Daru’s co-founders Dante Datta and chef Suresh Sundas plan to debut Tapori later this year. | Tapori The co-owners unite the D.C. neighborhood over South Asian cuisine at forthcoming Tapori The team behind Eater 38 hit Daru doubles down on H Street with a “rowdy” new South Indian restaurant and cocktail bar. Tapori, opening in the former Fancy Radish space by December (600 H Street NE), centers around communal eating and flavors that span from Kerala to Nepal. Nepalese chef Suresh Sundas and beverage director Dante Datta debuted Daru to much acclaim in 2021, landing on New York Times’s coveted top 50 restaurants list in 2022 and retaining a Michelin Bib Gourmand designation every year. The duo, who met working at Rasika West End, bring a decade of local industry knowledge to their second Northeast restaurant that sits a 20-minute walk west from Daru. This time around, the pair teams up with faraway chef Baburam Sharma to develop a menu that reflects his Nepalese background, upbringing in Delhi, and two-plus decades of experience in cooking South Indian cuisine. Tapori, which means “vagabond” in Hindi, draws influence from South Indian street markets and Bollywood films that embrace Mumbai culture. Datta tells Eater that bustling energy will be channeled into the dining room’s “mix and match of textures and colors,” including a 20-person communal table, a “vintage, patchwork tile”-covered bar, and booths that peer into the bright open kitchen. Rey Lopez/Eater D.C. Daru’s inventive menu showcases reshmi kebabs with an unconventional sprinkling of blue cheese in the yogurt-based marinade. Dishes will also cover an intricate map of Indian geography and the Nepalese chefs’ backgrounds, including dosas (thin savory crepes) served with an array of stews and chutneys, pani puri (deep-fried shells with different spiced fillings), momos (Nepali dumplings), and thukpa (Tibetan noodle soup). Datta says cocktails will follow the flavors of the food, taking on tropical notes and some flash-frozen varieties. He teases that one upcoming drink is a “riff” on the Pornstar martini. Polished vegan place Fancy Radish closed last fall after a 5-year run, and Edit at Streetsense is putting together Tapori’s new look. The largest piece of construction so far has been knocking down the partition dividing the bar from the dining room, co-owner Calvin Kim explained. “It was almost like knocking down the Berlin Wall,” Kim says. “So now that that’s gone, that’s going to tie that bar area and the dining room together for that sort of vibrant feeling in that dining room.” Local bartender-turned-artist Patrick Owens will contribute a vibrant mural across the playful, open space. The hand-painted art piece takes tips from the tapori subculture via Indian motorcycles and even the iconic canary yellow suit Aaamir Khan wore in Bollywood hit Rangeela. Datta says the chaotic street market vibes will be tied together by the little details throughout the restaurant, including wildly decorated light switches and mismatched ceramic and metal plates on the same table. Rey Lopez/Eater D.C. Chef Suresh Sundas taking za’atar naan out of the tandoor at Daru. Sundas and Datta are already used to the hustle of running a restaurant. The duo worked nearly 12-hour days when Daru first opened, and Datta helped to build the bar he presides over by hand. Now, they’ve taken on working with Sharma remotely to build the foundations of the menu and meet twice a week over video calls. “We share our thoughts and working on the menu, the recipes,” Sundas says. “Yeah, it’s going very well with him.” Sharma, who currently leads the kitchen at Hyatt Place Kathmandu, says his mentor is the late Imtiaz Qureshi — a master biyrani chef who spent years at luxury Indian chain ITC Hotels. Sharma’s own love for the layered rice dish dates back to his childhood in Delhi while he helped his mom prepare it. “It’s flavorful, aromatic, and always a crowd-pleaser,” he says.