Bundobust Mill Hill: Award-winning Indian street food restaurant marks 10 'mega' years in Leeds
An Indian restaurant in the heart of Leeds is celebrating its tenth birthday this year.
Bundobust welcomed its first customers through its doors in Mill Hill in July 2014. It was founded by two passionate businessmen Mayur Patel and Marko Husak, who set out to offer something unique in Leeds together.
And 10 years on, the award-winning venue has made its name as one of the top street food restaurants in the city.
It all began with Mayur reaching out to Marko for a collaboration via social media in 2013. At that time, Mayur was working at his family restaurant Prashad, in Drighlington, meanwhile Marko was working behind the scenes at a Bradford pub named the Sparrow.
The duo, fond of each other’s businesses, decided to pair Gujarati food with beer for a few pop-ups.
Mayur said: “We did the first event at Prashad, it was very much a tasting menu in which each course was paired with a different beer and Marco came up with the best tasting beers that would go with each dish.
“And then did a similar thing back at the Sparrow, which was much more casual. We just basically rocked up on the side of the bar, we did a chaat and just served them up with customers. We started to see lots of interest, people really liked this way of dining and drinking.
“From that point, we just sat down and started to think about how we might do something. Both of us wanted to do something in Leeds, just independently and individually.”
From there, Mayur and Marko began testing the waters in Leeds, with pop-ups at events like Leeds Beer Festival and at venues such as Belgrave Music Hall.
The restaurant in Mill Hill was secured few months later. As a small business, Mayur said it was up to the two of them, with the help of family and friends, to transform the site into an Indian restaurant but the venue looked far from the vibrant spot it is today.
Mayur recalls: “I remember the first opening. It was very, very bare, bleak. The site was very minimal, because it was budget-dependent. Even people that were employed - they weren’t people that were seasoned. For most of them, it was their first gig.
“But it was really nice to bring many of the people up. In fact, most of them are still with us in the business in some format, which is something that's really, really cool. The head chef in Leeds is still the same chef that we had from day one.”
Marko added: “From the first service, there was a big queue outside the door, which was good. It seemed really hard work, and we weren't even that busy at the start. But then when you get into the rhythm, you get busier and then it seems easier.”
The duo have achieved a lot at Bundobust and there’s much to be proud of, but Marko said scooping Menu Innovation accolade at the Casual Dining Restaurant and Pub Awards 2024 is definitely a highlight from the last decade.
Marko added: “That was great. It's something that's integral to us, innovation and pushing the boundaries and doing different stuff. That was a great moment that cemented what we were about, in terms of food and drinks.”
While they never set out a goal to open other sites in the country, the duo are pleased to be able to have opened Bundobust in other cities.
Mayur said: “The original business plan was done over a few beers, and about 12 hours before it needed to happen for the bank. I don't think that had anything in there to say we want to open another site in Manchester, that we want to move and scale.
“We just wanted it to be the best it could possibly be. And I think as we started to get more popular, and as we started to meet more people in industry, I think that's when it started.
“We're pretty chuffed that we're able to take it to other cities and people still resonate with it, just as they're doing in Leeds.”
He added: “We are really pleased about the fact that we transcend every demographic. And that is what Bundo is all about. It should be for everyone, not anyone with any particular dietary requirement, not anyone that's into any particular type of music, it’s genuinely just a space for anyone and everyone.”
Marko added: “It is a diverse crowd, from people finishing work, families, older couples, theatres states, people with kids, people going to the football, just everybody.”
“We sell a lot of different beers, and people that don't know the beers might play it safe on the first to go, and they've managed to lager or a pale ale, but then they come back, and try something new - it's nice to see them getting into the beer.”
Over the next decade, Mayur and Marko would like to continue to develop the menu at Bundobust and take it to more cities.
Mayur said: “I think building and growing the team and developing them further is really, really interesting. We really enjoy pushing the boundaries of what people might expect an Indian restaurant to be doing.
“A chaat is now quite well known. But what's next? What else can we play with? What cuisine can we mash up?
“The last ten years have just been mega. It doesn’t quite feel like it’s been that long. It’s still super exciting and I think the next ten years are going to be even more so.”