Experience Indian & other cultures through food at new downtown Macon spot. See inside

A new restaurant in downtown Macon offers authentic Indian, Indo-Chinese and Mediterranean cuisine.

Cook-in-Pot at 860 Forsyth St., Suite 102, opened Saturday across from Atrium Health Navicent and next to Dunkin’ in the former Chick’n Cone space.

“We came up with the name. Most of our food is cooked in a small pot,” said Hitesh Patel, who owns the restaurant with his friend and business partner Sundeep Bellamkonda.

“I just came up with this idea. I wanted to do a restaurant in Macon because that’s where I’m at,” said Patel, who already owns a couple of gas stations and previously owned a Dairy Queen.

Opportunity knocked when he visited Bellamkonda and his popular BGF (Bloody Good Food) food truck in Tampa when on vacation last spring.

“I really liked what he was doing,” said Patel, who decided to ask his friend if he’d be willing to partner with him to open a restaurant with similar cuisine. “He said, ‘OK. Let’s do it.’“

The partners invited their mutual friend, Prasad Naik, to serve as their chef. Naik, who received his chef’s training in India, has worked at multiple restaurants — including most recently at a Tabla Indian Restaurant in Orlando.

Patel’s brother, Rishabh Patel, also works at the restaurant. Bellamkonda will be on hand for a couple of weeks to help get the restaurant off the ground before returning to Florida. Hitesh Patel, who makes his home in Macon, runs the new spot.

“We’re trying our best to give the best service, the best food … the best atmosphere,” Hitesh Patel said. “That’s our priority.”

The cuisine

Cook-in-Pot bills itself to provide “zest and zing in every bite.”

The extensive menu includes more than 100 offerings of authentic Indian dishes — including soups, appetizers, vegan and gluten-free options, meat and seafood entrees, the chef’s special egg dishes, specialties made in the tandoor, which is a clay oven, as well as biryani and other rice creations and breads fresh from the clay oven.

For those new to Indian cuisine, Patel suggested trying the malai kofta, which the menu describes as “soft and delicious koftas, which are deep-fried balls made from mashed potatoes, paneer, vegetables and nuts.”

A popular Indian dish is the butter chicken made with creamy tomato and spices, which the menu describes as “the crown jewel of Indian cuisine, rich and indulgent.”

Patel’s personal favorite is chicken hariyali, which the menu describes as “succulent chicken in a vibrant green herb marinade.”

Sides include three types of chutney: mint, tamarind and mango. Gulab jamun, ras malai and rice pudding are the featured desserts. Beverages include a variety of Indian drinks such as masala chai (tea), Thumbs Up and Limca (both soft drinks) and mango lassi (a mixture of yogurt and mango pulp).

The menu also features 10 Mediterranean dishes that Patel, who described himself as a foodie at heart, selected that he said every Mediterranean restaurant should have from chicken shawarma to a lamb gyro to a falafel rice platter.

Additionally, the menu includes a selection of more than 20 Indo-Chinese fusion dishes of noodles, fried rice, manchurian gravy and chilli specialities such as chilli paneer gravy.

‘We’ll be back’

Open only a few days, the restaurant was already drawing praise from those dining in Tuesday.

“10 out of 10,” said Vic Patel, who was enjoying dal makhni, an Indian dish that the menu described as creamy black lentils that are slow cooked. “If I can do an 11 out of 10, I’ll do it. It’s real good.”

Rebecca Richards of Bonaire, who was eating at the restaurant with her mother, motioned to Patel.

“This was so good,” said Richards, who tried one of the Mediterranean gyros. “Wonderful. We’ll be back.”

The small restaurant can seat about 35 people. Dine-in guests can expect meal preparation to take 20 to 25 minutes, according to the menu. Customers may order online on the restaurant’s website cookinpot.com.

In addition to takeout, third-party delivery is available from DoorDash, Uber Eats and Grubhub. Hours are 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Monday through Saturday. The number is 478-259-1703.

Customer parking is available alongside the restaurant and in a small lot shared with Dunkin’ behind the restaurant.

This story was originally published February 6, 2025 at 12:12 PM.