Darjeeling Express
Darjeeling Express is a single-location Indian restaurant in London's Soho district, founded by Asma Khan, serving traditional homestyle Indian cuisine across lunch, pre-theatre, and dinner formats, plus a Biryani Supperclub, with an all-female kitchen team.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded-
- HeadquartersLondon, United Kingdom
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What Darjeeling Express does
Darjeeling Express is a single-location Indian restaurant in London's Soho district, founded by Indian-born British restaurateur Asma Khan and operating from 36-40 Rupert Street, London W1D 6DW. The restaurant serves traditional Indian homestyle cuisine across three core daily service formats — A La Carte Lunch (Monday-Saturday, 12:00-2:15pm), Dining Car Pre-theatre (Monday-Saturday, 3:00-5:00pm), and the Lazeez Feast Dinner (Monday-Saturday, 5:00-9:00pm) — supplemented by a Biryani Supperclub event format, a drinks menu, and gift vouchers sold direct via its website. Reservations are managed through OpenTable and the restaurant's own booking page.
The kitchen is operated as an all-female team, a deliberate and publicly central element of the brand identity. The cuisine approach is grounded in traditional Indian home cooking, with spices used for their medicinal and health properties. The business carries third-party validation from the Michelin Guide and from Netflix's Chef's Table, on which Asma Khan was the first British chef to be featured; Khan was also named to the TIME 100 most influential people list in 2024. There is no evidence of proprietary technology, AI/ML systems, or data-driven operations in the operating model.
The revenue model is dine-in table service with direct reservations and an ancillary gift-voucher e-commerce channel; no catering, delivery, franchise, wholesale, or licensing revenue streams are disclosed. The business is privately held and founder-controlled, with no funding rounds, M&A activity, headcount disclosures, or financial statements in the public record. Customer acquisition relies on the founder's media profile, third-party platforms (OpenTable, Michelin Guide, Netflix), and word-of-mouth driven by the restaurant's distinctive brand positioning.
Darjeeling Express firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Darjeeling Express
- Legal name
- Darjeeling Express
- Website
- https://darjeeling-express.com
- Company type
- Private
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Darjeeling Express is a single-location Indian restaurant in London's Soho district, founded by Asma Khan, serving traditional homestyle Indian cuisine across lunch, pre-theatre, and dinner formats, plus a Biryani Supperclub, with an all-female kitchen team.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Darjeeling Express industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Indian Restaurant / Hospitality Services
- NAICS
- Full-Service Restaurants (722511)
- SIC
- Retail-Eating & Drinking Places (5810)
- akta.pro primary industry
- All-Day Dining Restaurants (THAFACAJ)
Keywords
Where Darjeeling Express is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- London
- HQ country
- United Kingdom
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices1 record
Markets served
Darjeeling Express business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Operations, Personnel, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels4 records
Darjeeling Express product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Darjeeling Express is a single-location Indian restaurant in London's Soho district serving authentic home-style Indian cuisine across multiple meal services: A La Carte Lunch (Mon-Sat 12:00-2:15pm), Dining Car Pre-theatre (Mon-Sat 3-5pm), and Lazeez Feast Dinner (Mon-Sat 5-9pm). It is operated by an all-female kitchen, with recipes inspired by Indian matriarchal traditions and spices used for medicinal and health purposes. The restaurant also offers a Biryani Supperclub event, gift vouchers, and table reservations.
Product overview
Darjeeling Express is an Indian food restaurant in London operated by an all-female kitchen, founded and led by restaurateur Asma Khan. The restaurant offers a single dining concept with multiple meal services throughout the day: A La Carte Lunch (Mon-Sat 12-2:15pm), Dining Car Pre-theatre (Mon-Sat 3-5pm), and Lazeez Feast Dinner (Mon-Sat 5-9pm). The menu features traditional Indian home-style cooking inspired by medicinal and health principles, served on sharing platters. Additional offerings include a dedicated Biryani Supperclub experience, a drinks menu with cocktails, wine, lassis and chai, gift vouchers, and table reservations. The restaurant is listed in the Michelin Guide and has gained recognition for its authentic cuisine and social impact mission.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- A La Carte Lunch A la carte lunch service served Monday to Saturday from 12:00 to 2:15pm, featuring homestyle Indian cuisine prepared by an all-female kitchen. Targeted at individual diners seeking authentic Indian food at lunch.
