Agomoni Saha, Contributing Photographer

Hot Murga adds heat and flavor to Nashville-inspired fried chicken with Indian spices. 

Opened in May 2023, Hot Murga is a new restaurant located on Howe Street. Their menu features a variety of chicken sandwiches, sliders and fries and includes vegetarian and vegan options. It also allows customers to customize the level of spice they want for their chicken, which can range from no heat, mild, medium, hot to super hot. 

Rupinder “Romy” Singh is the owner and founder of Hot Murga. He was inspired to start the restaurant because of a trip to Nashville, Tennessee with his brother and cousins about two years ago where he noticed the enthusiasm for hot chicken. After taking a class on making hot chicken during his trip, he and his brother started brainstorming how to put their own spin on hot chicken.

“What if we did [an assortment of things] with our techniques of Indian spices [and hot chicken]?” Singh wondered.

Growing up in a family that has been heavily involved in the restaurant industry, Singh said he was surrounded by inventive thinkers. Singh’s father owns Sitar and Singh’s brother owns House of Naan, two other Indian restaurants in New Haven. 

Prior to his restaurant and business ventures, Singh was a lymphoma researcher at Yale University and was interested in becoming a physician’s assistant. Although he enjoyed conducting cancer research,he said that food allowed him to be more adventurous and let his creative juices flow. The more he explored food, the more he felt interested in the industry and running a restaurant. 

Singh joined the culinary industry full-time and opened Pataka, a vegetarian Indian restaurant in the same location as Hot Murga, with his brother in the fall of 2020. Singh’s brother moved Pataka to New York, and with the vacant space, Singh opened Hot Murga.

Although Singh said he felt wary about opening a restaurant based on a new fusion concept, Hot Murga has received great feedback. 

“People are loving the combination,” Singh said.

Charlotte Turner ’27, an fan of spicy food, said she enjoyed what the restaurant had to offer. 

“There was a lot of depth of flavor, despite the spice level, and all in all, made for a really good eat,” Turner said.

Mansi Anil Kumar ’27 said that the food was well-cooked and had a great amount of spice. Kumar added that it matches the “stereotypical standard” of Indian food being spicy.

Raised in New Haven, Singh is hoping to give back to the community, including donating food to soup kitchens and working with students across schools in New Haven. 

Singh also plans on expanding Hot Murga’s menu in the near future.

“We’re working on a couple of things, getting the kinks out and then adding the new things,” Singh said. “I’m really excited about that.”

Hot Murga is located at 140 Howe St. and is open from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily.