With plans for the move revealed earlier this year, the restaurant has relocated from its previous home in Kingly Court to a new, larger site on Rupert Street, between Soho and Chinatown. The move allows Darjeeling Express to expand its capacity to more than 150 covers, offering lunch-to-dinner service as well as late-night dining.
Founded by chef and restaurateur Asma Khan, Darjeeling Express continues its all-female kitchen model and will serve its signature regional-inspired homestyle Indian dishes. Returning favourites include kosha mangsho - a Bengali-style slow-cooked mutton curry; prawn malaikari; methi chicken; and Calcutta kati rolls.
The restaurant’s new home features a contemporary open-plan interior inspired by Kolkata restaurants, alongside outdoor seating, a dedicated private dining room and a larger kitchen. The expanded space has been designed to support a wider programme of events, celebrations and collaborations as the restaurant continues its growth.
“Our upsized Rupert Street restaurant marks a huge milestone, allowing our powerful female-only kitchen to bring homestyle Indian cooking to even more people in such an iconic location within the capital,” says Khan.
“The ongoing partnership we have with Shaftesbury Capital has been pivotal for our strategic growth, and I’m honoured to now be part of such a strong line-up on Rupert Street.”
Emma Matus, head of restaurant leasing at Shaftesbury Capital, adds: “This relocation from Kingly Court to Rupert Street reflects our dedication to supporting the strategic growth of popular, forward-thinking brands.
“The restaurants on Rupert Street create a transition between Soho and Chinatown, and what they all have in common is the ability to marry innovation with authenticity and take flavour inspiration from across Asia.
“Darjeeling Express does that so well, a female-led restaurant with a unique take on regional Indian cuisine, and we’re so proud to be part of their journey.”
Darjeeling Express launched in a different location in Kingly Court in 2017 which closed in early 2020 due to the pandemic.
Later that year, Khan relaunched Darjeeling Express in a much larger site in Covent Garden but closed it two years later saying at the time that she wanted to find a space that “better matched her vision”.
In 2023, she returned to Kingly Court taking a larger space on the top floor of the development, which is located just off Carnaby Street.