Gymkhana
Corporate brand
UnclaimedA London-founded Indian restaurant brand known for refined North Indian cuisine, Michelin recognition and international expansion.
Last updated August 25, 2026
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Overview
Gymkhana is a premium Indian restaurant brand founded in London in 2013 by Jyotin, Karam and Sunaina Sethi, the founders of JKS Restaurants. Its flagship restaurant occupies a multi-level site in Mayfair and takes its name from the Indian gymkhana clubs historically associated with social gatherings, sport and colonial-era club culture. The brand uses that reference as the basis for an atmosphere that combines club-like interiors, formal hospitality and a highly polished interpretation of Indian cooking. The restaurant is particularly associated with classic cuisine from northern India, presented through labor-intensive preparations and high-quality ingredients. Its menu includes dishes such as tandoori masala lamb chops, kid goat methi keema and wild muntjac biryani. The cooking is rooted in familiar regional techniques and flavors but is presented in a luxury restaurant format, balancing rich, comforting dishes with detailed execution and contemporary service. Critics have highlighted the restaurant’s ability to make ambitious food feel both accessible and highly refined. Gymkhana quickly established itself as one of the United Kingdom’s best-known Indian restaurants. It opened in 2013, received strong early critical attention, and was named National Restaurant of the Year at the 2014 National Restaurant Awards. It also received its first Michelin star in 2014 and retained one star for the following years. In 2024, it was awarded a second Michelin star, making it the first Indian restaurant in London to receive two Michelin stars and one of only a small number of Indian restaurants worldwide to hold that distinction. The London restaurant was temporarily closed from June 2019 to February 2020 after a fire. During the closure, the premises were redesigned by Samuel Hosker before reopening. The interruption did not end the brand’s development; Gymkhana subsequently expanded outside the United Kingdom, opening its first international site in the Middle East in 2022 and a second Middle Eastern location in Riyadh in 2023. A Las Vegas location at ARIA Resort & Casino opened in December 2025, marking the brand’s entry into the United States. A Dubai location in the Dubai International Financial Centre was announced for September 2026. Gymkhana has also developed beyond dining rooms. Gymkhana Fine Foods extends the brand into retail with cooking sauces, marinades and chutneys. The range launched in the United Kingdom through Whole Foods Market in October 2023 and later became available through retailers including Ocado, Selfridges and Harrods. The retail business is backed by CAVU Consumer Partners, and several products received recognition at the 2024 Great Taste Awards. The range entered the United States in February 2026. In November 2023, Gymkhana added 42 Cocktail Lounge above its London restaurant. The lounge uses a more maximalist design language and a drinks program built around Indian ingredients, including Banasura peppercorns and Chaprah chutney. This expansion demonstrates the brand’s broader positioning as a hospitality and food platform rather than only a single fine-dining venue. Gymkhana’s current identity combines luxury Indian dining, club-inspired design, premium packaged foods and carefully controlled international growth.
History
Gymkhana was created by Jyotin, Karam and Sunaina Sethi, the founders of JKS Restaurants. JKS began with Trishna in 2008, and Gymkhana followed in 2013 as the group’s second restaurant. The name refers to Indian social and sporting clubs, providing the conceptual foundation for a Mayfair restaurant designed around club-style hospitality, rich interiors and a formal but welcoming dining experience. From its opening, Gymkhana focused on classic Indian cooking, especially dishes associated with northern India. Its menu emphasized tandoor cooking, slow-cooked meats, biryanis, chutneys and complex spice preparations. The restaurant’s early reception was unusually strong: The Times critic Giles Coren awarded it a highly favorable review in December 2013, and Gymkhana was named National Restaurant of the Year at the 2014 National Restaurant Awards. It also won its first Michelin star in 2014. The Mayfair restaurant became the central expression of the Gymkhana brand, combining high-end Indian food with a distinctive club-inspired setting. It continued to hold one Michelin star through 2023 and received further industry recognition, including a SquareMeal Gold Award in 2018. The restaurant’s development was interrupted by a fire in June 2019. It closed from 6 June 2019 until 18 February 2020, during which time the interior was redesigned by Samuel Hosker. The reopening restored the flagship to operation while preserving the brand’s emphasis on theatrical, luxurious hospitality. Gymkhana entered international markets in 2022 with its first Middle Eastern site. A second location opened in Riyadh in June 2023. The brand subsequently announced a United States expansion, with Gymkhana Las Vegas opening at ARIA Resort & Casino on the Las Vegas Strip in December 2025. A further location in Dubai’s DIFC was announced for September 2026. The brand also broadened into consumer products. Gymkhana Fine Foods launched in October 2023 through Whole Foods Market UK with a range of cooking sauces, marinades and chutneys. It later reached Ocado, Selfridges and Harrods. The range received external recognition when four of its nine products won stars at the 2024 Great Taste Awards. The retail business was backed by CAVU Consumer Partners and launched in the United States in February 2026. In November 2023, Gymkhana opened 42 Cocktail Lounge above the London restaurant. The lounge extended the brand’s Indian-focused hospitality concept into cocktails and late-evening service, using ingredients such as Banasura peppercorns and Chaprah chutney. Its design was shortlisted for the 2024 Restaurant & Bar Design Awards. The most significant recent recognition came in 2024, when Gymkhana received a second Michelin star. This made it the first Indian restaurant in London to achieve two Michelin stars and placed it among a very small group of Indian restaurants worldwide with that distinction. Gymkhana’s evolution therefore spans a single London flagship, an international restaurant network, a cocktail venue and a packaged-food business, while retaining a consistent luxury Indian positioning.