- Dining Car Pre-theatre Set menu offering pre-theatre dining Monday to Saturday from 3:00 to 5:00pm, designed for West End theatre-goers.
- Lazeez Feast Dinner Set menu dinner service available Monday to Wednesday from 6:00 to 9:00pm and Thursday to Saturday from 5:00 to 9:00pm, featuring traditional Indian home-style cuisine.
- Asma Khan's Biryani Supperclub Special biryani dining experience hosted as a supperclub event with limited seating, offering a curated tasting experience centered on biryani.
- Gift Vouchers Gift vouchers available for purchase through the restaurant's website for use toward dining experiences at Darjeeling Express.
Companies that use Darjeeling Express
Customer profileSegments2 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
Darjeeling Express technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Darjeeling Express partnerships and signals
Strategic signalScale indicators3 records
Recent moves5 records
Expansion highlights4 records
Darjeeling Express competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Tamarind: Mayfair Michelin-starred Indian restaurant and one of the established premium Indian venues in London. Comparable on cuisine category, central-London premium positioning, and recognisable brand.
- Trishna: Marylebone-based Michelin-starred Indian restaurant with regional Indian focus. Directly comparable on cuisine depth, Michelin recognition, and West End fine-dining price point.
- Veeraswamy: London's oldest Indian restaurant, operating in Mayfair since 1926. Comparable on heritage-driven Indian cuisine narrative, central-London premium positioning, and institutional Indian fine dining.
- Bombay Bustle: Modern Indian restaurant in Mayfair with regional Indian focus. Comparable on cuisine positioning, West End catchment, and contemporary Indian fine-dining format with set-menu options.
- Brigadiers: Indian BBQ and bar concept in the City of London from the JKS group. Comparable on premium Indian positioning in central London and on the all-day lunch/pre-theatre/dinner service structure.
- Dishoom: London-based Indian restaurant group operating multiple sites with a heritage-inspired, all-day dining concept very close in spirit to Darjeeling Express's traditional home-cooking positioning. Both compete for the same West End lunch, pre-theatre, and dinner trade.
- Hoppers: Sri Lankan and South Indian restaurant group with multiple London sites. Comparable on subcontinental regional cuisine, casual-upscale London dining experience, and Soho/Marylebone catchment overlap.
- Benares: Long-standing Michelin-recognised modern Indian restaurant in Mayfair. Comparable to Darjeeling Express on premium Indian positioning in central London and on sharing-platter, set-menu dining formats.
- Gymkhana: Michelin-starred Indian fine dining restaurant in Mayfair, London. Comparable on cuisine category, premium London positioning, and Michelin-recognised traditional-Indian cuisine angle, competing for similar high-spend diners.
Regional players
- Indian Accent: Internationally recognised contemporary Indian restaurant headquartered in New Delhi with a New York outpost. Comparable on innovative regional-Indian cuisine and on the global critical profile that Asma Khan herself often cites, though it does not compete directly in the London market.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat2 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Darjeeling Express social profiles
Digital presenceDarjeeling Express compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance1 record
Darjeeling Express financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Darjeeling Express leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
Darjeeling Express funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Darjeeling Express M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Darjeeling Express
What does Darjeeling Express do?
Darjeeling Express is a single-location Indian restaurant in London's Soho district serving authentic home-style Indian cuisine across multiple meal services: A La Carte Lunch (Mon-Sat 12:00-2:15pm), Dining Car Pre-theatre (Mon-Sat 3-5pm), and Lazeez Feast Dinner (Mon-Sat 5-9pm). It is operated by an all-female kitchen, with recipes inspired by Indian matriarchal traditions and spices used for medicinal and health purposes. The restaurant also offers a Biryani Supperclub event, gift vouchers, and table reservations.
Is Darjeeling Express a public or private company?
Darjeeling Express is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Darjeeling Express founded?
Darjeeling Express was founded in -1. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Darjeeling Express based?
Darjeeling Express is headquartered in London, United Kingdom, in the Europe region.
Who are Darjeeling Express's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Tamarind, Trishna, Veeraswamy, Bombay Bustle, Brigadiers, Dishoom, Hoppers, Benares and Gymkhana. Indian Accent is listed as a regional player.
Does Darjeeling Express have an API?
No public API is recorded for Darjeeling Express.
What industry is Darjeeling Express in?
Darjeeling Express's product category is Indian Restaurant / Hospitality Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is THAFACAJ, All-Day Dining Restaurants. Its NAICS code is 722511 and its SIC code is 5810.