NORTHAMPTON — In 1984, Omprakash Kanoujia was living in Cambridge when he drove out to Northampton and fell in love with the city.

He loved it so much that he bought a vacant storefront on State Street that August, and two months later opened India House. Alka Kanoujia, Omprakash’s wife and co-owner, was pregnant with their son as they were opening the restaurant.

“He brought the restaurant with him, we always say that,” said Alka about her son Amit. “So that was a big accomplishment opening a restaurant at that time!”

Four decades later, the popular downtown restaurant is going strong and this month is celebrating its 40th anniversary. When the restaurant opened 40 years ago, the city only had around five restaurants.

These days Northampton has a vibrant restaurant and bar scene, and India House is still one of those anchors operating in the same spot at 45 State St.

Omprakash and Alka continue to operate the restaurant with the help of their two children, Amit and Anjula.

The restaurant has been family run since it opened, and on any given night, at least two members of the Kanoujia family are at the restaurant, talking to customers and ensuring everything runs smoothly.

“We still see people who came here the very first night, and that is an accomplishment,” said Alka. “It’s their place, it’s their home as much as it is ours. They’ve been coming here for all these years and patronizing us. And that’s what makes it possible, it’s community. It’s a community that, you come from a different country, you come here and it feels like home, and it’s very welcoming and very gratifying.”

When India House first opened, ingredients had to be sourced from Boston or New York, and the restaurant was the only Indian food in Northampton.

There have been many changes over the years, but from the beginning the priority has been the quality of the food, with ornate interior design and creative menu items coming gradually over time.

In 2021, during the COVID-19 pandemic, India House won the lottery for a liquor license and added a bar. The liquor license has brought in new customers, who come in, not just for dinner, but to sit at the bar and have a drink.

Anjula runs the bar, and she enjoys experimenting with flavors, making a lot of her own syrups to ensure that they are nut free due to her almond allergy. A signature cocktail is the Train to Darjeeling, a Manhattan, which uses a house made chai liqueur.

“How I cook is how I make my drinks, a little bit of this, a little bit of that. And once you have the foundation you can build off of that very easily,” she said.

As the 40th anniversary of India House approaches, the Kanoujias plan to add some new items to the menu, including more plant based dishes. The cuisine is based on North Indian food, but “we do play quite a bit. It’s fun,” said Alka.

“It’s an amalgamation of different trends and different things from different culinary cultures and bringing them together to highlight your culture and food,” said Amit. “All four of us, we don’t follow traditional recipes always, it’s just a little bit of this or that.”

Some of these fusion dishes include the Naanizzas, pizzas on naan bread with toppings like paneer and onion or butter chicken. India House developed and introduced many new dishes, including the naanizzas, during the pandemic, aiming to make comfort food. Other creative favorites on the menu are the cauliflower lollipops and the glazed garlic lamb.

Beyond the restaurant, Alka runs cooking classes at the Baker’s Pin. She and Anjula teach Indian recipes, but also how to use typically Indian spices in other foods, like a butter masala mac and cheese. This summer, through a youth program at Holyoke Community College, Anjula also taught kids aged 9-16 cooking classes and how to do these fusion dishes.

“It’s just fun to talk to people about it, because I think that a lot of times people get very daunted when they see Indian recipes, when they see the amount of spices,” said Anjula.

“It’s an education, it shouldn’t be scary,” added Alka.

After 40 years of operation, India House has become a Northampton staple for many people. In particular, Thanksgiving eve at India House is a tradition for some regulars, when visitors are in town and everyone is sick of cooking.

“We’ve had customers who have been coming in since we first opened. I went to school with some of their kids. So now when they come in, they are in their third generation, so that’s always nice to see,” said Amit. “When they are visiting in town, it’s a tradition.”