- 2026
United States retail launch and planned Dubai expansion
[1]Gymkhana Fine Foods launches in the United States, while a Dubai DIFC restaurant is announced for September.
- 2025
Las Vegas opening
[1]Gymkhana opens its first United States restaurant at ARIA Resort & Casino.
- 2024
Second Michelin star
[1]Gymkhana becomes the first two-Michelin-star Indian restaurant in London.
- 2023
Riyadh location and retail launch
[1]The brand opens in Riyadh and launches Gymkhana Fine Foods in United Kingdom retail.
- 2023
42 Cocktail Lounge opens
[1]Gymkhana launches a cocktail lounge above its Mayfair restaurant.
- 2022
First international location
[1]Gymkhana opens its first international site in the Middle East.
- 2020
Mayfair reopening
[1]Gymkhana reopens after a redesign by Samuel Hosker.
- 2019
Fire closes the flagship
[1]A fire leads to the temporary closure of the Mayfair restaurant.
- 2018
SquareMeal Gold Award
[1]Gymkhana receives a SquareMeal Gold Award.
- 2014
First Michelin star and national restaurant award
[1]Gymkhana receives its first Michelin star and is named National Restaurant of the Year.
Products and positioning
Luxury Indian hospitality combining classic North Indian cuisine, club-inspired interiors, Michelin-level cooking and premium food products.
Fine-dining restaurant · 2013
Gymkhana Mayfair
The flagship London restaurant serves refined Indian cuisine with a strong northern Indian and tandoor orientation. Its menu includes elaborate meat, biryani and vegetable preparations, while the Mayfair setting uses club-inspired interiors and formal hospitality. The restaurant is the brand’s primary culinary and reputational anchor and holds two Michelin stars.
Packaged food · 2023
Gymkhana Fine Foods
Gymkhana Fine Foods is a retail range of Indian cooking sauces, marinades and chutneys. It launched in the United Kingdom through Whole Foods Market and subsequently expanded to retailers including Ocado, Selfridges and Harrods. The range translates the restaurant’s flavor profile into products for home cooking and has received recognition in the Great Taste Awards.
Cocktail bar · 2023
42 Cocktail Lounge
Located above the Mayfair restaurant, 42 Cocktail Lounge extends Gymkhana into drinks and evening hospitality. Its maximalist environment and menu use Indian ingredients and references, including Banasura peppercorns and Chaprah chutney. The venue was shortlisted in the 2024 Restaurant & Bar Design Awards.
International restaurant locations · 2022
Gymkhana international restaurants
The international estate includes Middle Eastern locations, a Riyadh restaurant and the Las Vegas site at ARIA Resort & Casino. These venues adapt the Gymkhana dining format for international luxury-hospitality markets while retaining the brand’s Indian culinary identity and club-inspired positioning.
Brand decisions
2025
Entry into the United StatesStrategyBackground
Following Middle Eastern expansion, Gymkhana pursued a presence in the United States luxury-resort market.
Action taken
The brand opened Gymkhana Las Vegas at ARIA Resort & Casino in December 2025.
Aftermath
The opening established Gymkhana’s first United States restaurant and created a platform for its broader American expansion.
2023
Launch of Gymkhana Fine FoodsProduct launchBackground
The restaurant sought to extend its brand and flavor profile beyond the dining room.
Action taken
Gymkhana launched sauces, marinades and chutneys exclusively with Whole Foods Market UK before expanding to other premium retailers.
Aftermath
The range gained broader United Kingdom distribution, received Great Taste recognition for several products and later entered the United States.
2023
Expansion into cocktail-led hospitalityStrategyBackground
Gymkhana broadened its Mayfair proposition beyond food service while retaining its Indian cultural and culinary references.
Action taken
The brand opened 42 Cocktail Lounge above the restaurant in November 2023.
Aftermath
The lounge received coverage from lifestyle and travel publications and was shortlisted for a restaurant and bar design award.
2022
International expansion into the Middle EastStrategyBackground
After establishing the Mayfair flagship, JKS Restaurants began extending the Gymkhana format into international luxury dining markets.
Action taken
The first international Gymkhana location opened in the Middle East, followed by a Riyadh location in 2023.
Aftermath
The expansion created an international restaurant platform and preceded entry into the United States.
2019
Rebuild and redesign after fireOtherBackground
A fire required the Mayfair flagship to close for an extended period.
Action taken
Gymkhana closed from June 2019 until February 2020 and used the interruption to redesign the premises with Samuel Hosker.
Aftermath
The restaurant reopened in February 2020 and continued operating as the brand’s flagship.
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