Once Mumbai restaurant was about to close with Rs 18 lakh in debt. One call from Anushka Sharma changed its fate, and now it earns Rs 2 crore per month

One small chole bhature eatery in Chembur, Mumbai, was once on the verge of shutting down due to constant losses. It had accumulated no less than Rs 18 lakh in debt. However, today, Delhi Se is now a thriving business, selling more than a thousand plates everyday. This miraculous turnover occurred when stand-up comedian Abhishek Upmanyu recommended the eatery on Instagram. Following this post, actress Anushka Sharma ordered a dish of chole bhature from the eatery, as her husband, cricketer Virat Kohli, adored this dish and food from Delhi in general.

The eatery Delhi Se was founded by siblings Jaspal Singh Khalsa and Mahinder Singh Khalsa in October 2021. The venture started on a small scale, occupying just 250 square feet with three tables and seating for nine people. Since then, it has expanded significantly, growing into a four-location business with outlets spread across Mumbai and Navi Mumbai.

The turning point came in 2022 when Upmanyu recommended the eatery on Instagram after falling in love with their chole bhature. When comedian Abhishek Upmanyu visited Delhi Se in the Camp neighbourhood of Chembur in September 2022 and tried its chole bhature, the restaurant made a significant breakthrough. He later highlighted the eatery on his Instagram Story after being impressed by the cuisine. Although the proprietors had never heard of Upmanyu before, they quickly noticed a significant rise in the number of customers.


“On September 13, Abhishek Upmanyu came to eat chhole bhature. We didn't know him then. On September 14 and 15, our walk-ins started increasing,” Jaspal told Pinkvilla. He got so impressed by the dish, he praised it on Instagram, and that led to Anushka ordering the chole bhature dish – two plates. When he received a call from Juhu, Jaspal at first thought he was being pranked.

A plate cost Rs 120 at the time, and it was anticipated that the cost of transportation from Chembur to Juhu and back would exceed the order itself. The caller requested his bank account information to complete the payment and reassured him that the extra delivery fee will be paid. He grew even more dubious. Jaspal even talked to his brother about the call after that.

He complained to his brother that the woman was bothering him and had asked for bank details. Mahinder told him to provide the details and told him not to worry about getting hacked, as the account balance was negative.

He had told the caller not to joke about being from Virat Kohli’s home and was then warned that if he did not take the order, the opportunity would be gone. The delivery was fixed in October 2022. After they delivered the food, the staff member called him and asked him to check Anushka’s enthusiastic praise on Instagram, where she had gushed that their food was just like Delhi’s cuisine.

“Anushka wrote: 'Ekdum-Delhi-jaise-Chole-bhature in Mumbai.'" She added, “I am more than happy to announce that this search has ended, and I have given my ecstatic joy. Those who know him know his love for chole bhature. The one cheat meal has no guilt over.”

The Aftermath

After that post, there was no looking back. Customers ordered six and even ten plates at a time, leaving the eatery out of ingredients. Within just three days, the amount of chole being cooked went from eight kilograms to 100 kg.

Delhi Se was once on the verge of shutting down with Rs 18 lakh in debt. Today, it has more than four outlets at Chembur, Mulund, Andheri West and Vashi and sells more than 3,000 plates of chole bhature every day as per an NDTV report. Their monthly sales, which once hovered around Rs 1 - Rs 1.5 lakh, nowadays have expanded to a whopping Rs 2 crore.