Sidart Shuts Down: Chef Lesley Chandra Reflects on Loss and Lessons

Ponsonby Road’s fine dining gem Sidart has officially shut down, marking the end of an era for one of Auckland’s most celebrated restaurants. Reported by RNZ

Owner and chef Lesley Chandra confirmed the closure in a heartfelt Facebook post, writing:

“After careful consideration, we have made the difficult decision to close Sidart effective immediately. This decision was not made lightly, and we are deeply grateful for the support, memories, and experiences we’ve shared with each of you over the years.”

Speaking to RNZ, Chandra said he made the decision two weeks ago, with the restaurant serving its final guests on Saturday night. The closure, he explained, was driven by financial pressures as the lease expired and the restaurant entered liquidation.

Founded in 2009 by acclaimed restaurateurs Sid and Chand Sahrawat, Sidart quickly became a benchmark for modern fine dining in Auckland, earning the Cuisine Good Food Awards’ Restaurant of the Year title in 2019. Chandra, who had worked alongside the Sahrawats at Cassia and The French Café, took ownership of Sidart in 2021—just before the Covid-19 lockdown hit.

“Doing takeaways as a fine dining restaurant wasn’t my thing,” Chandra said. “It was a good learning experience—something different. We had lots of fun with it.”

For Chandra, who moved from Fiji to Auckland at age ten, owning Sidart was a dream come true. Yet, its closure has been deeply personal.

“As a chef, it feels like a failure. Your confidence and your ego get damaged a bit, but that’s something to get over and learn from,” he reflected. “You want to be brave for your family, so you can’t really show it. It’s obviously all the emotions.”

Despite the setback, Chandra remains optimistic about the future. He plans to take some time off before deciding on his next move.

“This is learning from my mistakes—maybe next time doing it in a different way.”

Sidart’s closure adds to a growing list of Ponsonby icons bowing out, including SPQR, which ended its 30-year run last year, and Ponsonby Road Bistro, which closed after 18 years. Earlier this year, the Sahrawats also sold their tandoor-inspired restaurant KOL to Ruchi and Sapan Parikh.

In a statement to RNZ, the Sahrawats expressed their sadness:

“We are deeply saddened to see Sidart close its doors. The past couple of years have been tough for all hospitality operators, and our hearts go out to Lesley and his team—they worked extremely hard to keep the doors open.”