One of Orlando’s most famous chefs began working on his most ambitious projects. This is a high-end Indian restaurant located next to Ravaudage in Winter Park.
Amit Kumar said the new restaurant on the corner of Lee Road and Lewis Drive will be called Sama, according to a report from GrowthSpotter.
Kumar owns and operates three restaurants in the Greater Orlando area, including Aashirwad Indian Food & Bar at 7000 S. Kirkman Road, Bombay Street Kitchen at 6215 S. Orange Blossom Trail, and Tamarind Indian Cuisine at 501 N. Orlando Ave. in winter. I’m doing it. park. Bombay Street Kitchen has won the Michelin Bib Gourmand for the third year in a row, while Kumar’s restaurant has won numerous Orlando Sentinel Hoodie Awards.
The praised chef told Growthspotter that Sama is “very ambitious and very innovative.” The restaurant is about a year and a half away from its completion and about three to four months after its destruction. Kumar confirmed that demolition work is underway in three real estate buildings, including a small office structure, a dry cleaning business and a Japanese restaurant called Fujiki Sushi. He is still finalizing the contractor for the construction of the project.
The plan submitted to the city of Winter Park calls for a 7,252-square-foot restaurant with 150 seats, with a second floor and mezzanine. Both floors have a mix of covered outdoor seating, extending the total restaurant area to over 8,000 square feet. Rendering and site plans from architect Timothy Gauss reveal the fine dining building on Lee Road with a surface-level parking lot behind the site.
Kumar said it was different from his other existing restaurants.
“It’s going to be a real Indian, but that’s a very different way of presentation. That’s what we’re trying to do on the first floor. The second floor is a different concept… kind of hip, It’s a small plate concept,” Kumar said.
One of the restaurant’s existing restaurants, Tamarind Indian Cuisine, is located under the street south of Lee Road, in the heart of the Winter Park Shopping Centre.
“We opened that restaurant in 2008, but Winter Park didn’t have any Indian restaurants. Now there are four Indian restaurants over there. We have a lot of potential in Winter Park. I’ve always known. The people over there are open to trying different kinds of food and something unique. This is for the locals. I want to open something in tourist spots. No,” he said. “And this is close to I-4 so people can come from all parts of town. It’s convenient.”
Kumar acquired a lot of 0.72 acres in 2022.
Kumar is also home to its fifth restaurant location on 744 W Colonial Drive west of downtown Orlando. Kumar will purchase the former Burger King, which had been dilapidated last year, converting the building into a commissioner, creating new menu items for other restaurants, and providing training to chefs. He will also be opening a limited-edition restaurant offering a five-course tasting menu.
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Original issue: February 21, 2025, 3:39pm EST
