High-end Indian restaurant Benares is swapping fine-dining for street food at a new venture in Camden Market launching next month.
The team behind the Mayfair restaurant – which held a Michelin star for more than a decade until 2020 – is set to launch The Indian Alley in the north London market.
The Indian Alley will serve a street food-inspired menu devised by Benares’s executive chef Sameer Taneja.
"We are thrilled to be opening The Indian Alley at Camden Market," said Taneja. "Our mission has always been to remain unique by changing the way people perceive and experience Indian cuisine and broadening our business by opening in Camden supports our goal. This area of North London has always appealed to us because of the diverse food and beverage brands on offer in the market."
The restaurant will launch inside a 2,250 sq ft Grade I building in the Stables section of the market, initially opening with a stripped-back design better suited for socially distanced trading, but plans to refurbish and relaunch in 2021.
Camden Market's owner, LabTech, has also revealed plans to welcome the likes of Neat Burger – the vegan burger brand backed by Formula One driver Lewis Hamilton – to the market next month, as well as Spanish creperie Prep’ La Crepe.
During lockdown, Benares also launched a delivery concept for its fine-dining menu, which initially matched every order with a free meal donated to NHS workers.
The restaurant was first launched in 2007 by chef Atul Kochhar, who parted company with Benares in 2018 following a row over his comments concerning Muslims in India.
