James Beard Award-winning LA Times restaurant critic Bill Addison doesn’t mind leftovers if dining alone at Bhookhe. The only Rajasthani restaurant in Los Angeles, it sits among a myriad of Indian establishments along Pioneer Boulevard, Artesia’s restaurant row. It’s all about the thali at Anshul and Pooja Dwivedi’s restaurant, which they opened earlier this year. Growing up near Jaipur, the capital of the Indian state of Rajasthan, the couple named the spot using the Hindi word for hungry. Pooja is the chef while Anshul manages the restaurant. 

With nearly 80 dishes on the menu, choosing among them can be overwhelming. Consider the thali, trays of food served in Southern India. The maharaja thali platter “drops you into the culinary action of the restaurant,” Addison says. It includes small breads such as rotis made with cornmeal and pearl millet. Addison suggests you break the bati in half and dunk it in warm ghee and soupy dal. Chutneys, dry-style vegetables, pickles, and curries can’t fit on a single platter and require two for a maharaja thali order. 

Owners Anshul and Pooja Dwivedi opened Bhooke earlier this year in Artesia to serve regional Rajasthani dishes. Photo by Mariah Tauger/Los Angeles Times (c) 2023.

Addison wants diners to zoom in on the other menu items including the mirchi vada, green chile fritters with spiced potatoes, and a curry centered around dried lotus seeds that have a cashew-like texture. 

While in the neighborhood, Addison recommends stopping by KC Paan & Chaat House or Rasraj for small, savory snacks, and Rajdhani, an all thali restaurant.

Bhookhe will be serving a Diwali thali special on Sunday, November 12, featuring dishes from small towns in Rajasthan that have rarely been seen in Los Angeles restaurants.