Narayanni's Restaurant

After operating the popular Block 1912 European Café on Whyte Avenue for 15 years, the Naidoo family needed a new culinary adventure – one where they could feature Selva’s beautiful South African Indian cuisine, one where Daya could still create delicious desserts and pastries, and one that demanded less time of the entire family. Daya and Selva’s daughter, Youmashni, says running Block 1912 “was enjoyable but intense. It was from 9 am to midnight, every day, seven days a week. My parents needed a change.”

They discovered and purchased the location for their new restaurant, Narayanni's, in the Arndt Machine Shop Building on 81 Avenue. But, because it’s a heritage building, transforming it into a restaurant was a challenge. Another issue was how undeveloped their end of Whyte Avenue was in 2006. “People walked Whyte Avenue, but they didn’t get past the train tracks,” says Youmashni. Their traffic solution was to start a buffet that served a la carte quality food and, thankfully, it worked.

For more than six years, Narayanni’s has remained successful, appealing to vegans thanks to Tuesday Vegan Nights and to those with celiac or lactose intolerance, while also attracting fans of unique, clean, delicious Indian style food. They’ve won a lot of recognition from local awards like Avenue’s annual Best of Edmonton. Even though the restaurant is a lot of work, they close two days a week to allow for more family time. Youmashni says, "We even close and go for family holidays, and that is what is very important to us as a family – to have quality time together as a family."