From Rawalpindi to Pandara Road

Few restaurants in Delhi can claim to be almost as old as independent India itself. Fewer still can say they have served the same signature dish across three generations while remaining a beloved institution in the Capital’s culinary map.

Pindi Restaurant at Pandara Road Market completes 78 years this year. Its story is not just about food: it encompasses Partition, resilience, family legacy and the enduring appeal of authentic North-West Frontier Province cuisine.

The restaurant traces its origins to 1948, when its founder, Kasturi Lal Wadhwa, arrived in Delhi from Rawalpindi in Pakistan. He was just 20 years old and had the responsibility of supporting his young wife and five younger siblings in a city still recovering from the upheavals of Partition.

Drawing on the flavours of his hometown, Kasturi Lal began selling Pindi chana and bhatura from a pushcart near India Gate. Working from 5 am until midnight, he prepared large quantities of chickpea curry and hand-rolled hundreds of bhaturas every day. A plate sold for just an anna or two.

“He was passionate about feeding people,” recalls his grandson Anuj Wadhwa, who today represents the third generation of the family business.

A favourite among cricket watchers

The young entrepreneur quickly gained a loyal following. During cricket matches at the Feroz Shah Kotla, he would shuttle between India Gate and the stadium, ensuring hungry spectators could enjoy his famous chana-kulcha. Word-of-mouth publicity helped his modest venture grow in popularity.

A major turning point came when Kasturi Lal was allotted a commercial space at Pandara Road as part of the government’s rehabilitation programme for Partition refugees. Pindi opened its doors there in the 1950s and became one of the first food establishments in what would later become one of Delhi’s most celebrated dining destinations.

“When my grandfather shifted here, it was difficult initially because customers did not know where he had moved,” says Anuj. “But gradually, the restaurant picked up, especially among IAS officers and civil services aspirants who frequented the area.”

In its early years, Pindi was little more than a small counter with a kitchen inside and charpoys placed outside for customers. Families often preferred dining in their parked cars. Until 1991, the restaurant could accommodate only about 10 people at a time.

As demand grew, so did the menu.

New delicacies

While pindi chana remained its signature offering, the restaurant expanded its offerings to include dishes such as butter chicken, dal makhani, tandoori chicken and an array of Mughlai and Frontier delicacies.

“At that time, we were among the few restaurants serving dishes such as mutton tikka masala, seekh kebab masala, brain curry and mutton burra,” says Anuj. “People travelled all the way to Old Delhi for such food, but eventually realised they could find the same authentic flavours here.”

Over the years, paneer dishes, Chinese fare, and more recently soya-based preparations were added to cater to changing tastes. Yet some classics continue to define the restaurant. “Customers have been coming here for more than 40 years, specifically for the brain curry, mutton dishes and dal makhani,” Anuj says.

In-house spices

One of Pindi’s biggest strengths has been consistency. Much of that comes from the secret spice blends created by Kasturi Lal himself. The founder personally prepared the restaurant’s garam masala, chana masala, and chaat masala. Replicating those flavours was not easy.

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“He never worked with exact measurements,” recalls Anuj. “Sometimes, it was a handful of one spice, sometimes two handfuls of another. It depended on his instinct and even his mood. Before he passed away, I insisted that he teach me approximate proportions. We have managed to preserve nearly 80% of that original taste.”

Kasturi Lal remained actively involved with the restaurant until his death in 2009. Family members still fondly remember accompanying him to the vegetable and meat markets early in the morning. Dressed in his trademark white kurta-pyjama, he was a familiar figure among vendors who knew exactly how much produce he would require each day.

Today, the restaurant is managed by the founder’s children and grandchildren, including Yashpal Wadhwa, Vinod Wadhwa, Anuj Wadhwa and Pulkit Wadhwa. The once modest eatery has evolved into a modern casual-dining space with seating for nearly 100 guests. A refurbishment a few years ago introduced contemporary interiors while retaining the warmth and familiarity that long-time patrons associate with Pindi.

Starry affair

The restaurant’s customer base is as diverse as its menu. Over the decades, it has welcomed politicians, actors, cricketers and film-makers. Among its patrons have been the late Shashi Kapoor, Rahul Gandhi, Imtiaz Ali, Arjun Kapoor, Mohammad Azharuddin and Ajay Jadeja.

According to the family, Amitabh Bachchan continues to order Pindi’s butter chicken whenever he visits Delhi.

The latest chapter in the restaurant’s journey reflects its willingness to adapt without abandoning its roots. Alongside traditional favourites such as Pindi chana, butter chicken, dal peshawari, Kashmiri kebabs, brain curry, keema kaleji and mutton burra, the restaurant has introduced newer dishes and even a full cocktail bar to appeal to contemporary diners.

Yet at its core, Pindi remains what it has always been: a family-run establishment built on hospitality, heritage and recipes carried across the border during one of the most turbulent moments in the subcontinent’s history. Seventy-eight years after Kasturi Lal Wadhwa first sold Pindi chana from a pushcart near India Gate, the restaurant stands as a living reminder that some of Delhi’s most enduring stories are told not through monuments, but through meals shared across generations.