and Bengali five-spice fried rice. In 2023, the restaurant had soy-free vegan Christmas dinner meal kits with masala-spiced stuffing, black bean tamale pie, coconut and sweet potato soup, and a winter salad. Cornish hen and pork loin were also available to diners.

The restaurant closed permanently on January 26, 2025. The Balkan restaurant Alma later operated in the space.

Reception

Fodor's said Masala Lab's food "isn't quite like anything even offbeat Portland has ever seen before". In 2022, Michael Russell included Masala Lab in The Oregonian's list of Portland's 25 best new restaurants, and said the business offered the city's best Indian fusion brunch. He called the restaurant "inventive" in 2023.

Zoe Baillargeon and Janey Wong included the Masala Lab in Eater Portland's 2024 overview of recommended eateries for a "real-deal" breakfast in the city, writing: "Masala Lab may serve some of the most intricate breakfast dishes in town, with nuanced layers of flavor and texture." Sararosa Davies included the business in the website's 2024 overview of Portland's "knockout" gluten-free restaurants and bakeries.

See also

References

  1. 1 2 Frane, Alex (February 12, 2019). "Where to Celebrate Valentine's Day in Portland". Eater Portland. Archived from the original on March 8, 2022. Retrieved May 24, 2024.
  2. 1 2 "The Best Takeout and Dine-In for Holiday Meals in Portland". Portland Monthly. Archived from the original on December 13, 2023. Retrieved May 24, 2024.
  3. 1 2 3 4 "The Chef-Owner Behind DesiPDX Is Opening a Gluten-Free Indian Brunch Restaurant This Summer". Willamette Week. June 16, 2022. Archived from the original on July 9, 2022. Retrieved May 24, 2024.
  4. ↑ Jackson-Glidden, Brooke (January 11, 2024). "Ahead of the Forecasted Snowstorm This Weekend, Portland Chefs Are Selling 'Snowpocalypse Kits'". Eater Portland. Archived from the original on March 18, 2024. Retrieved May 24, 2024.
  5. 1 2 Baillargeon, Zoe (February 16, 2016). "Where to Find a Real-Deal Breakfast in Portland". Eater Portland. Archived from the original on November 12, 2020. Retrieved May 24, 2024.
  6. ↑ Scott, Ron (June 9, 2017). "Where to Find Exceptional Indian Food in Portland and the Nearby Suburbs". Eater Portland. Archived from the original on February 15, 2022. Retrieved May 24, 2024.
  7. 1 2 3 Fodor's:
  8. ↑ Jackson-Glidden, Brooke (June 16, 2022). "The Man Behind Desi PDX Will Open Indian Brunch Spot Masala Lab". Eater Portland. Archived from the original on March 18, 2024. Retrieved May 24, 2024.
  9. ↑ Jackson-Glidden, Brooke (May 10, 2023). "Chef Deepak Saxena's Indian American Sandwich Spot Reopens as a Food Cart This Week". Eater Portland. Archived from the original on December 1, 2023. Retrieved May 24, 2024.
  10. ↑ Jackson-Glidden, Brooke (June 21, 2023). "Ask Eater: I'm a Gluten-Free Vegetarian. Where Can I Go Out to Eat?". Eater Portland. Archived from the original on December 7, 2023. Retrieved May 24, 2024.
  11. ↑ "Where to Drink in Portland This Week". Willamette Week. November 23, 2022. Archived from the original on February 23, 2024. Retrieved May 24, 2024.
  12. ↑ "Where to Drink in Portland This Week". Willamette Week. November 30, 2022. Archived from the original on February 8, 2023. Retrieved May 24, 2024.
  13. 1 2 "What to Do in Portland This Week (Dec. 21-27, 2022)". Willamette Week. December 21, 2022. Archived from the original on January 7, 2023. Retrieved May 24, 2024.
  14. ↑ Russell, Michael (June 15, 2022). "Desi PDX's Indian-inspired brunch spot Masala Lab opens soon; Chaat Wallah closes". The Oregonian. Archived from the original on June 10, 2023. Retrieved May 24, 2024.
  15. ↑ "Food News: Gregory Gourdet's Cookbook, Everyone's Table, Wins a James Beard Award". Portland Monthly. Archived from the original on May 25, 2024. Retrieved May 24, 2024.
  16. ↑ Guzman, Dianne de (January 9, 2025). "5 Portland Restaurant and Bar Closures to Know in January". Eater Portland. Retrieved January 10, 2025.
  17. ↑ Russell, Michael (November 21, 2022). "Here are Portland's 25 best new restaurants for 2022". The Oregonian. Archived from the original on December 19, 2022. Retrieved May 25, 2024.
  18. ↑ Russell, Michael (December 16, 2022). "Best of the rest: 11 more restaurants we loved in 2022". The Oregonian. Archived from the original on January 27, 2023. Retrieved May 25, 2024.
  19. ↑ Russell, Michael (February 3, 2023). "Portland restaurants new (and old) mount a brunch revival". The Oregonian. Archived from the original on November 5, 2023. Retrieved May 25, 2024.
  20. ↑ Davies, Sararosa (July 14, 2016). "Portland's Knockout Gluten-Free Restaurants and Bakeries". Eater Portland. Archived from the original on May 27, 2022. Retrieved May 25, 2024.