Upscale Indian Dining in the Tri-Valley: Why Diners from Dublin, Pleasanton, and Danville Drive to KHAKI

The Tri-Valley has dozens of Indian restaurants. Between San Ramon, Dublin, Pleasanton, Danville, and Livermore, you can find biryani houses, buffet halls, vegetarian South Indian spots, and Maharashtrian specialists on nearly every major boulevard. What the Tri-Valley has not had, until recently, is an Indian restaurant where the cooking is led by Michelin-starred chefs and the bar program pours Indian-spiced craft cocktails alongside a serious wine list.

KHAKI changed that when it opened in August 2025 at City Center Bishop Ranch in San Ramon. Since then, it's become the Indian restaurant that diners from Dublin, Pleasanton, Danville, and Walnut Creek are willing to drive to. Here's what makes it different from everything else in the Tri-Valley, and why it matters if you're looking for Indian food that goes beyond the usual.

For a full list of Indian restaurants in San Ramon, see our complete 2026 guide to Indian restaurants in San Ramon.

The Chefs Behind KHAKI: Michelin Credentials in the Tri-Valley

KHAKI is led by brothers Sujan and Pujan Sarkar. Their credentials are not typical for a restaurant in suburban San Ramon.

Sujan Sarkar earned a Michelin star at Indienne in Chicago, one of the highest-profile Indian fine dining restaurants in the country. He also runs Tiya, an acclaimed contemporary Indian restaurant in San Francisco's Cow Hollow neighborhood that has been featured in the Michelin Guide for its vegetarian-forward menu and use of seasonal California ingredients. The Sarkar brothers have spent more than two decades cooking professionally, including projects across India, Southeast Asia, and the United States. Read more about KHAKI's story in the press.

At KHAKI, they've built a new menu that draws from regional Indian traditions spanning Delhi, Hyderabad, Mangalore, Kochi, Rampur, Champaran, and Lucknow. Every dish is prepared with fine-dining technique, but the setting and pricing are deliberately accessible. Mains range from $25 to $46, cocktails from $16 to $18. The brothers wanted something that worked for a Tuesday night dinner after work just as well as a Saturday anniversary celebration.

No other Indian restaurant between San Francisco and Livermore can make this claim. The Tri-Valley has excellent casual Indian dining. What it didn't have, before KHAKI, was Indian food at this level of culinary ambition. This is what modern Indian dining actually looks like.

What to Eat at KHAKI: Regional Indian Dishes You Won't Find Elsewhere

If you've been eating at Indian restaurants across the Tri-Valley for years, KHAKI's menu will feel both familiar and completely new. The flavors are recognizably Indian. The execution and ingredient sourcing are not.

Signature Dishes

The butter chicken at KHAKI is a conversation starter. It's not the smooth, sweet, bright-orange version served at most Indian restaurants. It's modeled after the original 1950s preparation: tandoor-charred boneless thighs in a rough-textured tomato and red pepper sauce. Rustier, deeper, and closer to what butter chicken actually tasted like when it was first introduced in Delhi.

The jackfruit cutlet riffs on the street-side vegetable patties of Kolkata, a personal favorite of the Sarkar brothers that traces back to their childhood. The Kerala fish curry brings coconut, curry leaf, and tamarind together in a way that's lighter and more coastal than the heavy gravies you find at most North Indian restaurants.

The tuna bhel tostada is one of the most distinctive dishes in the Tri-Valley Indian dining scene. It takes Mumbai's beloved bhel puri, combines it with fresh tuna and avocado pachadi, and serves it on a blue corn tortilla. It's the kind of dish that could only come from a kitchen that thinks in both Indian and Californian terms.

For Vegetarians

Vegetarian diners are not an afterthought at KHAKI. Chef Sujan Sarkar's work at Tiya in San Francisco is heavily vegetarian-focused, and that sensibility carries over. The edamame avocado bhel, zucchini ricotta kofta, and paneer pinwheel all get full creative attention. If you've been defaulting to palak paneer and dal makhani at other Tri-Valley Indian restaurants, KHAKI offers a meaningfully different vegetarian experience.

Browse the full food menu to see what's currently available.

A Full Bar with Indian-Inspired Cocktails

Most Indian restaurants in the Tri-Valley don't have a bar. A few offer beer and wine. KHAKI has a full cocktail program built from scratch around Indian flavors.

The Pushpa Aunty combines tequila with a house-blended Indian spice mix and grapefruit tonic. There's a Bangalore Old Fashioned, a mango lassi martini, and rotating seasonal drinks that change with the menu. The bartenders are trained to pair drinks with specific dishes, not just pour generics.

For diners coming from Dublin, Pleasanton, or Danville who want both a cocktail and a meal at the same place, this is significant. KHAKI is one of the few Indian restaurants in the entire East Bay where the drink experience matches the food experience. Happy hour on weekdays makes it an easy after-work stop for the tech corridor professionals along I-680.

See the full cocktail menu.

