1947 Eatery began with a belief that Indian food deserved more.
More than colour. More than cream. More than being treated as cheap food.
Growing up in Auckland, I knew the Indian food I ate at home and experienced back in India was full of flavour, natural ingredients and character. When cooked properly, it could be vibrant, honest and deeply satisfying.
I never set out to become a restaurateur. I was an IT engineer.
The idea came before the restaurant.
For years, I felt there was a gap between the Indian food people knew in Auckland and the food I knew could exist.
Indian food did not need to be hidden behind heavy sauces, unnecessary colour or the expectation that it should always be inexpensive.
It could be authentic, refined — and worthy of celebration.
Then I found a place nobody seemed to want.
While continuing my career in IT, I came across a small restaurant site for lease on a dimly lit street beneath the shadow of Auckland’s Sky Tower.
Looking back, taking it on may have been a young mistake — or simply a moment of foolish confidence.
Either way, that decision became 1947 Eatery.
The right people mattered more than simply filling positions.
From the beginning, I wanted people around me who understood what we were trying to create.
I hand-picked a team that believed in authenticity, hospitality and doing things differently.
The goal was never simply to run a restaurant as a business. It was to build something we were proud to put our names behind.
That shared belief became one of the most important parts of 1947.
“Authenticity was never the trend. It was always the point.”
Food became the reason to visit. Cocktails became part of the celebration.
The response came quickly.
What started in a small Federal Street dining room grew into more than 100 guests a night.
People came for authentic Indian food, but the experience grew around it. Cocktails became part of birthdays, dinners, date nights and celebrations.
Indian dining could feel exciting, social and special without losing the food that gave it its identity.
People noticed the difference.
Metro, the New Zealand Herald and other leading food and lifestyle publications began recognising what 1947 was doing.
The recognition mattered, not because we had set out to collect awards, but because others could see the same difference we had believed in from the beginning.
Today, that journey includes recognition in the inaugural MICHELIN Guide New Zealand 2026.
PRESS & RECOGNITION
The restaurant grew. The reason behind it did not change.
Nearly a decade later, 1947 Eatery now welcomes more than 2,000 guests a week.
I continued to build my career in technology alongside the restaurant, while the team continued to grow 1947 into what it is today.
The menu evolves. New ideas arrive. The experience keeps moving forward.
But authenticity remains at the heart of everything we do.
Still creating. Still learning. Still serving.
What began as a belief became a restaurant, a team and a place thousands of people now choose to celebrate around a table.
And after all these years, we are still doing it our way.