In a country where dining is synonymous with nostalgia, culture, and storytelling, few legacy institutions have endured as gracefully as United Coffee House and fewer custodians have guarded such heritage with the foresight, passion, and ingenuity of Mr. Akash Kalra, the third-generation owner and Managing Director of the United Group.
With an 80-year legacy behind him, Mr. Kalra stands at the cusp of heritage and innovation. Born into the ambience of iconic recipes, clinking cutlery, and conversations that shaped eras, his journey in hospitality was not just chosen, it was inherited. Growing up amidst Delhi’s most celebrated culinary milieu, he developed a deep emotional affinity for gastronomy, business, and legacy stewardship.
Armed with a Delhi University degree and advanced training in hospitality, entrepreneurship, and food business management, he stepped into leadership in his twenties transforming United Coffee House from a single iconic landmark in Connaught Place to a pan-Indian culinary empire.
But the United Coffee House story is more than a restaurant it is history plated. Its origins trace back to the early 1930s, when undivided India stretched from Delhi to Lahore and Sialkot. In the heart of a culturally vibrant capital, the city witnessed a visionary dream: Delhi’s very first café, United Coffee House, an institution born of elegance, conversation, and global sensibilities.
Today, under Mr. Kalra’s stewardship, United Coffee House remains a beloved cultural landmark, a place where royalty dined, artists conversed, diplomats debated, and generations connected over timeless recipes. As a staunch guardian of the brand’s historical tapestry, he took on the challenge of reviving fading legacy recipes, preserving age-old techniques, and simultaneously modernizing the experience not by changing its soul, but by elevating it.
While the world rushed toward fast-casual trends, he remained rooted in authenticity yet agile in innovation. Under his leadership, the iconic UCH menu evolved to over 400 dishes spanning global cuisines, and yet, every bite continues to reflect the same heritage, warmth, and storytelling that the founders envisioned.
Not one to be confined by tradition, Mr. Kalra envisioned a dynamic future for the brand, one that would transcend generations. He conceptualized and launched United Coffee House Rewind a contemporary casual dining format that retains the historical charm of the original UCH while speaking the language of the modern diner. Today, Rewind thrives across Delhi, Gurgaon, Noida, Faridabad, and Chandigarh, offering a fresh, young, yet familiar identity of the brand.
Venturing further, he introduced Maska, a Quick Service Restaurant (QSR) brand specializing in an inventive blend of Indian and Chinjabi cuisines a reflection of India’s comfort food evolution. With six successful outlets and two new locations in the pipeline, Maska seamlessly bridges dine-in, delivery, and cloud-kitchen formats a testament to Mr. Kalra’s grasp of contemporary dining habits.
As United Coffee House prepares to expand into historically significant colonial cities like Bombay and Kolkata, Mr. Kalra continues to shape its path with vision, strategy, and unwavering reverence for legacy. He believes that nostalgia should not just be experienced, it should be savored, revived, and reimagined for new generations.
Today, with 33 years of leadership behind him and awarded Times Restaurateur of the Year 2025, Mr. Akash Kalra stands not just as a restaurant owner, but as a heritage curator, culinary innovator, and storyteller of Indian dining culture. His mission is clear to etch the United Group’s legacy not just in Delhi’s memories, but on the broader canvas of the Indian culinary landscape.
