Campus Life

New Indian barbecue eatery, Choolaah, to open Aug. 14 in South Food District

Choolaah, a fast-casual restaurant, will open in the South Food District in Redifer Commons on Aug. 14. Choolaah is an Indian barbecue eatery with multiple locations throughout Pennsylvania, Ohio and Virginia. Credit: Penn StateCreative Commons

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Choolaah, a fast-casual restaurant, will open in the South Food District in Redifer Commons on Monday, Aug. 14.  

Choolaah is an Indian barbecue eatery with multiple locations throughout Pennsylvania, Ohio and Virginia. Operating hours are expected to be noon to 8 p.m., Sunday through Thursday.  

“We are excited about welcoming Choolaah to Penn State,” said Jim Meinecke, Penn State director of residential dining. “It will be a quality addition to Residential Dining’s offerings and something unique to the State College area.” 

The menu will consist of a variety of rice-based "powerbowls" with a choice of daal or masala (tikka masala, yellow lentil daal, chickpea masala and black lentil daal) and a protein choice (marinated chicken, marinated paneer, veggie croquettes and samosas). For customers looking to spice up their dishes, three hot sauces will be available: "Whoa," "Ouch" or "OMG." Beverage choices will include mango lassi, chai tea, mango lemonade and mint ginger lemonade.  

Additionally, many items on the menu will be vegan, vegetarian and/or gluten-free.  

Online ordering for Choolaah will be available through Penn State Eats, the University’s mobile ordering app, and will accept LionCash, campus meal plans and commuter meal plans.  

Last Updated June 27, 2023