The story of Burma Burma is not just about a restaurant serving Burmese cuisine. It is a story about heritage, friendship and the attempt to introduce a relatively unfamiliar cuisine to India's evolving dining culture.
Behind the brand are childhood friends Ankit Gupta and Chirag Chhajer, who turned an idea inspired by Burmese food into a restaurant business that has grown well beyond its first location in Mumbai.
Where the Burma Burma Story Began
For Ankit Gupta, the connection to Burma was personal long before it became a business.
Gupta's mother and her family were brought up in Myanmar, and Burmese food formed part of his family's culinary traditions. Recipes and flavours from that background eventually became an important inspiration for what would become Burma Burma.
But turning a family connection into a restaurant concept required understanding the cuisine beyond the dining table.
Gupta travelled to Myanmar in 2011 with Chef Ansab Khan to explore Burmese food more closely. The journey included local markets, street food, home cooking and an exploration of the ingredients and traditions that shape the country's cuisine.
The objective was to understand Burmese food in its own context and eventually bring that experience to Indian diners.
Ankit Gupta Meets Chirag Chhajer
The next important part of the story was the partnership between Gupta and Chirag Chhajer.
The two were childhood friends, but their eventual partnership brought together different experiences and strengths. Gupta had a strong personal connection with Burmese cuisine and hospitality, while Chhajer brought business experience and an interest in food and travel.
Before committing to a permanent restaurant, the concept was tested through pop-ups in Mumbai and Goa.
Those early experiences helped the founders understand how Indian customers would respond to Burmese food and gave them an opportunity to refine the concept.
In 2014, they opened the first Burma Burma restaurant in Kala Ghoda, Mumbai.
Building an Identity Around Burmese Culture
The founders did not want Burma Burma to be defined only by its food.
The restaurant was conceived as a Restaurant & Tea Room, bringing Burmese cuisine together with tea, design and cultural influences. The interiors, artwork, handicrafts and other details were intended to create an environment connected to Myanmar.
Food remained at the centre of the experience, but the wider setting helped diners understand that Burmese cuisine was part of a much larger cultural tradition.
That approach became one of the defining characteristics of Burma Burma.
Beyond the Familiar Khow Suey
For many Indian consumers, Burmese cuisine was largely associated with khow suey. Burma Burma's concept sought to demonstrate that there was much more to the cuisine.
Its menu explored different Burmese flavours, ingredients and preparations, introducing customers to dishes such as Tea Leaf Salad alongside noodles, soups, rice dishes and Burmese-inspired snacks.
Tea also became an important part of the brand's identity.
By bringing food and tea together, Burma Burma created a restaurant experience that was different from the standard Indian restaurant format. The focus was not simply on making Burmese dishes accessible, but on presenting the cuisine as a complete dining culture.
The Business Behind Burma Burma
As the restaurant expanded, the business behind it became increasingly important.
Hunger Pangs Pvt Ltd is the company associated with the Burma Burma restaurant business. The company was incorporated in 2013, while the first Burma Burma restaurant opened the following year.
Ankit Gupta and Chirag Chhajer have remained central to the company's development, with their partnership continuing as the restaurant brand expanded.
The growth of the business has included additional restaurants as well as other channels such as delivery and retail, allowing Burma Burma to reach customers beyond its physical dining rooms.
Ankit Gupta Burma Burma: The Founder Connection
Searches for Ankit Gupta Burma Burma are closely connected to the personal story behind the brand.
Gupta's Burmese family background was one of the reasons the cuisine was so meaningful to him in the first place. His research trips to Myanmar helped transform that personal connection into a more structured culinary concept.
However, the Burma Burma story is not the story of one founder working alone.
The brand was built by Gupta and Chirag Chhajer together, with each bringing a different perspective to the business. Their long-standing friendship became the foundation for a partnership that eventually developed into a growing restaurant company.
Why Chirag Chhajer Matters to the Story
Chirag Chhajer is an equally important part of the Burma Burma story.
While the brand's Burmese culinary inspiration is strongly associated with Gupta, Chhajer helped turn the idea into a business capable of expanding beyond its first restaurant.
His business background and partnership with Gupta allowed Burma Burma to move from a specialised restaurant concept to a larger hospitality company.
The founders' ability to combine culinary identity with business expansion has been an important part of the brand's development.
The Burma Burma IPO Question
As Burma Burma has grown, attention has increasingly turned towards its future business plans, including the possibility of a Burma Burma IPO.
In 2024, the founders told The Economic Times that they were targeting a potential public listing in 2027. The plan was linked to further expansion and reaching specific business targets before going public.
That statement should be understood as a future plan, rather than confirmation that a Burma Burma IPO has already taken place or that the company is currently publicly listed.
For a business that began with a single restaurant in Mumbai, however, the IPO discussion reflects how significantly the scale and ambitions of the company have changed.
From a Restaurant Idea to a Larger Brand
The evolution of Burma Burma illustrates how a distinctive food concept can develop into a broader hospitality business.
The journey started with Burmese recipes and family memories. It continued through research trips to Myanmar and early pop-ups. It then became a permanent restaurant in Kala Ghoda, Mumbai, before expanding into a larger brand.
Today, the Burma Burma story brings together several different elements: Burmese cuisine, tea, culture, hospitality and entrepreneurship.
At the centre remain Ankit Gupta and Chirag Chhajer, whose partnership transformed a relatively niche culinary idea into a recognisable restaurant brand.
For Hunger Pangs Pvt Ltd, the journey represents a much larger business story — one that began with a single restaurant but has increasingly focused on expansion and long-term growth.
And for Burma Burma itself, the central idea remains remarkably consistent: introduce more people to Burmese food while creating an experience that reflects the culture behind it.
