Touring Houston's Gandhi District: Check out the food, shopping, and fun!

HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- ABC13Plus takes us to Houston's Mahatma Gandhi District, the center of Indian culture in southeast Texas.

For a tour, Reporter Pooja Lodhia met up with Sherly Philip, a Houston attorney whose father is Koshy Thomas, the founder of Houston's Voice of Asia newspaper.

If anybody knows the Gandhi District, it's Sherly.

"Houston is known for its cultural diversity, and Indians have been here for many, many years," she explained.

Our first stop: India's Restaurant.

The popular Richmond Ave restaurant was even a favorite for ABC13's Marvin Zindler.

"On the weekends, we get people from Beaumont, we get people from Austin. You get from The Woodlands," said Owner Pramod Dube. "They're scared to try, but I tell them, 'It's always the first time, never the last, and they keep coming back after that."

If you like jewelry, Karat 22 Jewelry is a must stop.

"Jewelry has always been at the forefront in our culture," explained owner Anant Patel. "You had people back in the West back in olden times, they didn't know what real jewelry was until they came to the East."

Finally, we stopped by Sari Sapne, Houston's oldest sari shop.

The owner, Ramesh Lulla, brought other business owners to the area to create the Mahatma Gandhi District.

Over the years, Sari Sapne has become one of the most popular Indian fashion stores in the city.

"I feel I've contributed a little bit," Lulla said. "I've been very fortunate, and I tell you, I'm indebted to all my clients and people in Houston."

SEE ALSO: How Houston's Mahatma Gandhi District came to be

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