Arif Rizvi came to America from Pakistan with $80 in his pocket and a drive to make his mom proud. Decades later, he’s helped introduce Lexington to a range of foods all while seeking to make his community better. 

With two Lexington restaurants under his belt, RF’s Corner Grill and Bubba’s Biscuit, he is now looking to expand with a third restaurant, and this one will have a lot of influence in his roots. 

Masala is going to be a Pakistani/Indian restaurant located next to Food Lion at 738 West Main St., with Rizvi hoping to be open by the end of January 2024. 

“I want to offer my guests an extra level of hospitality and explain to my guests and show them what the food is all about,” Rizvi told the Chronicle. “My regulars at my restaurant tell me, ‘I’ve never tried Pakistan and Indian food’ and ‘I wasn’t sure what I was eating but I loved it.’” 

Rizvi wants to introduce Lexington to the countries’ dishes and allow them to see an explanation of the food on the menu or on the walls and allow it to become a dialogue between the customers and servers.

“I want to help them appreciate the food,” he says. 

There will be an array of dishes native to the countries, and Rizvi says there will be an “authentic food palate offering an array of food and spices” along with items fused with American cuisine, allowing the restaurant to bring some originality to its menu. The restaurant will still feature popular dishes such as butter chicken and tikka masala, but Rizvi plans to bring “carefully fused dishes” while still carrying Pakistan/Indian essence. 

For instance, Rizvi explained that he “might make a lamb dish with lamb broth mix and fuse with a cumin chutney … or mashed potatoes. I will present it so you get a big hint of Pakistani flavors, but present it so you think maybe you’ve had it before.”

As for the popular butter chicken dish, he says he wants to bring it “down to the basics,” but he also believes in presentation.

“I want people from neighboring towns to want to come to Lexington and try this Indian/Pakistan restaurant,” Rizvi said.

He owes a lot of his culinary influence to his nanny, Fatima, who he said would cook food as he helped prepare the spices. Now his daughter, Zoya, is learning from him as she is “a big part” of his restaurant, Bubba’s Biscuits.

Speaking of Bubba’s, Rizvi said “an expansion is coming,” with details and timeline yet to be solidified. The 115 W Main St.  restaurant near the Icehouse Amphitheater opened in 2020 in Lexington after first appearing in Columbia.

As for what he’d like to see offered as part of that expansion, he mentioned wanting to be open in the evenings to offer more of a variety to people on Main Street in Lexington. 

“We pour our heart and soul into it,” he said. “The downtown location in Lexington [is where] we want to open in the evenings with Philly cheesesteaks and burgers or sliders.”

“Hang out on Main Street in Lexington, go to the Amphitheatre or have a beer or coffee or a kick ass Philly Cheesesteak,” added Rizvi, hinting that he’d like to offer soft serve ice cream at Bubba’s down the road.

He said his focus has transformed over the years and he wants to leave the world a better place, with Lexington being one of his marks. 

“We want to offer something with more options to the community,” Rizvi said. “We don’t want to compete.”