The Big Picture
Chef Laila Bazahm is opening Shola this November at 105 Tillery St. It’s her third Austin spot from Guerilla Dining Concepts and it promises a literal double-tap on fire: dhaba-style, live-fire Indian cooking crossed with Central Texas barbecue. The kitchen centers on a custom J&R Oyler wood-burning pit and a clay tandoor, so expect long-smoked meats alongside kebabs and breads finished in clay — the project’s name even means “living flame.”
This isn’t a menu-of-ideas skinned over a smoker; the plan is full-menu smoke. Bazahm and New York chef Hari Nayak translated the setup into hybrid plates meant to put smoke into everything from paneer to biryani.
Yes, we all like the smell of progress until it’s oak-smoke rolling down Tillery; bring a thirst and an opinion about queso.
What Changed
Bazahm’s trajectory moved from Spanish at El Raval (2023) and Southeast Asian at Siti (2025) to an explicit Indian-Texan smokehouse. The mechanics signal that shift: large cuts will spend eight to 12 hours over post oak on the Oyler’s rotating racks, while kebabs and naan get the tandoor treatment. That equipment choice converts Indian techniques into smokehouse timing and tactics rather than grafting single dishes onto a standard BBQ pit.
The menu reflects that marriage in concrete dishes: a masala queso built with smoked paneer and Oaxacan cheese (add chorizo verde styled like a seekh kebab), an oak-smoked brisket nihari with a black pepper–garam masala crust and bone-broth korma, tamarind pork ribs glazed with jaggery and finished with crispy ginger and red chiles, and biryani offered with smoked brisket, goat, chicken, or jackfruit. There’s also a two-person Shola Feast stacking bone-in chicken, brisket, and sausage with gunpowder potatoes and tandoori broccoli, plus a lamb-kebab–inspired smoked sausage with Amul cheese.
Crucially, smoke won’t be reserved for the big cuts: lentils, vegetables, sauces, and even ghee will see the smoker, which flips the usual barbecue playbook into something more like a smoke-forward Indian kitchen.
What's Next
Shola will take the space that housed Grizzelda’s for nearly a decade in the Tillery/East César Chávez stretch that includes Sawyer & Co., De Nada Cantina, Justine’s Brasserie, and Central Machine Works. A rendering shows colorful artwork and a dining room inspired by Desi pubs and night markets; the patio screen will show sports, particularly cricket, and the bar will pour cocktails tuned to pair with spicy, smoky food.
Exact opening date, hours, and reservation details have not been announced — for now, expect a November debut at 105 Tillery St., and then decide whether your ideal Austin dinner is brisket-adjacent biryani or biryani-adjacent brisket. Either way, bring napkins and an appetite for controlled combustion.