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The restaurateurs behind upscale Indian restaurants Ettan and Eylan are the only Peninsula finalists for a James Beard Award this year.
Srijith Gopinathan and Ayesha Thapar are one of five finalists vying for the Outstanding Restaurateur Award, which recognizes a restaurant industry leader who uses their establishments to build community, shows creativity in entrepreneurship and holds high standards of integrity in operations. Winners will be announced at the James Beard Restaurant and Chef Awards ceremony June 15.
“We both feel incredibly honored to be nominated for the James Beard Award for Outstanding Restaurateur, a meaningful recognition of the care and intention we bring to our work here at the Cal-India Collective,” Srijith Gopinathan said in a written statement. “Our restaurants share a dynamic interpretation of Indian cuisine that feels bright, vibrant, and rooted in California. It is deeply rewarding to see that vision resonate with people.”
Gopinathan and Thapar’s first project together was Ettan, a contemporary Indian restaurant that opened in 2020 in downtown Palo Alto. Two years later, the pair opened Little Blue Door, a casual dining concept within the food hall State Street Market in downtown Los Altos. In 2023, they debuted Copra in San Francisco and just last year they opened Eylan in Menlo Park.
Thapar is the owner and founder of Cal-India Collective along with chef/partner Gopinathan, who is the culinary force behind its restaurants. He was born in Kerala, India, and raised in Tamil Nadu, graduating from the Culinary Institute of America and working at Michelin two-starred Belmond La Manoir aux Quat’ Saisons in England. Gopinathan made a name for himself in the Bay Area earning two Michelin stars as the executive chef at Taj Campton Place in San Francisco.
Ettan and Eylan are both recognized in the Michelin Guide, with Ettan listed as recommended and Eylan as Bib Gourmand, an award given to restaurants with “good quality food for a good value.” Eylan was also awarded a special Michelin distinction for its cocktail program at the California award ceremony last year.
In a previous interview with Thapar in January 2025, she said that they’re working on a line of food products and starting a new project “very different to the other three (restaurants)” that revolves “strongly around a drinks concept.”
Ettan, 518 Bryant St., Palo Alto; 650-752-6281, Instagram: @ettanrestaurant. Open Monday to Thursday from 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. and 5-9 p.m., Friday from 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. and 5-10 p.m., Saturday from 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. and 5-10 p.m., Sunday from 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. and 5-9 p.m.
Eylan, 500 El Camino Real, Menlo Park; 650-420-6866, Instagram: @eylanrestaurant. Open Monday to Thursday from 5-9 p.m., Friday from 5-10 p.m., Saturday from 11:30 a.m. to 1:45 p.m. and 5-10 p.m. and Sunday from 11:30 a.m. to 8 p.m.
Little Blue Door, 170 State St., Los Altos; Instagram: @littlebluedoorkitchen. Open Monday to Wednesday and Sunday from 11:30 a.m. to 8 p.m. and Thursday to Saturday from 11:30 a.m. to 9 p.m.
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