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Tikka House is a family-run Indian and Middle Eastern eatery and spice market in Kansas City’s River Market, founded in 2005 by Jordanian immigrant Manal Alhabashi and now run with her sons. Part casual café, part bulk-spice emporium stocking nearly a thousand varieties, it is one of the City Market’s most enduring independent food merchants.

Description

Tikka House is a combination Indian café and specialty spice market in the Historic City Market (River Market) of Kansas City, Missouri.1 The kitchen serves kabobs, curries, wraps, samosas, and stuffed pita pockets, with butter chicken, tikka masala, and the lamb kabob sandwich among its best-known dishes, alongside extensive vegetarian and vegan options.23 The menu blends Indian and Middle Eastern flavors, reflecting the Jordanian roots of the owning family.4

Beyond the food counter, the business is distinguished by its spice operation: nearly one thousand varieties of spices, blends, and seasonings sold in bulk, ranging from kitchen staples to custom and novelty blends, and supplying local restaurants, pickling companies, and barbecue teams.4

Ownership and history

Tikka House was opened in 2005 by Manal Alhabashi, an immigrant from Jordan.4 What began as a single table of spices grew into a full restaurant-and-market operation with nearly a thousand spice varieties.4 Manal travels back to Jordan regularly to source quality spices and seasonings, bringing them back in quantity, and the family has built a reputation for authenticating product (for example, testing saffron for dye adulteration).4

The business is run as a family enterprise: Manal’s sons Zade and Laith Alhabashi help operate Tikka House and separately sell spices at the Overland Park Farmers’ Market under the name Bazaar Spice.4

Sources

Disputes

None known.

Footnotes

  1. The City Market — Tikka House merchant page. https://thecitymarketkc.org/merchants/tikka-house/ — asserts: address (411 Main St, KCMO, River Market), hours, Indian market + café concept, currently operating. ↩

  2. Yelp — Tikka House, Kansas City. https://www.yelp.com/biz/tikka-house-kansas-city — asserts: 411 Main St KCMO 64105 address, Indian category, signature dishes, active listing updated June 2026 (138 reviews). ↩

  3. Tripadvisor — Tikka House, Kansas City. https://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g44535-d925561-Reviews-Tikka_House-Kansas_City_Missouri.html — asserts: Indian/Middle Eastern cuisine, signature dishes, active operation, positive recent reviews. ↩

  4. Kansas City Magazine — “Tikka House Sells Every Kind Of Spice You Can Imagine.” https://kansascitymag.com/spice-up-your-life/ — asserts: founded 2005 by Manal Alhabashi (Jordanian immigrant); sons Zade and Laith; ~1,000 spices; Jordan sourcing trips; Bazaar Spice at Overland Park Farmers’ Market. ↩ ↩2 ↩3 ↩4 ↩5 ↩6

See also

Categories
  • Locally owned
  • Indian
  • River Market