Chef of Michelin-starred restaurant & NC Indian chain owners open new concept
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Triangle restaurant owners and renowned chef partner to open Ayra.
- Ayra will offer bar, tasting menu and a la carte dining in Chapel Hill.
- Chef Sujan Sarkar and Lime & Lemon owners aim for opening in Q2.
The owners of several popular Indian restaurants in the Triangle are opening a new concept in partnership with the chef of one of the world’s best Indian restaurants.
Just months after business partners Ravi Jeyaraman and Mayil Rajendran opened the newest Lime & Lemon Indian Grill & Bar in Apex, the founders have announced a new project they’re working on with chef Sujan Sarkar.
Known for the Michelin-starred Indienne in Chicago, Sarkar has known Jeyaraman and Rajendran for years, he told The News & Observer in a phone interview.
But recently, timing was right for the partners to get started on Ayra, a new fine-dining Indian restaurant planned for Chapel Hill.
“We’ve established our name as one of the top Indian restaurants in the Triangle, but this will be a little more taking us to a next level,” Jeyaraman told The News & Observer.
Jeyaraman and Rajendran had the space — the former Asian fusion restaurant Elements. But because it was so close to an existing Lime & Lemon, they knew they needed to pivot to a new concept.
Sarkar had seen Lime & Lemon’s success, having multiple locations in a relatively small geographic area. He had seen that restaurants in North Carolina, including those serving Indian cuisine, continued to improve. And now, Michelin is rating and recommending North Carolina institutions in its Guide to the American South.
“With this right partner, I think this is win-win for both of us,” said Sarkar, who’s also behind Baar Baar and Tiya in California, and Swadesi and Nadu in Chicago.
New fine-dining Indian restaurant in Chapel Hill
Ayra will have three main sections — a bar serving Indian-inspired cocktails, a dining room for a tasting menu, featuring between five and seven courses, and a dining room for guests opting for the a la carte menu.
“Partnering with Sujan, we wanted to bring something unique that RTP never has seen before, especially with Indian food,” Rajendran said.
The 5,000-square-foot restaurant will focus on “progressive or modern Indian food,” Sarkar said, using local ingredients when possible and spotlighting cuisine from different parts of India. There will also be beverage pairing options with wine and non-alcoholic drinks.
“This is our effort to bring something more,” said Sarkar, a James Beard Award nominee. “I don’t call it upscale. I call it more curated, and a different version of Indian food I think North Carolina should experience.”
Sarkar and his team will lead the menu development, and Jeyaraman and Rajendran will lead operations.
Ayra, which is derived from Sanskrit, means the new or eternally new, according to a news release. It is expected to open in the second quarter of 2026, Rajendran said, at 2110 Environ Way in Chapel Hill.
This story was originally published January 12, 2026 at 3:47 PM.
