Award-Winning Indian Restaurant Expands to Downtown Nampa; New Location Now Open

Two years ago, an award-winning Indian restaurant with roots in Utah took a chance on a building that Jon Taffer thought could never be successful as a restaurant. As 2025 comes to a close, not only is that location thriving, that brand has expanded to the 2C! 

When Taffer brought Bar Rescue to the Treasure Valley, very few people expected any of the episodes shot here to go down in history. Then came the episode titled “Hideaway from Reality.” Taffer was initially underwhelmed by the layout of the building at 15100 S Celebration Avenue, but after interacting with the staff and ownership he completely walked out instead of flipping the restaurant. 

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Shortly after, the space was listed for sale and Red Fort Cuisine of India converted it into its first Idaho location. The brand, which was founded in Utah, came into the market with positive momentum winning the “Best of Southern Utah” awards year after year. Those awards weren’t just for Indian cuisine, they also won the best “all-around restaurant” award. 

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Far & Wide, a well respected travel and foodie website, even named them the #3 best Indian restaurant in America. Their three Utah locations had impressive Google ratings ranging from 4.8 to 5-stars and that’s something they were able to duplicate in Meridian. Since opening, they’ve tallied over 4,000 reviews and earned a 4.9-star rating on Google, a clear indication that Taffer was wrong about the building. 

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Shortly after Nampa’s Hong Kong Restaurant announced their final day in business would be September 21, flyers for Red Fort’s new restaurant went up. They must have hustled to finish renovations, because the new location officially opened for business on Monday, December 15. 

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They’re very excited to meet the Nampa community and will be one of the restaurants open for business on Christmas Day. If you live in the 2C and are searching for a stress-free meal on Thursday, December 25 the new location will be open for dinner service from 4:30-10:00 p.m.