Serving fresh, boldly spiced Indian and Pakistani cuisine in a fast-casual format, Gully Boyz is the realized dream of founders and friends, Arjun Meherish and Qasim Farid.
Meherish is a native of India who has made Nashville his home; Farid was born in Pakistan and emigrated to Indianapolis. The story of their friendship gives testament to small world connections on a global scale and the story of how their restaurant came into being shows how people from opposing sides of global conflicts can find common ground. And, their offerings, Indian and Pakistani dishes in equal measure, are deeply flavored and absolutely delicious.
The men initially connected through a common friend—Meherish’s childhood pal from India whom Farid had befriended in Indianapolis. When Farid came to Nashville to attend that mutual friend’s bachelor party, he met Meherish.
“We immediately clicked,” Meherish recalls. “We both work in hospitality—Farid owns two restaurants in Indianapolis and at the time I was a managing partner with Morph Hospitality. Even though I am from India and he Pakistan, our upbringing was much the same. We both remembered playing cricket as boys in the streets—which we call gullies—and we had similar foods that we loved to eat.”
It’s worth noting that India and Pakistan have had (and continue to have) grave geopolitical and ideological differences since 1947, after British rule ended and the two emerged as independent nations. Yet, in their conversations, Meherish and Farid found that they were more alike than different. And, they had the same vision for a fast-casual restaurant. It would bring their stories together and share their common love of the cuisines. They secured the former Fat Bottom Brewery site next to Butcher & Bee and opened Gully Boyz in November 2022.
“I hate to admit this, but, as a concept, it is not unlike Chipotle,” says Meherish. “Except that it has more flavor.” Regarding flavor, that is an understatement. But in similar fashion, you move through the line, either building your bowl or roll from a wide selection of ingredients. For the bowl, you choose your base from two styles of basmati rice, mixed greens, or naan. The kathi, or roll, starts with the whole wheat chapati flatbread—not unlike a burrito minus the rice. Then add your protein, curry, and assorted vegetable/herb toppings, and drizzle sauces. Ingredients are labeled vegan, vegetarian, and gluten-free on the menu. The meats, chicken and lamb, are halal— which means they were raised free of antibiotics and growth hormones and slaughtered in a method outlined by Islamic law.
“With these cuisines, most people have either experienced fine dining or the buffet,” says Meherish. “We strike a middle ground, where you get the rich flavors of fine dining at buffet value.”
You can have a bowl of chicken tikka masala over fragrant turmeric rice and give it a little fire with Gully Boyz green chili sauce. We relished tender chunks of lamb cloaked in kadai, a tomato-onion curry, sparked with bits of tomato, cilantro, fried shallots, and a striping of yogurt sauce, raita. Vegan options include black lentils and chana masala (chickpea stew), delectable over rice or tucked in the chapati roll. Given all of the ingredients, there are more than 100 possible combinations. They’ve also created a line of beverages made in-house that range from the more familiar mango lassi to the dessert-like Indian bubble smoothie, falooda, to the nimbu paani, a spiced lemon drink. We’re partial to the rose sherbet, a refreshing mix of rose syrup, basil seeds, and lemon.
Don’t pass up dessert. Gulab jamun, rounds of honey-soaked milk dough, are popular in South Asia. Here, they come dipped in white or dark chocolate, and are simply luscious. On one wall of the eatery is a mural by local artist Chris Harsh, a brilliantly colored double-sided portrait of a woman: the left side represents Farid’s mother, wearing a Muslim headscarf and the right is Meherish’s, adorned in jewelry. In both cultures, when you start something new, you ask for the blessing of your elders. The painting is both an honor to their mothers and a reminder of that blessing. Farid and Meherish both feel that blessing’s power with excitement for the future––they designed Gully Boyz to be replicated in other places. In the meantime, they look forward to introducing you to the cuisine of their cultures in the fastest, most flavor-packed way. (900 Main St., 615-953-7021; gully-boyz.com)