There’s a duck-green door just off Hill Road that opens into Chef Will Aghajanian’s culinary autobiography. Kaspers, the newest venture from Food Matters Group helmed by Gauri Devidayal and Jay Yousuf, (the power couple behind The Table, Mag St., Mag St. Bread Co., Magazine St. Kitchen, Iktara and The Table Farm), isn’t trying to be the next big thing in Mumbai dining. Instead, it confidently delivers what Chef Will, with stints at Mugaritz in Spain, Per Se in New York, and his restaurant Horses in Los Angeles, has been perfecting for years, a style of bistro cooking that honours tradition while refusing to be bound by it.
“While the idea for this has been stemming from the day Chef Will landed in Mumbai on 11th November, 2023, we started working on the restaurant interiors only in February 2025.” With respect to opening in an over-saturated area like Bandra, Jay Yousuf says, “Bandra already gave us so much love for Mag St. Bandra, and this neighbourhood is definitely one of the best-travelled in the city. Kaspers is the friendly neighbourhood bistro, where you can come for a date night, a girls night out, a casual hang after a long day, or to celebrate something special.”
The 1,000 sq. ft. space, designed by Patch Design Studio, features hand-laid mosaic floors, deep maroon banquettes, and a zinc bar. American artist Kacper Abolik (the restaurant’s namesake) spent a month in Mumbai painting cherub frescoes by hand throughout the space. The dining room accommodates 35 covers, with an additional 5 seats at the bar. Behind a red velvet curtain, the Yves Klein Blue bathroom includes a Thomas Crapper WC and its own playlist.
Chef Will’s approach to Kaspers stems from a clear philosophy. “It’s everything I love about dining: great food, simple drinks, attention to detail, and the kind of energy that lingers long after you’ve left the table,” he explains.
The menu at Kaspers reads like a well-travelled passport. It is deliberately compact with appetizers, pastas, and mains that draw from French bistro traditions while incorporating techniques and ingredients from chef Will’s time in Spain, Italy, and America. The vegetarian Bouillabaisse Toast translates Marseille’s fish stew into vegetable form. It’s a crostini topped with saffron rouille, fennel, confit peppers, and a spicy pepper sauce, Chef Will’s attempt to give vegetarians something substantial rather than an afterthought. The Morcilla de Kerala with Queso Fondito Potato Rosti demonstrates the menu’s cross-cultural approach most explicitly. The morcilla is based on Basque blood sausage but uses Kerala blood fry spices, served nachos-style with queso fondido, a Mexican-style melted cheese and a Swiss-style potato preparation. It’s an unexpected combination that requires precise execution to balance three distinct culinary traditions on one plate. The Taleggio and Spring Garlic Arancini take the Sicilian rice ball in a decidedly Northern Italian direction, with what Chef Will describes as “a green chilli remix.” Taleggio, a washed-rind cheese from Lombardy, brings pungent creaminess to the filling alongside spring garlic, milder and sweeter than mature garlic. Chef Will overcomes the challenge which comes with any arancini, achieving the proper rice-to-filling ratio and a genuinely crisp exterior. The Spinach Pie is filled with spinach, Stracchino cheese, and dill, then covered in sesame seeds and finished with honey. It’s a preparation that bridges Greek spanakopita and Middle Eastern influences, with the honey adding an unexpected sweet element to the savory filling. The Buffalo Tenderloin with Sauce Chateaubriand is, according to chef Will, “exactly the way I personally love to eat a steak”.
The pasta section includes specials named after chefs from The Table. Pasta alla Patra honors Chef Biswanath Patra with a red chilli vodka sauce, parmesan, and basil described as “a classic of his style.” Pasta alla Nicolas features meatball-stuffed rigatoni with arrabbiata and basil, named after Chef Nicolas ‘Kaka.’ These dishes function as edible tributes to Food Matters Group’s kitchen lineage.
Desserts carry their own narrative weight. The Coffee Cake Tiramisu is Kaspers’ interpretation of The Table’s signature tiramisu, a dish that’s been on that menu for 15 years. This version is described as “boozier, stronger” and an evolution rather than a departure. What remains constant is the approach: take something familiar, execute it flawlessly, then add one unexpected element that makes it memorable. It’s the same philosophy that drives the entire menu.
The cocktail programme follows the food’s lead, classics with subtle twists that enhance rather than distract. The Garibaldi, made with Campari, strawberry, beer, and fluffy orange juice, is named after Italian general Giuseppe Garibaldi. The red hue symbolizes the “red shirts” worn by his followers. The Ortiz Margarita (tequila, mezcal, Cointreau, Lillet Blanc, and Maldon salt) is named after Will’s friend chef Ortiz from New Mexico. These drinks are a part of the restaurant’s larger project of making dining personal and referential.
“With each new restaurant, we want to bring something fresh to Mumbai’s dining scene,
while keeping it deeply personal,” says Gauri Devidayal, co-founder, Food Matters Group. “Kaspers is refined but relaxed, thoughtful yet spontaneous. It’s the kind of vibe that will always make you want to come back. It’s really like going on a vacation while sitting right here in Mumbai.”
Food Matters Group’s track record with The Table (ranked #1 on Condé Nast Traveller India’s Top Restaurant Awards 2025) and the success of Mag St. Bandra suggests they understand this neighbourhood’s dining preferences. Kaspers represents a different proposition, less formal than The Table, more Euro-focused than Mag St., filling a specific gap in Bandra’s dining landscape.
Kaspers positions itself as a neighbourhood bistro drawing on French, Basque, Italian, and American influences. At 35 covers, it’s operating at a scale that allows for consistency but limits capacity, a deliberate choice that speaks to the kind of restaurant Food Matters Group is building here.
Location: Kaspers, Classic Corner, 7/8, St Andrews Road, Bandra West, Mumbai, Maharashtra-400050
Timings: Tuesday – Sunday, 7 pm – 1 am
Reservations: (+91) 97697 64887
Website: www.kaspersbombay.com
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