About Us
Restaurant Story
A Rich and Famous Historical Milestone
New Delhi Restaurant was established in 1988 and opened by San Francisco Mayor Art Agnos, on November 3rd, 1988. Since then many famous politicians have crossed its threshold from Lt. Governor Pete Wilson, former Gov. Jerry Brown, others like the late Milton Marks, Wille Brown and many more. In 1992 future President Bill Clinton made it a stop during his first presidential campaign when he met the Indians of the Bay Area to listen to their issues. He returned in 1996 during his re-election campaign and New Delhi Restaurant has been a favorite spot for political fundraisers ever since.
New Delhi Restaurant and Chef-Owner Ranjan Dey has received numerous awards and gold medals for excellence in Indian cuisine and spice blends. Our restaurant is also a favorite spot of many Indian celebrities. On any given day you may be dining next to a spiritual guru like Dr. Deepak Chopra, to a Silicon Valley mogul, famous Indian film stars, or Miss Universe.
The famous Chef & Owner Ranjan Dey has also received many dignitaries from the food & beverage industry. Including among them Julia Child, Paul Prodhome, Graham Kerr, Jerri Divecchio of Sunset Magazine, Martin Yan, Jeff Smith of The Frugal Gourmet, and many more.
Description of the Restaurant
As Described By San Francisco Convention & Visitors Bureau's San Francisco Book
New Delhi Restaurant , 160 Ellis Street (Union Square ) Indian , $$. New Delhi Restaurant named “The Finest Indian Restaurant” by The New York Times for Vegetarian and Indian cuisine, continues to garner acclaim. Decorated like a Maharajah’s ornate banquet room, the restaurant serves food made from some of the freshest ingredients. Within walking distance of major hotels. Extraordinary Indian cuisine elegantly served.
A San Francisco Institution
Our Famous Front Bar
Since its inception in 1988, the New Delhi Bar has been the favorite hot spot for many working in the downtown restaurant and hotel trade. It remains open up to 2 am. We are famous for our two happy hours; the first at 5 pm and the second at 11 pm. This is because not everybody works 9-5 pm and the restaurant staff usually end the evening shifts at about 11 pm at night. This is definitely the place for a fresh scoop in the restaurant and hotel industry in downtown San Francisco.
A Description of the Bar
As described by Union Square/Downtown San Francisco
New Delhi Restaurant & Bar: “When you’re looking for a relaxing meal filled with exciting, stimulating aromas and flavors try the New Delhi and don’t forget the bartender makes Bombay Gin Martini” -SF Bay Guardian.
Featured on the Galloping Gourmet television show and named one of the finest Indian Restaurant in the US by the New York Times, New Delhi continues to garner acclaim. Decorated like Maharajah’s ornate banquet room, the restaurant serves food made from recipes culled from the royal Indian menus dating back 300 to 400 years using the freshest ingredients available. Within walking distance of major hotels. Extraordinary Indian cuisine elegantly served.
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Birth Place of New World Spices
One of the highest complements paid by our dinning customers is a request for the recipe for one of our dishes. One of the difficulties in recreating our dishes at home is the masala or mixture of spices. Occasionally we’ve given our customers an envelope of seasonings for a particular dish. We’ve gotten reports of successful dinner parties and one amusing letter from a guest we’ve known for years from Hong Kong. It seems that he opened his suitcase to find everything covered in a rather pungent fine orange dust. Now every time he travels, he thinks of us. This led to the debut of New Delhi Restaurant’s line of Gourmet Indian Spices on October 15, 1990. These hand-blended Indian Spice Blends were inspired by the favorite dishes of many royal families in ancient India and created in the kitchen of the New Delhi Restaurant by Chef and Owner Ranjan Dey. You can sprinkle them on meats, poultry and seafood. Add them to salads, vegetables, dips, sauces, or cook a traditional Indian meal fit for royalty. A gift pack of this uniquely San Francisco Tasty Memory is available at the restaurant to take home.
Chef & Owner Ranjan Dey
Ranjan Dey is the man behind the first New Delhi Restaurant at San Francisco in 1988. He started his career in the food business at the age of 14 at Calcutta’s Park Hotel as a vegetable cutter. After finishing high school, he graduated from the Institute of Catering Technology, Hotel Management and Applied Nutrition. But during all this, he kept his part-time evening job in different hotels. He then worked at the Grand and Great Eastern Hotels in Calcutta before he moving to New Delhi where he worked in Akbar and Janpath Hotels. Prior to moving to Hong Kong, Ranjan spent two years as a senior Chef in the kitchens of the Maurya Sheraton Hotel in New Delhi.
Ranjan meets his wife, Kodi through the Prince of Wales!
It was while he was at Viceroy of India that he met “the girl next door” – Kodi Gamble, daughter of retired US Navy senior chief, from Caldwell, Idaho. Her parents were partners in the Prince of Wales Pub which was next door to Viceroy of India. She became Mrs Ranjan Dey in 1985.
The first New Delhi Restaurant
But Ranjan’s urge to own his own restaurant grew too strong to resist and, on 20th Jan,1984 he took the plunge into 62 Granville Road, Tsimshatsui, Kowloon which became the first New Delhi Restaurant (the restaurant moved in 1985 to a bigger, new home in Kowloon on the mezzanine floor of 52 Cameron Road). In very little time, the first of his New Delhi’s had become a successful operation and Ranjan moved across the harbour, and in June of ’86 he opened the second New Delhi on the groundfloor of Bank of America Tower, Central, Hongkong. His third venture, the Indian Curry Club in 1987 opened in the basement of the Tsimshatsui Center, 66 Mody Road, Kowloon.
Why San Francisco?
As the business has expanded so has the Dey family, Baby Sarah arrived on 4th July 1987. With this at the back of their mind, the real reason for the move is to give their daughter a strong sense of identity. Planning started for the America project almost immediately after Ranjan got a telephone call from Kodi at his restaurant on the Hong Kong side. She said to me, “Are you sitting down? ” I said, “Why?” She said, “I think you are going to be a father. ” I said, “Yipee…….!” That was in late 1986. Since then they visited Honolulu, New York, Chicago, San Diego, and Los Angeles to do their feasibility study for the first New Delhi Restaurant in the United States. San Francisco was an instant hit! They just fell in love with the city – its beauty, its people, its culture, its history, its international outlook, and everything else.
Experience a taste of India for yourself!
Imagine a Maharaja’s private banquet room…….. Handsomely carved high ceiling supported by numerous columns, richly ornamented, white starched table cloth adorning the banquet table laid out with expensive silvers and handcrafted metal plates. The Maharaja and his royal guests being attended by courteous and discreet attendants wearing traditional Kashmiri costumes. Soothing Indian music playing in the background to top it all off. The New Delhi menu includes historical highlights like Murg Akbari, a wide range of North Indian dishes, House Specialties like Hariyali Murg Tikka, Achari Boti Keebab, and many more.
For a truly wonderful experience of a taste of India, Ranjan Dey invites you to his New Delhi Restaurant at Union Square. May your every moment be a pleasure…
