Around Town: Meet the third-generation Kamat behind the beloved highway joints, and now legacy outlets across Mumbai

Indian Express

21-06-2025

For those who grew up in Mumbai, 'Kamats' is synonymous with the comforting familiarity of South Indian meals. The legacy began in the 1950s when the late Venkatesh Kamat, who began his journey as a dishwasher, opened Satkar opposite Churchgate station. Over the next two decades, he and his sons established landmarks like Samrat and Status. His son, Vithal Kamat, took the family name nationwide, expanding into hotels with the launch of The Orchid, widely regarded as Asia's first Ecotel-certified five-star hotel, and Fort Jadhavgadh, Maharashtra's first heritage hotel.
Now, the legacy is being shaped by the third generation — Vikram Kamat — who is both honouring tradition and reimagining its future.
Vikram Kamat, 39, grew up surrounded by restaurants and hotels. One of his earliest memories involves rescuing a stray puppy near one of his father's hotels and giving it a bath in a room's bathtub. Late-night meals at family restaurants were routine. Pursuing a course in hotel management and eventually working alongside his father felt like a natural progression.
'When I joined my father in 2006, the first two years were amazing,' he recalled. 'The hospitality industry was booming. Everything we touched turned to gold! Everyone thought we were geniuses and that it would stay this way forever,' he said. But that illusion was short-lived.
By the end of 2008, the global financial crisis hit, triggered by the collapse of Lehman Brothers. 'A lot of debt had been taken, many projects were in the pipeline, and then everything came crashing down. The next five years went into sorting out that mess. There was debt and even one litigation to deal with.'
But working alongside his father, setting up hotels including Fort Jadhavgadh, brought with it a new insight: tier-2 towns and highways lacked clean, reliable eateries serving simple, hygienic South Indian food. 'We Kamats were known for our South Indian offerings, but somehow, nobody was interested in doing it anymore,' he said.
That's when he decided to start a highway-side eatery chain under the name Kamats (Vithal Kamats in Maharashtra). The first one was opened in Mahad on the Mumbai-Goa highway in 2010. 'When you're travelling, you want something light, hot, healthy, and hygienic, and fast. Kamats has always been a common man's brand, so it fit in perfectly.'
In 2014, with the worst of the recession behind him, Vikram decided to branch out. 'I was clear — there is a big opportunity in the F&B space. And during my travels, I also realised there was a real gap in the mid-range hotel segment, say three and four-star properties. So I decided to start on my own with VITS.' Today, VITS Kamats has hotels and resorts across Aurangabad, Lonavala, Nanded, Panchgani, Rajkot, Surat, Somnath, Gurugram, and Gangtok, among others.
Meanwhile, Kamats grew exponentially. Just before the pandemic hit, there were over 80 outlets across Maharashtra, Gujarat, Rajasthan, and Madhya Pradesh, serving fresh dosas, idlis, uttapams, medu vadas, and filter coffee.
But bringing it to the city posed a challenge. 'Every time we tried to bring Kamats to Bombay, it didn't work,' Vikram said, explaining, 'People associated the brand as an eatery where they spent Rs 140-150, and that price point simply doesn't work in the city, especially when you factor in rentals and the cost of running a full-fledged South Indian kitchen.'
Unlike Western food, where much of the menu can revolve around one machine, a South Indian kitchen needs multiple types of equipment and special licenses, he argued, saying: 'For example, if you want to keep a stone grinder inside a restaurant, you need a factory licence, because it's considered machinery, not kitchen equipment.'
The pandemic gave them time to step back and rethink. 'We decided to solve this problem and also offer an elevated experience because people love South Indian food.' That's how Kamats Legacy was born. He piloted the concept in a compact 500-sqft space in Bhandup, kitchen included. 'Initially, people said, 'This is too expensive,' because the average spend was Rs 550. But the ones who dined in kept coming back. That's when we knew the model worked.'
In the last four years, Kamats Legacy has opened in Nariman Point, Vashi, and Malad. 'Here, we offer the full South Indian experience,' said Vikram. The menu goes well beyond idlis and dosas. Think Chettinad potato roast, parotta urulai kulambu, appam with stew, and more. He also claims to be the first to bring benne dosa to Mumbai.
At the Nariman Point outlet during our visit, a benne dosa challenge was underway. Guests were encouraged to rate theirs against others in the city. The benne dosa we tried was less crispy than others, but very rich with butter. 'We even add benne to the batter,' Vikram shared.
Kamats Legacy has been designed to transport diners to a South Indian home. The food is served on banana leaves, Carnatic music plays in the background, and the staff wear traditional attire — sattai pavadai for women, and mundu with shirts for men. The walls are adorned with framed textiles, and the flooring is laid with handmade Athangudi tiles.
The dosas were crisp, the idlis perfectly fluffy. The parotta urulai kulambu, shredded Malabar parotta tossed in spicy gravy of lentil and potato, was a standout. The stew was hearty and the appam soft and spongy.
Vikram is particular about ingredients; only groundnut and coconut oils, ghee, white butter, and organic produce are used.
We also appreciated the thoughtful touches. The menu includes Jain-friendly options and dishes designed to be shareable, a fair consideration in an office-heavy area like Nariman Point.
'We realised part of what makes Western food popular is that it's shareable, like pizza comes pre-cut. But who wants to tear a dosa with their hands when out with colleagues?' Vikram said. So they custom-made a utensil that cuts and serves. 'Even our delivery boxes are designed so you can enjoy your meal at your desk,' he added
What's next? Vikram is excited to open Kamats Legacy on Mira Road in the coming weeks, and after that, bring the experience to every city in India.