Restaurant India News: Chaudhury Brothers Launch Heritage Bengali Dining Concept in Kolkata

Kolkata-based restaurateurs Shiladitya and Debaditya Chaudhury have expanded their portfolio with the launch of Chaudhury & Company, a Bengali dining concept inspired by the city’s traditional pice hotels. The founders, known for Oudh 1590 and Chapter 2, introduced the new restaurant at Deshapriya Park, with actor Prosenjit Chatterjee formally unveiling the space. Positioned as a heritage-led food venture, Chaudhury & Company aims to reinterpret everyday Bengali cooking traditions within a contemporary dining format.

Over recent years, the Chaudhury brothers have undertaken extensive research across Kolkata and various parts of Bengal, documenting century-old pice hotels and their signature preparations. Many of these establishments, once central to daily urban dining, are now disappearing. The outcome of this research is a menu that revisits traditional recipes while adapting them for present-day consumption, maintaining familiar flavours while ensuring operational consistency and relevance.

Shiladitya and Debaditya Chaudhury, Co-Founders, Chaudhury & Company, said, “Bengal’s pice hotels are more than eateries; they are cultural institutions that have shaped how we eat, share and remember food. With Chaudhury & Company, we are preserving this heritage for a new generation, balancing authenticity with reinvention. Our vision is to ensure that the lost dishes of Bengal find their place once again at the family table, but in a form that resonates with today’s lifestyles. Also, it is beyond a brick & mortar eatery; it is a labor of love for us. We grew up eating the food our Mother made for us, the food still breathes fresh in our memory”.

The kitchen is led by Chef Joymalya Banerjee, who brings 25 years of experience working with heritage cuisines. The menu focuses on Bengali comfort food drawn from pice hotel traditions, covering beverages such as Daab Sharbat and Tetuler Sharbat, snacks including Mochar Malai Chop and Fowl Cutlet, and classics like Mutton Mughlai Paratha. Seafood dishes such as Chingri Malai Curry, Ilish Bhapa, Ilish Paturi, and Daab Chingri form a key part of the offering, alongside vegetarian staples like Boror Shorshe Jhal, Thor Ghonto, and Gondhoraj Chhanar Paturi. Meat-based preparations include Kosha Mangsho, Mutton Dak Bungalow, Shile Bata Murgi, and Railway Murgir Jhol. Desserts feature Mishti Doi, Chhanar Payesh, and Rabri. A curated Pice Hotel Thala brings together multiple dishes in a single platter, following traditional à la carte pricing where additional items are charged separately.

The restaurant spans 3,000 sq. ft. and has been designed by artist and architect Sanjib Saha of J&S Interiors. The interiors reference Kolkata’s cultural and social history through elements such as red oxide flooring, khorkhori windows, vintage utensils, Kalighat patachitra, Battala woodcuts, and sepia-toned theatre imagery. Traditional visual cues are combined with modern infrastructure, including digitally adapted chalkboard-style menus, to support contemporary dining operations.

Staff uniforms have been conceptualised by fashion designer Abhishek Roy, who has used Khadi cottons to reflect the restaurant’s heritage positioning. Roy, known for his work with natural and recycled fabrics, has previously designed for public figures including Saif Ali Khan, Kapil Dev, and M.S Dhoni, and was recognised by the Government of West Bengal in 2023.

Chaudhury & Company operates on the core principles of pice hotels, including banana leaf service, daily sourcing of seasonal produce, and a community-led dining approach. At the same time, the format has been adapted for current consumer behaviour, addressing the needs of working professionals, nuclear families, and diners seeking homestyle food in a structured dining environment.

A meal for two at Chaudhury & Company is priced at Rs 1200 plus GST. The restaurant is located at 24C, Deshapriya Park West, Kolkata - 700026, opposite Oudh 1590. Operating hours are from 11:30 in the morning to 10:30 at night. The brand is also available via food aggregators and through its in-house delivery service.