Private Dining and Corporate Events Across the Tri-Valley

This is where KHAKI separates itself from every other Indian restaurant in the Tri-Valley.

The restaurant offers private dining and full restaurant buyouts for corporate events, team dinners, client entertainment, rehearsal dinners, milestone birthdays, and celebrations of any size. The kitchen creates customized menus tailored to the event, and the bar can design a cocktail package to match.

Located inside City Center Bishop Ranch, KHAKI is centrally positioned for corporate clients across the Tri-Valley. Chevron, AT&T, Robert Half, GE Digital, and dozens of tech companies have offices within a 10-minute radius. For event planners searching for a corporate dinner venue that's impressive enough for clients but not so exclusive that it's uncomfortable, KHAKI hits the sweet spot. The price point ($25–$46 per person for mains, plus cocktails) fits comfortably within most corporate entertainment budgets.

For comparison, the only other high-end Indian private dining option in the Tri-Valley is The Yellow Chilli by Sanjeev Kapoor in Danville, which offers a more traditional fine-dining format. KHAKI's advantage is the modern setting inside City Center Bishop Ranch, the craft cocktail program, and the Michelin pedigree, which adds credential weight when booking for important clients.

Learn more about planning a corporate event in San Ramon or read why businesses book corporate dining at KHAKI.

To book: Visit wearekhaki.com/private-events or email manager@wearekhaki.com. Full buyouts and custom menus available.

How to Get to KHAKI from Anywhere in the Tri-Valley

One of the most common questions we hear is whether it's worth the drive from other Tri-Valley cities. Here's the reality: KHAKI is central to the entire corridor, and getting there is easier than you'd expect.

From	Drive Time	Route
Dublin	8 minutes	I-680 South to Bollinger Canyon Rd exit. Straight into City Center Bishop Ranch.
Pleasanton	12 minutes	I-680 North to Bollinger Canyon Rd exit. Free parking at City Center.
Danville	10 minutes	I-680 South to Bollinger Canyon Rd. Or surface streets via San Ramon Valley Blvd.
Walnut Creek	15 minutes	I-680 South through Danville. Easy freeway drive, no traffic most evenings.
Livermore	18 minutes	I-580 West to I-680 North to Bollinger Canyon Rd.
Blackhawk	8 minutes	Crow Canyon Rd to Bollinger Canyon Rd. All surface streets, no freeway needed.

Address: 6000 Bollinger Canyon Rd, Fl 2 Unit 2601, San Ramon, CA 94583 Parking: Free at City Center Bishop Ranch. Abundant lot and garage parking. Reservations: OpenTable. Walk-ins welcome but reservations recommended for Friday and Saturday.

How KHAKI Compares to Other Upscale Indian Options in the Tri-Valley and East Bay

The Tri-Valley Indian dining scene is strong, but most restaurants compete on price, portion size, and authenticity. KHAKI competes on a different axis entirely: culinary technique, ingredient sourcing, and the overall dining experience. Here's how it stacks up against the other upscale Indian options in the area.

	KHAKI (San Ramon)	Pippal (Dublin)	Yellow Chilli (Danville)	Erthya (Cupertino)
Chef credentials	Michelin-starred (Sujan Sarkar, Indienne Chicago)	Award-winning, Emeryville heritage	Celebrity chef (Sanjeev Kapoor)	Regional specialist
Cuisine style	Pan-Indian regional + California seasonal	Regional Indian fine dining	Contemporary North Indian	Regional Indian
Full bar	Yes — Indian-inspired craft cocktails	Yes	Yes	Yes
Private dining	Full buyouts + custom menus	Limited	Yes	Limited
Price (mains)	$25–$46	$22–$38	$20–$35	$18–$32
Drive from Dublin	8 min	0 min (in Dublin)	15 min	25 min
Drive from Pleasanton	12 min	8 min	18 min	20 min

Pippal in Dublin is a strong option for diners who want fine Indian dining without leaving Dublin. Their move from Emeryville to Dublin brought serious culinary talent to the Tri-Valley. The Yellow Chilli in Danville carries the Sanjeev Kapoor celebrity brand, which brings a certain prestige to any occasion. Erthya in Cupertino is worth considering if you're heading toward the South Bay.

KHAKI's distinct advantage is the combination of Michelin-starred chefs, the Indian craft cocktail bar, and the City Center Bishop Ranch location, all in one package. For corporate entertaining specifically, that combination is hard to match anywhere in the East Bay.

City Center Bishop Ranch: More Than Just a Restaurant

Part of the KHAKI experience is the location itself. City Center Bishop Ranch is the Tri-Valley's premier outdoor shopping and dining destination, designed by Renzo Piano, the architect behind the Whitney Museum in New York and the Shard in London. The complex features high-end retailers alongside restaurants like LB Steak, Bamboo Sushi, Slanted Door, and ZENTRL Kitchen + Bar.

For a night out, you can start with cocktails at KHAKI, have dinner, and then walk through the complex. For corporate events, the setting signals to clients and colleagues that you chose somewhere deliberate, not a strip-mall restaurant off the freeway. That positioning matters when you're entertaining.

