Maharaja curries and Holi colors: South Asian Omaha in the news
Omaha's South Asian community featured across local media this season, with Indian restaurants and cultural celebrations drawing mainstream coverage. KETV's "Now Serving Omaha" series featured Maharaja Indian Cuisine, a two-location Omaha chain known for its curries, biryanis, tandoori preparations, and house specialties including Malai Kofta—documenting the continued growth of Indian dining as a fixture of the city's food scene. Separately, WOWT's First Alert 6 News previewed the annual Holi festival, the Hindu spring celebration, coming to Omaha's Gene Leahy Mall. Together the coverage reflects the increasing visibility of South Asian food and cultural traditions in Omaha's broader civic and culinary life.
Maharaja Indian Cuisine: curries and tandoori at two Omaha locations
KETV's "Now Serving Omaha" segment, aired June 27, 2026 and reported by Samantha Pastorino, spotlighted Maharaja Indian Cuisine as a standout in Omaha's Indian restaurant landscape. The restaurant operates two metro locations: the original at 617 North 114th Street and a second at 8419 South 73rd Plaza. Both venues offer an extensive menu built around the cornerstones of Indian cuisine—curries, biryanis, and tandoori preparations—alongside distinctive house specials. Among the noted highlights was Malai Kofta, the rich and aromatic North Indian dish of paneer-and-vegetable dumplings in a creamy sauce, cited as an example of the kitchen's ability to execute more elaborate preparations. Both locations are open daily from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. for dine-in and takeout, providing consistent access for Omaha's South Asian community and broader dining public across the week. The KETV segment was produced in partnership with Visit Omaha as part of the station's ongoing series showcasing local restaurant options. It directed viewers to the Visit Omaha website for additional metro dining recommendations, reflecting the mainstream recognition of Indian cuisine as an established and celebrated part of the Omaha restaurant scene rather than a niche offering. [4]
Holi festival set to fill Gene Leahy Mall with color
WOWT First Alert 6 News reported on April 10, 2026, that the annual Holi festival was coming to Omaha's Gene Leahy Mall. The segment, published as a video news story, announced the South Asian spring festival's planned arrival at one of Omaha's premier downtown public spaces along the Missouri River waterfront. Holi—the Hindu festival of colors celebrated each spring across South Asia and by diaspora communities worldwide—marks the season's arrival with the joyful throwing of colored powder and water, communal feasting, and public gathering. Its staging at Gene Leahy Mall, a major Omaha civic space that was significantly renovated and reopened in recent years as a flagship downtown park, signals the growing confidence and presence of Omaha's South Asian community in the city's public life. WOWT's decision to preview the event as a standalone news story reflects the broader mainstream media recognition of Holi as a significant cultural event on the Omaha calendar, drawing interest beyond the South Asian diaspora to include residents, visitors, and families throughout the metro area. [5]