Chitralekha Majhi
12th Ave will be a busy area for new food and drink in 2026 as Kha-Bar prepares to bring the flavors of East India and Bangladesh to Capitol Hill.
Kathak dancer and choreographer Chitralekha Majhi and husband Manash Majhi are making a leap into the restaurant business with hopes of creating a mellow new neighborhood hangout right next to the NOD Theater and eXit Space School of Dance.
“I want it to be a neat and clean space, not too upscale but at same time nice,” Majhi said. “Not loud with off white, black, and pastel green that is calming and relaxing.”
While the couple are first time restaurateurs, they are coming to Capitol Hill with a plan for long-term success. Chitralekha says she originally planned her concept around a “ghost kitchen” service like the Cap Hill Kitchens complex on 13th Ave but finding her own lease made better financial sense. They will launch Kha-Bar with a fleshed out business plan that includes a daytime business around delivery of meal options to offices and families.
But you’re not here to read about business plans. The soul of Kha-Bar will be its Bengali and Bangladeshi flavors. “Kha” represents the Bengali word for food or to eat, Majhi says, adding that the region’s restraint sets it apart from the rest of the continent with a more minimalist approach with “spices that vary with each and every fish and each and every vegetable.”
She says she began testing recipes with friends and family in preparation of finding a space and starting the path to opening a restaurant.
Kha-Bar is also a play on the Hindi word for “news,” Majhi said. “Didn’t want to make it too Bengali,” she adds.
Coming together and gathering is an important part of the new project. The buildout of the space most recently home to Korean joint Soju Anju will maintain the building’s front bar separated from the main dining room. Majhi hopes the area will be a comfortable hangout and is planning a set of house cocktails along with eventual hopes for a separate menu of Kha-Bar bar food.
In the meantime, the Majhis are getting to know the neighborhood where fellow newcomers include Colibri Mexican Kitchen already thriving at 12th and Pike, and Roma Roma’s by-the-cut pizza in the 12th Ave Arts building across the street planned to open in January.
Chitralekha Majhi says the hope is for Kha-Bar to grow along with its new neighbors.
“We feel Capitol Hill is open to new things,” she says. “It’s the best place to try new things.”
Kha-Bar is planning for a winter opening at 1621 12th Ave.
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