Amid the hustle bustle of Karol Bagh—one of the oldest local markets in Delhi—an almost 70-year-old eatery stands tall and proud. At any given time of the day, you will witness a throng of people filtering into this modest restaurant that has a history that harks back to the Partition. Founded by Roshan Lal Soni in 1951, Roshan Di Kulfi began as a quaint kulfi stand and is now a multistorey restaurant serving a number of cuisines. Mayank Chadha (27), a Karol Bagh resident, mentioned how the eatery has been his family’s go-to place since his childhood. “The aroma emanating from the delicacies here attracts every passer-by. It was also my father’s favourite eatery when he was young,” he added.
An age-old legacy
Roshan Lal, a native of Himachal Pradesh who had migrated from Lahore to Delhi in 1947, started out as a dry fruits merchant in Connaught Place. With an intention to savour during Delhi’s scorching heat, Lal started selling kesar-badam and pista kulfi with falooda (a frozen dessert) at the market. “My grandfather set up a street stall. Today, this restaurant stands at the exact same place where he began as a hawker,” said Ishan Soni (34), Roshan Lal’s grandson, who has now taken charge of the restaurant operations with his cousins. The kulfi, that marked Soni’s journey as a restaurateur, is still one of their best-sellers.
With his legacy taken forward by his three sons, Joginder Kumar Soni, Pradish Kumar Soni, and Ashok Kumar Soni, this venture is a family-run business, which Ishan hopes will be passed down to future generations. “People have been coming here for generations,” said Ishan.
Roshan Di Kulfi is also infamous for being the epicenter of a bomb blast in 1997. The blast that occured in the restaurant’s seating area injured many and took the life of a woman. “Although the store was severely damaged, we never shut the door. My father worked nights to ensure that renovations were done properly,” mentioned Ishan. He added that despite the tragedy, customers never abandoned the eatery.
A crowd favourite
The menu here has modernised the Indian ice cream to include sugar-free kulfi and chocolate kulfi as well as mango falooda, which is a big hit during summer. They also have an array of Indian sweets and snacks like chole bhature, paneer pakoda, chaat aloo tikki, and even typical South Indian dishes like dosa with sambar and chutney. Although the pandemic-induced lockdown resulted in their shutdown for months, Roshan Di Kulfi is back in full swing. We bumped into VP Grover and Veena Grover, who were having lunch here on a Wednesday afternoon.
The couple mentioned how they had been visiting the place for more than 40 years. A Patel Nagar-resident, Grover said, “This place serves delicious vegetarian food. We always eat the chole bhature and the kesar-pista kulfi. It is amazing how the taste hasn’t changed over the years.” Along with regular customers, the restaurant has also been visited by stalwarts like former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee and cricketer Kapil Dev. “It is wonderful to see that my grandfather’s legacy is praised and appreciated. It makes me feel extremely proud to be his grandson,” Ishan concluded.