NYC Michelin Chef Opens Zamindar’s Clubhouse In Charlotte

India-West News Desk

CHARLOTTE, NC – A new Indian restaurant here is combining regional Indian cooking with a dining space inspired by the social clubhouses that once served as gathering places across India.

Zamindar’s Clubhouse, the 7,500-square-foot restaurant features separate dining, bar, lounge and patio areas designed to reflect different aspects of Indian culture and history. The interiors incorporate carved wood, brass accents, Jaipur carpets, Khirki-style arches, Kolkata-inspired window frames, tropical plants and vintage gramophones. Deep olive velvet seating and warm lighting create spaces for communal dining, lounge seating and private meals.

Founder David Pandoria comes to the restaurant business after a career in corporate sales, where he worked with Fortune 500 companies. Outside of work, he spent years as a DJ within the Southeast Asian American community. In 2023, after undergoing treatment and recovery for stage four squamous cell carcinoma, Pandoria decided to leave corporate life and pursue hospitality.

Leading the kitchen is executive chef and co-founder Vamshi Krishna Adi, whose culinary training began at the Culinary Academy in Hyderabad, India. After moving to the US, he completed an internship at The Dewberry before working at Indian restaurants including Junoon, Baar Baar and Rooh in San Francisco.

Adi later opened three New York restaurants: Gazab in 2021, Ishq in 2024 and KebabIshq in 2025. Ishq was added to the Michelin Guide shortly after opening and later received a Michelin Bib Gourmand designation. At Zamindar’s Clubhouse, he leads a team trained in India and New York, with a menu highlighting regional Indian cooking, tandoor dishes, curries, chaat and shareable plates.

The menu begins with street food-inspired appetizers including Jalebi Chaat, made with chickpea masala, crispy sev and beetroot, and Chukander Cheese Kulcha, a beetroot-stuffed flatbread finished with Parmesan and mint labneh. Other small plates include Japani Samosa served with chole, onions and lemon, and Aslam Butter Chicken Wings glazed with Amul butter, yellow chili and cream.

Selections from the tandoor include Bongulo Paneer Kebab, cooked in bamboo with coconut and curry leaves, and Bharwan Reshmi Gilafi Kebab, featuring chicken thigh roulade stuffed with Amul cheese and coated with egg and bell peppers.

Seafood offerings include Ghee Roast Scallops served with curry leaf and coconut, Calicut Mango Lobster Curry prepared with a raw mango-coconut sauce, and Shorshe Sea Bass Paturi finished with kasundi cream, poppy seeds and mustard seeds.

Main courses range from Old Delhi Butter Chicken and Dum Ka Gosht, a slow-cooked bone-in goat curry, to vegetarian dishes such as Paneer Shahi Tukda and Wild Morel & Maitake Korma. Rice specialties include Hyderabadi Chicken Dum Biryani and the limited-availability Nalli Gosht Mandi with lamb shanks.

Desserts include Kalakand Chocolate Tart, Falooda-E-Khaas featuring almond kulfi, rabri and basil seeds, along with house-made seasonal ice creams inspired by rotating flavors.

The restaurant’s menu reflects dishes from multiple regions of India, including recipes from Adi’s home state of Hyderabad alongside street food and dishes developed during his career.