A small restaurant in Mumbai that was once struggling with debt and considering closure received an unexpected boost after comedian Abhishek Upmanyu recommended it on Instagram.
The turning point came when an order for two plates of chole bhature arrived from Anushka Sharma’s home for Virat Kohli. According to The Times of India, the restaurant, Delhi Se, has since expanded from its tiny Chembur outlet to four locations and claims to serve more than 3,000 plates of chole bhature every day.
A restaurant that was almost ready to shut
Brothers Jaspal Singh Khalsa and Mahinder Singh Khalsa started Delhi Se in Chembur on October 15, 2021. The 250-square-foot outlet had just three tables and nine seats, with the brothers hoping to bring the taste of Delhi-style food to Mumbai.
However, the business soon faced difficulties. Sales began declining from January 2022 and, by September, the brothers said they had accumulated around ₹18 lakh in debt. Closing the restaurant appeared to be the only realistic option.
“From January, our sales started declining. By September 2022, we were planning to close the restaurant,” Jaspal told Pinkvilla.
As reported by The Times of India, the restaurant’s fortunes changed just when the owners were preparing to give up. What followed was not the result of a major advertising campaign or a planned celebrity collaboration, but a social media recommendation and an unexpected food order.
Then a comedian walked in
In September 2022, stand-up comedian Abhishek Upmanyu visited Delhi Se and tried its chole bhature. He later recommended the restaurant to his followers on Instagram.
The brothers initially did not know who Upmanyu was. But the impact of his recommendation became visible almost immediately. Jaspal recalled that Upmanyu visited the restaurant on September 13, while walk-ins began increasing on September 14 and 15.
The Times of India reported that the Instagram recommendation became the first major push for the struggling restaurant, bringing attention from customers who otherwise might never have discovered the small Chembur outlet.
What happened next took the owners by surprise.
Two plates became a turning point
Anushka Sharma was reportedly looking for Delhi-style chole bhature in Mumbai for Virat Kohli. After coming across Upmanyu’s recommendation, someone from Kohli’s home contacted Delhi Se and ordered two plates.
Jaspal initially suspected that the call could be a prank. Each plate cost only ₹120, but delivering the order from Chembur to Juhu made the seemingly simple request much more significant for the small restaurant.
The brothers eventually delivered the food on October 5, 2022. Anushka later posted about finding “ekdum-Delhi-jaise-Chole-bhature” in Mumbai and credited Upmanyu for helping her discover the restaurant.
According to The Times of India, that celebrity connection helped Delhi Se gain attention far beyond its original customer base.
The crowd arrived faster than the kitchen could handle
The response following Anushka’s post was dramatic. Jaspal said a large crowd gathered at the restaurant within about half an hour. Customers began placing large orders, sometimes asking for six or even 10 plates at once.
For a restaurant with only three tables and nine seats, the sudden demand created a completely different problem: keeping up with orders.
The brothers reportedly sought help from people living nearby, asking residents to soak chickpeas at home so they could collect them and prepare enough food.
Some customers reportedly waited for more than two hours to receive just two or three plates.
The Times of India reported that the restaurant’s preparation of chhole increased from around 8 kg to 100 kg within three days. The sudden jump meant the kitchen had to adapt almost overnight to a level of demand the owners had never experienced before.
From nine seats to four outlets
Delhi Se has since expanded beyond its original Chembur location. Its outlets are now listed in Chembur, Mulund, Andheri West and Vashi.
According to the brothers, the business currently sells more than 3,000 plates of chole bhature every day across its four outlets. They also say they soak approximately 125 kg of chickpeas daily, which they estimate expands to nearly a tonne after cooking.
The Times of India noted that these figures are based on claims made by the restaurant’s owners rather than independently audited business records.
The brothers also claim that monthly sales have increased dramatically, from approximately ₹1–1.5 lakh during the restaurant’s struggling period to around ₹2 crore today. These figures, too, have not been independently audited.
More than just a celebrity order
The story of Delhi Se is not simply about a celebrity ordering food from a small restaurant. The restaurant already had a product that its owners believed in, but its reach was limited.
First came a comedian’s Instagram recommendation. Then came two plates ordered from a celebrity household. One social media post subsequently introduced the restaurant to a much larger audience.
As The Times of India reported, the journey from a nine-seat restaurant facing ₹18 lakh in debt to a four-outlet business illustrates how dramatically visibility can change a small food business when social media, word of mouth and customer demand come together.
The owners’ reported debt, production, sales and customer figures should be treated as claims attributed to them and have not been independently audited.
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