A Humble Story of the Most Iconic Restaurant in India- Niros, Jaipur

In 1940s, the only development that Pink City witnessed outside the walled City of Jaipur was the Mirza Ismail Road, which today is the Prime Street of Jaipur. As you walk on M.I Road, among the big brands stands a restaurant that humbly stood the test of time, the one that has defied the art and alchemy of palate over years, over decades, from generation to generations, not just managed to sustain but beating the fierce competition in hospitality market. Yes, it is none other than ‘Niros’ Jaipur, that began its journey on August 1, 1949 by launching the First Multi Cuisine Restaurant of Jaipur.  Over a period of 67 years, from a classic restaurant, Niros went on to become a landmark and is now fixed in the list of ‘India’s 75 Most Iconic Restaurants’ of the country.

“Well, I visited Niros for the first time in 1949 and since then whenever I visit Jaipur (or wish to dine out) I make sure to come and dine here.” This quote is not by one but many, who visited Niros in its year of establishment and were charmed and delighted by the appetizing food and charmed by its ambiance. People visiting Niros were not limited to Jaipurites or foreigners; they include celebrities like Lt. Rajmata Gaytri devi, Lt. Rajeev Gandhi, Farooq Abdullah, Lt.Rajesh Khanna, Prakash Padukone, Naomi Campbell, Ranveer singh, Shobha Dey, Bina Kak, Shobha De, the list is endless.

The restaurant had the most humble beginnings with Late Shri Ved Pardal, visiting the vegetable market every morning and procuring fresh vegetables and meat and coming back to the restaurant to work till late night and come up with the most wonderful delicacies for his customers. With perseverance to make a place for non vegetarian food in a market where people had an inclination towards vegetarian only, the restaurateur didn’t leave any stone unturned. The result of which is visible in the success and monopoly that Niros has in Jaipur when it comes to non-vegetarian food.

The restaurant created a big name for itself when dining out wasn’t even an option in India let alone Jaipur. With the increase in popularity of the dining out culture many cafes and restaurants have come up in the city, serving cuisines from around the world but none has been able to match the popularity that Niros has gained in all these years.

Shri Vinay Pardal and Rajnish Pardal, carried forward the legacy of the restaurant further of their father Late Sh. Ved Pardal. However, it wasn’t a cakewalk for them. Both of them have worked hard alongside their father and learned every trait of the business before taking the lead. Rajnish Pardal, an outstanding cook and also a Food Columnist now has created indigenous recipes that are now a part of ‘Niros’ menu whereas Shri Vinay Pardal takes care of efficient management of the restaurant. Whenever you visit Niros, you will always find the owners available at the restaurant to charm you with their food, service and humility.

Now that we have shared a great deal about the restaurant and what lies behind the making of this iconic restaurant let us share when Jaipur Beat was recently invited to visit the restaurant. To begin with the ambiance it is undoubtedly the coziest restaurant one can find in Jaipur. The beautiful wall painting by renowned artist Satish Gujral adds appeal to the place, where the spirit of Rajasthan is depicted by the figurines of king and the queen playing Chaupad. The soft lighting adds to the serenity and tranquility.

But like any other foodie, our favorite part of the restaurant was food. Now many of us know that Niros is famous for its non vegetarian food but how many of you know that the restaurant serves more vegetarian dishes than non vegetarian, each of which is delightful. We can say that we got a chance to gorge on their North Indian and Chinese menu.

With a huge platter of scrumptious dishes, including but not limited to Niros’ famous Paneer Butter Masala, Pindi Chana, Vegetable Rice, Chinese Noodles and Manchurian, it will be very tough to choose one of these as the best. Our binge eating didn’t end here as we moved on to some of the popular Niros desserts including Niros Special, Faluda Kulfi and Caramel Custard.

From our food list you can sure make out that we spent one wonderful afternoon at one of the most iconic restaurants, in the world. All we can say in the end is that we were bowled over by the food, ambiance, legacy of Niros and moreover by hospitality of our hosts, Vinay Pardal and Rajneesh Pardal, gentleman who run the restaurant right now.

The wall of the restaurant displays awards received at Times Food Awards. 

Well, just a cherry on the cake, we say.