City Center also offers easy parking, which is a practical consideration for Tri-Valley diners coming from Dublin, Pleasanton, or Danville. The lot is free, well-lit, and rarely full on weeknight evenings.

When to Visit KHAKI

Weekday Lunch (Tue–Fri, 12–3pm)

The lunch service is excellent for corporate lunches and business meetings. The restaurant is quieter during the day, which makes conversation easy. I-680 access means you can get from a Dublin or Pleasanton office to KHAKI in under 15 minutes, eat, and be back within a standard lunch hour if you need to.

Weeknight Dinner (Mon–Thu, 5–9pm)

The best time for a relaxed dinner without weekend crowds. Happy hour pricing on cocktails makes this an easy after-work stop for I-680 corridor professionals. Reservations are rarely needed on Monday through Wednesday.

Friday and Saturday Night

This is when KHAKI is at its liveliest. Friday runs all day from 12pm to 10pm, and Saturday from 11:30am to 10pm. Reservations through OpenTable are recommended, especially for parties of four or more. Date nights and celebration dinners tend to fill the dining room by 7pm.

Sunday (11:30am–8:30pm)

A great option for weekend brunch-to-dinner dining. Families, extended family gatherings, and relaxed weekend meals fill the space with a warm, unhurried energy.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the best upscale Indian restaurant in the Tri-Valley?

KHAKI at City Center Bishop Ranch in San Ramon is the only Indian restaurant in the Tri-Valley with Michelin-starred chefs. Chefs Sujan and Pujan Sarkar serve regional Indian dishes with California ingredients, craft cocktails, and private dining with full restaurant buyouts. The restaurant is 8 minutes from Dublin, 12 from Pleasanton, and 15 from Danville.

Is there a Michelin-starred Indian restaurant near Dublin, CA?

Yes. KHAKI in San Ramon is led by Chef Sujan Sarkar, who earned a Michelin star at Indienne in Chicago, and his brother Chef Pujan Sarkar, who also leads Tiya in San Francisco. KHAKI is about 8 minutes from downtown Dublin via I-680.

Where can I book private dining for a corporate event in the Tri-Valley?

KHAKI at City Center Bishop Ranch offers private dining and full restaurant buyouts for corporate dinners, team events, client entertainment, rehearsal dinners, and celebrations. Located centrally in the Tri-Valley, within 15 minutes of Dublin, Pleasanton, Danville, and Walnut Creek offices. Visit wearekhaki.com/private-events or email manager@wearekhaki.com.

How far is KHAKI from Pleasanton?

About 12 minutes via I-680 North to Bollinger Canyon Road. Free parking at City Center Bishop Ranch. Address: 6000 Bollinger Canyon Rd, Suite 2601, San Ramon, CA 94583.

What new Indian restaurants opened in the Bay Area recently?

KHAKI opened August 2025 at City Center Bishop Ranch, replacing Curry Up Now. Led by Michelin-starred chefs, it is the newest upscale Indian restaurant in the East Bay. Pippal also expanded from Emeryville to Dublin, and Pakka Local opened in San Ramon.

Does KHAKI offer catering for events in Dublin and Pleasanton?

Yes. Full-service catering and private event dining available for corporate events, weddings, and celebrations across the Tri-Valley. Contact manager@wearekhaki.com for custom menus and pricing.

What makes KHAKI different from other Indian restaurants in the Tri-Valley?

KHAKI is the only Indian restaurant in the Tri-Valley combining Michelin-starred chefs, a full Indian craft cocktail bar, and private dining with full restaurant buyout capability. The menu features regional dishes from across India prepared with seasonal California ingredients.

Is there Indian fine dining near Walnut Creek or Danville?

The Yellow Chilli by Sanjeev Kapoor in Danville offers celebrity-chef Indian dining. KHAKI in San Ramon, about 15 minutes from both cities, provides Michelin-caliber cuisine with craft cocktails and private dining. Both are strong options for fine dining Indian in the greater Tri-Valley and Lamorinda area.

For more answers, visit our FAQ page.

Book Your Table at KHAKI

Whether you're driving from Dublin, Pleasanton, Danville, Walnut Creek, or anywhere else in the Tri-Valley, KHAKI offers something no other Indian restaurant in the area can: Michelin-starred cooking, a full Indian-inspired cocktail bar, and private dining that works for everything from a team dinner to a full celebration.

Reserve: OpenTable (search "KHAKI San Ramon") Private events: wearekhaki.com/private-events Catering: wearekhaki.com/catering Email: manager@wearekhaki.com Phone: (925) 886-4981 Address: 6000 Bollinger Canyon Rd, Fl 2 Unit 2601, San Ramon, CA 94583 Hours: Lunch Tue–Fri 12–3pm | Dinner Mon–Thu 5–9pm | Fri 12–10pm | Sat 11:30am–10pm | Sun 11:30am–8:30pm