Taj of India now aiming for December opening

The Taj of India is located at 6027 Richmond Highway.

An opening date for the much-anticipated Taj of India restaurant may finally be in sight.

The Indian eatery is hoping to open its doors sometime in December, owner Shahjahan Mia said Monday. Mia said he does not have an exact date yet, but indicated that progress on renovating the interior of the building was moving forward at last.

“We’re very close,” Mia said during a brief phone interview.

Residents have been looking forward to the restaurant’s opening since signs for Taj of India were installed in August 2017. The building, located at 6027 Richmond Highway, is connected to the Virginia Lodge motel and has been empty since Euro Bistro closed in 2015.

Mia said previously that he originally hoped to open the restaurant in October 2017. But Taj of India has struggled to secure permits from Fairfax County to begin construction, and the opening date was bumped to Jan. 2018, which came and went with little signs of progress.

In previous conversations with Covering The Corridor, Mia complained about the process of securing permits with the county, even saying at one point earlier this year that he was not sure if the restaurant would ever open. But county records now indicate that Taj of India has finally obtained a variety of construction permits needed to begin work.

Once opened, the Richmond Highway restaurant will be the third location for Taj of India. Mia opened the first Taj of India in Georgetown in 2002 and later built another in Arlington.