Around Town: Inside Khyber, a North Indian restaurant adorned with MF Husain’s paintings and boasting a guest list featuring Brad Pitt and Amitabh Bachchan

Although it retains its old essence, the walls are now painted lighter, a new Italian marble floor replaces the old, the lamps have changed from black to antique gold, the teak wood tables now boast a walnut brown polish, and the upholstery has a rich shade of maron. The room overall looks brighter.

“It has been nearly four decades since this place was renovated. While it has a timeless appeal and we wanted to retain its DNA, there was a need to give it a fresher look,” shared Rashmi Bahl, Sudheer’s wife, who co-manages the business. They will be taking on one section after another, giving the entire space a fresher look by January 2026.

The renovation, or rather sprucing up, aligns with the brand’s plan to celebrate its 65th year and revive the establishment to its heyday glory. Even as it turns 68 this year, the Bahls are marking its 65th anniversary, factoring in the three years it remained closed during the lockdown.

Khyber is known for serving cuisine from the North West Frontier region. (Express Photo by Amit Chakavarty)

Going back in time

Khyber was started in 1958 by Om Prakash Bahl as a restaurant serving food from the North West Frontier as well as continental fare—imagine everything from butter chicken to French onion soup.

“It started as a small 25-40 seater restaurant on the ground floor of this building. It was the only place my father could afford to rent,” shared Sudheer Bahl, adding that back then, Kala Ghoda wasn’t the bustling art district it is today but an area known for pickpockets.

The restaurant became a success, and gradually, his father not only bought the space he initially rented but also acquired nearby premises. Slowly and steadily, he came to own the entire building. “But in March 1985, there was a massive fire, and everything was burnt to the ground,” recalled Sudheer, who was then a fresh graduate ready to join the family business.

The incident became a turning point for Khyber, as they took the unfortunate event in stride and planned their next step. They brought Parmeshwar Godrej on board to redesign the restaurant.

Dining room showcasing paintings by Anjolie Ela Menon. (Express Photo by Amit Chakravarty)

“She decided the entire layout, and if you look closely, it resembles the old Godrej house where she resided,” shared Sudheer, adding that the restaurant is not one expansive floor space but a cluster of multiple spaces acquired over time. “Since there are multiple rooms, she saw an opportunity—not just for grand dining areas but for intimate private spaces. She added mirrors to enhance the sense of grandeur. For arches, she hired artisans from Rajasthan to hand-carve stones to create the jali and included Urdu calligraphy—not just random text but poetry—to add to the visual appeal,” said Sudheer.

Recalling an anecdote, he shared how they were taken aback when Godrej suggested having paintings by MF Husain and Anjolie Ela Menon. “We were facing losses, our investors no longer believed in Khyber, so we had to buy them out, and the restaurant was shut for a while… There was no way we could afford Husain and Anjolie Menon, but Parmeshwar, being their friend, got them on board,” he shared, adding that he remembers seeing them inside the premises, painting on-site.

Apart from the Husain Room, another room displays Menon’s artworks. “The black you see on the walls is from the smoke. Both Parmeshwar and Anjolie insisted that we retain the burnt walls as they were, and because the paintings looked new, they manually scraped them to give them an aged look,” he said, adding that they paid the artists “a pittance” compared to their usual charges. “It was all because of Parmeshwar,” he recalled.

Godrej’s influence in her social circles helped Khyber’s reopening as a North Indian fine diner become an instant success, with everyone wanting to dine there.

Sudheer, Rashmi and Ishaan Bahl. (Express Photo by Amit Chakravarty)

Over the decades, Khyber has hosted a roster of distinguished guests, from royalty to Hollywood icons. “Brad Pitt was here just two years ago. He walked in with a list of dishes to try, and at the top was baingan bharta,” shared Sudheer. Other notable diners include Henri, Grand Duke of Luxembourg (then Prince), Kuwait’s royal family, Beatles’ Sir Paul McCartney, business magnate Richard Branson, and actors Amitabh Bachchan, Aamir Khan, Demi Moore, and fashion designer Wendell Rodricks, among many others.

The menu, Sudheer shared, has largely remained the same with a few additions over time. “Our guests here have been dining with us for years. They don’t even look at the menu but call our manager, who knows their orders by heart, so that by the time they arrive, their meal is ready. We recently added beetroot galouti kebabs and smoked butter chicken,” added his son Ishaan, who co-manages Khyber with his father and also started 145, a café-bar 10years ago, which now has five outlets across the city.

“The only change we’ve made is that the dishes are now lighter in terms of oil usage, and we’ve added more kebabs over curries,” he added. When asked if this was based on customer feedback, Sudheer said, “We read the times in time so that our patrons never have to ask.”