As Lucknow's Tunday Kababi bags 6th top spot globally, owners say not expanding to other cities to ‘maintain quality’
Lucknow’s pride Tunday Kababi has bagged the sixth spot in the Top 100 Legendary Restaurants in the World list in the travel guide Taste Atlas.
Lucknow’s pride Tunday Kababi has bagged the sixth spot in the Top 100 Legendary Restaurants in the World list in the travel guide Taste Atlas. The only Indian restaurant ahead is Paragon in Kozhikode, Kerala, at number five spot.
Four other restaurants featured in the list include Peter Cat (10th), in Kolkata followed by Amrik Sukhdev Dhaba (16th), in Murthal, Mavalli Tiffin Room (32nd), in Bengaluru and Karim’s (84th), in Delhi.
Established in 1905 by Haji Murad Ali in the ally of Old City near Akbari Gate, Chowk, the founder lost his one hand while flying a kite and hence the name Tunday got famous and is best known for its galaouti kababs, which fetched them in the legendary list.
“It’s the grace of Allah, mehnat of my grandfather which was carried forward by my father Haji Rais Ahmed and myself at the age of 62 with my four sons taking the tradition forward. We would have expanded across India and abroad but we don’t give franchise as we believe in maintaining quality that too in an affordable price which is our service and responsibility for the people,” says Mohd Usman who runs Tunday Kababi Private Limited which has stores in Aminabad, Kapoorthala, Dubagga, Lulu Mall, Chandini Chowk in Delhi and one in Karama, Dubai.
The food joint near Akbari Gate, which has been split between the family, is run by his brother Mohd Rizwan.
Usman admits that much-talked-about “secretly guarded spices” are the key. “It’s the ladies in the house and family members who prepare the dry spices which are later mixed in kabab paste that make it taste so special. It’s the love of people that inspires us to do better. We have gradually expanded our menu and worked on new dishes and food lovers have accepted them with open arms.”
The wall of fame and big video wall at the entrance of Aminabad store has photographs of Usman with celebrities that include the late actor Dileep Kumar, Salman Khan, Shah Rukh Khan, Aamir Khan and several others. Food lovers are seen getting themselves clicked against the photographs.