Restaurant Review: Curry In A Hurry Turns 25 

• City Weekly file photo

Utah is big on celebrating the pioneer spirit, so it's only natural that we take a moment to reflect on the legacy of Curry In A Hurry. After twenty-five years in operation, this Salt Lake institution has weathered many storms, but it continues to be a beacon of warm hospitality and delicious food for its community. To commemorate this twenty-five year anniversary, I sat down with the Nisar family to discuss the ups, downs and everything in between that make Curry In A Hurry the local delight that it is today.

Though it's likely that Mona and Rana Nisar didn't consider themselves pioneers when they decided to open this Salt Lake institution, its presence in our dining community had an enormous cultural impact. As Utah's first halal restaurant, Curry In A Hurry created a welcoming environment for our Muslim community that has continued to blossom over the years. When asked how it all started, however, the answer was quite simple–Mona Nisar just loves feeding people.

Rolling back the clock those twenty-five years and then some, the concept for Curry In A Hurry was born at the 9th and 9th Street Festival. "A friend of mine introduced me to the festival, so I made some vegetarian samosas and other food," Nisar says. "Everyone that stopped by kept asking me where my restaurant was. I told them I didn't have one, but that gave me an idea–I should open a small kitchen." They secured their location from a colleague at neighboring business O.C. Tanner where Mona and her husband Rana worked at the time, and the rest is Utah dining history.

The food that we've come to know and love from Curry In A Hurry began even further back than that. "I grew up in Kenya. My grandmother taught me how to cook and I started cooking when I was really young," Mona says. "It soon became my hobby." This East African take on traditional Pakistani dishes is what makes Curry In A Hurry stand out. You can get curry from a variety of different restaurants, but nothing quite captures the signature flavors of Mona Nisar's family recipes.

Those of you who have been longtime fans of Curry In A Hurry know exactly what I'm talking about. The chicken curry is light, buttery and just smoky enough to remain interesting with each bite. The curry potatoes–endorsed by former Gov. Jon Huntsman, Jr. no less–have been stewed to perfection in a flavorful, coriander-infused broth. While they remain my personal favorite combo, they only scratch the surface of the soulful offerings you can get at Curry In A Hurry.

About midway through my conversation with Rana and Mona, their son Saifar arrived to talk some shop. He managed the now-closed Curry In A Hurry location on Main Street which opened around the time Utah hosted the Winter Olympics–it was this location that became a favorite for City Weekly staffers when your favorite alt-weekly was still operating out of its Main Street digs. "We're doing everything from our heart," he says. "Our chicken curry is so good that people just get hooked on it because they can't get it anywhere else."

At this point, the evening evolved into a familial dinner as we were also joined by Usman and Salman Nisar who were helping manage the restaurant while exchanging tidbits of restaurant management experiences. As it turns out, the secret to running a family restaurant for twenty-five years is consistency and a deep love of feeding one's community. "We've seen a lot of ups and downs, but the quality of food has stayed the same," Saifar says.

Even during the rough patches such as an incident of post-9/11 vandalism and the COVID-19 pandemic, the Nisars have been able to maintain an even keel in the restaurant world. "The community has always been very supportive," Mona says. "After the incident after 9/11, the whole community really stepped in to help us." Saifar is quick to add, "We appreciate our community and our community appreciates us, I think."

It's this focus on community and opening their doors to all comers that has helped Curry In A Hurry gather an elite clientele that includes politicians, actors and professional athletes. In the few minutes it takes to get your food, you can peruse the myriad photographs of these celebrity visits beneath the glass counter top. "We actually had Tom Cruise come in one night, but we didn't have time to take a picture," Saifar says. According to Mona, Olympic skier Lindsey Vonn still sends Rana gifts from time to time.

When I ask what brings the celebrities to Curry In A Hurry, Saifar chuckles and points to his mother. "She does. She just loves to feed people. She loves to see people come in happy and satisfied." This proclamation is the heart and soul of Curry In A Hurry–a family business that followed an uncompromising vision for twenty-five years and has become a bastion of warm food and friendly service in Salt Lake City.