Garam Masala, a leader in the Indian curry world in Kyoto, was established in 1983. At the time, there were few restaurants specializing in curry in Kyoto, and he began with the idea of "opening an authentic curry restaurant in this city that would attract customers from other prefectures as well. After much research and development of Indian curry, he came up with his original beef curry, which is still on the menu today. 40 spices and secret ingredients such as bananas were added to create this original dish. At a time when Indian curry was not well known, a customer wrote in a magazine, "This curry is so good it makes me drool," and the dish attracted attention and became popular.

Currently, Ritsuko Nagahara, the second-generation owner, along with her family, is carrying on the tradition of her mother, the founder of the restaurant. Ritsuko trained for about six years at high-class restaurants and popular eateries in India, including the famous Moti Mahal, which is said to be the birthplace of butter chicken curry, and acquired local techniques. After returning to Japan, she introduced a tandoor oven imported from India and expanded her menu to include tandoori chicken and naan made in the local style. Ritsuko's goal is to create a taste that can only be found at Garam Masala. She continues to travel to India every year to incorporate authentic Indian techniques, and her creative Indian cuisine, which is an evolution of her predecessor's tastes, is fascinating.