Keller Roanoke Northeast Fort Worth | June 2025

Dining

BY HEATHER MCCULLOUGH

Deccan Spice’s atmosphere is casual and lowkey.

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Sai Sheguri and Deepthi Mandava run the eatery.

Deccan Spice serves Indian-centric dishes like chicken korma, rice with cheese naan and a mango lassi smoothie.

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Deccan Spice brings Indian avors to Roanoke

also has a Mango Lassi smoothie, a recipe created by Mandava, which includes mango, yogurt and milk. The history Sheguri grew up in the city of Hyderabad, located in the Deccan Plateau region of India, which inspired the name of his restaurant and the food he prepares. He lived in Ireland for three years and traveled around Europe learning about various foods before moving to the United States in 2009. He then visited all 50 states in the U.S. to continue learning about the various cuisines and cultures before settling in Texas in 2015. Though Sheguri grew up cooking, he did not know how to cook in a large-scale restaurant atmosphere, so he travelled back to Ireland where his friend owned a restaurant for extra instruction. “I trained there two months to learn how actual sauces are made and everything,” he said. “I took small ideas from dierent sources and I made my own style.” Once he realized his dream, it took ve years for it to become a reality. Deccan Spice opened Feb. 23, 2024. Looking ahead Sheguri plans to operate multiple locations around Dallas with a goal of opening his second location by the end of next year, he said.

Deccan Spice, a fast-dining Indian restaurant, was created because of executive chef and founder Sai Sheguri’s passion for cooking and desire to bring the food culture of India to Texas. “I feel like food is an emotion that will bond dierent cultures together,” Sheguri said. “I want to also introduce my culture to dierent world cultures.” Sheguri brings his own sauces and recipes to customers in Roanoke with support from his wife, Deepthi Mandava, who uses her data science skills to analyze customer trends and decide which recipes customers are enjoying. What’s on the menu? The restaurant serves items like karampodi chicken, deep-fried chicken sautéed with south Indian spices, and chicken wings dipped in sauces made in house with spices from India. Dishes also include noodles and fried rice. “It’s like proper Indian street style,” Sheguri said. “Back home, in India, people sell their food from the cart on the roadside. So, we introduced those kinds of avors.” The dishes do not include food coloring or monosodium glutamates, which can cause an upset stomach, Sheguri said. The restaurant also prepares vegetarian and meat options with dierent utensils and cookwear to prevent cross contamination, he added. In addition to Indian-style food, Deccan Spice

Sai Sheguri wanted to share Indian culture through food.

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Deccan Spice is located o US 377 in Roanoke.

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1224 US 377, Ste. 223 and 221, Roanoke www.deccanspice.us

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