One of India’s biggest restaurant brands has officially landed in Adelaide, with Bikanervala opening the doors to its first Australian restaurant in Campbelltown.
The 96-seat venue at 1/618 Lower North East Road is the first Australian outpost for the family-owned Indian food giant, which has more than 300 locations across India and internationally.
And it seems Adelaide diners have been more than ready for it.
“It’s been very busy,” Bikanervala Adelaide’s Mohit Taneja tells Glam Adelaide.
Mohit has teamed up with business partner Himanshu Kaushik to bring the 120-year-old brand to South Australia, with the Campbelltown restaurant marking the beginning of its planned Australian expansion.
Melbourne and Sydney locations are expected to follow in the coming months.
For those familiar with Bikanervala in India, the Adelaide restaurant is designed to feel instantly recognisable.
The business dates back to 1905, when founder Shri Lal Chand Agarwal opened a small sweet shop called Bikaner Namkeen Bhandar in Bikaner’s historic Kote Gate.
The brand later expanded to Delhi, where customers began calling the store “Bikanervala,” a nickname that eventually became the name of one of India’s best-known food brands.
Today, it is known for its traditional sweets, snacks and vegetarian food, as well as a huge menu spanning regional Indian favourites.
The menu features North Indian curries, thalis, rice, naan and salads, alongside South Indian favourites, Indo-Chinese dishes and an extensive selection of traditional Indian sweets and snacks.
One of the dishes particularly popular is chole bhature, a spicy chickpea curry served with fluffy fried bread.
“We know we’ll be selling around 250 a day,” Mohit previously told Glam Adelaide.
The restaurant’s food is also intended to stay as close as possible to the flavours customers know from Bikanervala overseas.
“Our chefs are coming from India, and we’re bringing the same flavours to Australia that we’ve grown up with,” Mohit said.
“That’s the ultimate selling point.”
The food is served inside a restaurant designed to reflect the scale and history of the international brand.
Architects from India worked alongside Australian designers on the Campbelltown fit-out, with the interiors drawing on India’s culinary heritage.
A feature ceiling sits above the dining room, with dramatic lighting and other design details helping to give the restaurant a distinctly Bikanervala feel while still fitting into its Adelaide home.
For Mohit and Himanshu, bringing the brand to Australia is also about introducing a name that is already deeply familiar to generations of Indian diners.
“I’ve been in Australia for 21 years, and what we used to call it was the KFC and Burger King of India,” he previously said.
“That’s how well-known it was. It’s where everyone used to go.”
Now, Adelaide diners can see what all the fuss is about for themselves.
Bikanervala
Where: 618-620 Lower North East Road, Campbelltown
When: Open 5pm to 10pm every day.
To find out more, click here.
