A plate of chole bhature may sound like an ordinary food order, but for a small restaurant in Mumbai’s Chembur, one such order became part of an extraordinary turnaround story. Delhi Se, which was once preparing to shut down with around Rs 18 lakh in debt, later expanded to four outlets after a chain of social-media moments brought it unexpected attention.
A nine-seat restaurant was near closure
Brothers Jaspal Singh Khalsa and Mahinder Singh Khalsa opened Delhi Se in Chembur in October 2021. The roughly 250-square-foot restaurant had just three tables and nine seats, serving Delhi-style food. The business struggled as sales declined in 2022. By September that year, the brothers said they were considering closing the restaurant. “From January, our sales started declining. By September 2022, we were planning to close the restaurant,” Jaspal told Pinkvilla.
How Abhishek Upmanyu’s post started the chain reaction
In September 2022, comedian Abhishek Upmanyu visited Delhi Se and recommended its chole bhature on Instagram. The owners told The Indian Express that they initially did not know who Upmanyu was, but noticed walk-ins increasing within days of his post.
His recommendation eventually reached Anushka Sharma, who was searching for authentic Delhi-style chole bhature in Mumbai for her husband, Virat Kohli. According to the owners, a call then came from Anushka’s home asking for two plates to be delivered to Juhu. Jaspal initially suspected that it was a prank, particularly because the food cost only Rs 120 per plate at the time. The order was eventually delivered on October 5, 2022.
Anushka Sharma’s Instagram post brings a massive crowd
After trying the food, Anushka shared her discovery on Instagram and described it as “ekdum-Delhi-jaise-Chole-bhature” in Mumbai, while crediting Upmanyu for introducing her to the restaurant. The owners said the response was almost immediate. Jaspal recalled that a huge crowd gathered within about half an hour, with customers ordering multiple plates.
The tiny kitchen struggled to keep pace. According to the owners, they increased their preparation of chickpeas from around 8 kg to 100 kg within three days, with nearby residents even helping soak the ingredients.
From nine seats to four outlets
Delhi Se has since expanded to outlets in Chembur, Mulund, Andheri West and Vashi. The owners claim the business now sells more than 3,000 plates of chole bhature daily and has monthly sales of around Rs 2 crore, compared with roughly Rs 1-1.5 lakh during its difficult phase. NDTV Food revealed that these financial and production figures are based on the owners’ claims and have not been independently audited.
The story ultimately shows how a small local business can receive an unexpected boost when word-of-mouth, social media and celebrity attention intersect. What began with a comedian’s food recommendation eventually turned a nine-seat Chembur restaurant into a growing multi-outlet brand.
