By: Myles Robinson | Publish Date: June 22nd, 2026
Here comes a brand new “hot” new food spot to the Vermella Food Plaza lot in Union, New Jersey. Located at 1105 Morris Avenue, the restaurant food chain Namkeen is the 8th establishment to open under the franchise name and the 4th location in New Jersey.
Namkeen is known for its signature blend of “Nashville-style” hot chicken mixed with Pakistani flavors and spices. It’s only due to the great food that the restaurant has been producing that it’s able to gain such a mass following of loyal and regular customers across the state that keep wanting to come back for more.
The original Namkeen was founded by husband and wife duo Usman and Ammena Chaudhri, with their first store opening in 2020 in Chatham, NJ. Their goal was to bring a unique South Asian twist to what is known as the craze of the Nashville Hot Chicken scene. Since then, the couple has opened up multiple locations around New Jersey, as well as even branched out of the state to places like Georgia and even Canada.
It was 29 year old Kishan Patel, who was born in India and currently lives in Union, that broke gold when they saw an opening in the Vermella Plaza.
“Before owning a business, I was just a normal guy who was looking for a full-time position to secure my future, something that I was more into”.
Patel, who had been a loyal customer of the Namkeen brand for almost 3 years, had fallen fast in love with the Pakistani spice blend that is shaken onto the freshly breaded and fried chicken tenders once it comes out the oil. He reached out to the family that owned the business and was absolutely satisfied with the way they ran their establishments.
The Union, NJ native has the full support of his family backing him. They also own a couple of other establishments, like Bubbakoo’s Burritos, down the street on Galloping Hill Road.
“I decided to open up Namkeen in my hometown and now I enjoy seeing people eat the food,” Patel said, “and we get really great support and feedback from our customers.”
With a very fusion-forward menu, serving foods like Tikka Chicken Sandwiches, Jalapeno Cheddar Waffles, and even items like Chicken Tikka Mac and Cheese, and special sauces on the side like Cilantro Chutney, Namkeen is not just another hot chicken restaurant.
Namkeen, which is derived from the Hindi word Namak, a direct translation to salt, is a word that is used when describing a diverse range of savory, salty, or spicy snack foods. The dry rub chicken seasoning is infused with South Asian masala so that the taste of the blended flavors really shines through, not just the Nashville hot seasoning.
“Our prep team is there 2 hours earlier every morning to ensure that we serve bold South Asian flavors to our customers,” Patel said.
Gabriella Campos, who is the evening kitchen manager, works the friers and the grill is an exceptional cook. The mother of 5 has been working at the restaurant since they opened in March and has quickly been made a staple within the regular customers.
“It means family,” the Brooklyn, NY native started on what Namkeen means to her, “because they treat us like family, and they also serve really good food.”
The chef, who has numerous kitchen experiences, works under the night shift manager, Valerie Auly, who is from Colombia but is native to the local area of Union, New Jersey. The 19 year old previously worked at Bubbakoo’s Burritos, and was brought over to the brand new hot chicken spot, after only working at the other restaurant for a couple months.
“If you ask me how it is working here, I am going to tell you it’s like a family. His mother [the owner’s mother] is very nice, and the people here are really nice,” Auly said. “Working here is great because we are all really good to each other.”
Kishan Patel has brought over Auly from his other restaurant and started her on her manager training because he saw potential and believed in her. Patel saw potential in the vacancy that sat at 1105 and brought to Union, New Jersey, a great and affordable place to eat and experience not only amazing flavors but also experience the great customer service that makes up the Namkeen team. Whether its the chicken and waffles or the Chicken Tikka melt, or the friendly faces and staff that keeps the customers filling up the restaurant, the newest edition to the Namkeen family is here and here to stay.
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