Grand Kerala Sheffield: South Indian restaurant takes over former La Gondola Italian with £200k makeover

A new restaurant and shisha bar offering South Indian cuisine has opened in Sheffield city centre.

Grand Kerala has opened its doors on Carver Street, between West Street and Divison Street, following a three-month renovation costing a whopping £200,000.

Directors and friends Ancy Puthiya and Jibu Babu say it has been “really busy” in their first few days since opening the restaurant, with customers already leaving positive feedback and making their returns. 

Grand Kerala is a south Indian and fusion restaurant, serving a range of dishes native to Kerala, including porotta, chatti choru, meen mulakittathu and varutharacha chicken curry. Also proving popular are the Chinese dishes and biryanis. Meals are available to be made with chicken, beef, lamb, fish, paneer and vegetables. 

The renovation has converted the upper floor into more restaurant space and a shisha bar costing £15 for 30 minutes. A total of 120 people can be seated in the restaurant, double the amount previously available when the venue was La Gondola, an authentic Italian restaurant that served Sheffield for more than 15 years.

Ancy, aged 28, moved to Sheffield two years ago from India. The business partners received the keys to the building in August 2023 and it took three months to complete the refurbishment.

 “We’ve spent a lot of money and struggled a lot,” Ancy said. “For three months we have been in the restaurant all the time, but we are really happy and excited. We have changed everything.

“We know all the people in Sheffield are really nice and love international food, and our customers have all been really happy.”

Despite the high competition in Sheffield, the team at Grand Kerala say their “authenticity” is what sets them apart from the other south Indian restaurants and takeaways. 

The restaurant marks their first in the UK, having owned ones previously in India. It employs a total of 10 people, and the head chef has more than 15 years of experience. 

The restaurant will be open from 10am to 11pm seven days a week, and will offer a delivery and takeaway service. To find out more, or to view the full menu, visit https://grandkerala.co.uk/.