I still fondly remember Bhaji’s first home in San Miguel, a classy and cosy little spot hidden behind heavy velvet curtains on Calle Correo.

I loved going there, especially with a group of good friends. Indian cuisine is like that. Better when shared. Best when there’s enough of you that multiple dishes can be served family style in the middle of the table. 

But times change, people change and conditions change. I asked Bhaji’s chef/owner Adrian Gorton about those changes.

“COVID Hit all restaurants and bars hard, and my lease was up right at the start of lockdown, so I decided to close and ride it out. Although we did a good trade in take-out as this food is perfect for home delivery.”

“We reopened in Mercado del Carmen as a temporary measure, but ended up staying there longer than I wanted. However now I have found the cosy little place that Bhaji was famous for when we first opened our doors in San Miguel 13 years ago.”

There was a big group of good friends at Bhaji’s new home last week. It’s the restaurants fifth location in the thirteen years that former Brit Adrian Gorton made his Indian curry house dream come true.

As I climbed the stairs to Bhaji’s new location on Calle Zacateras, the vivid colors brought back forgotten memories. I remembered how much I liked the Bhaji logo.

I asked permission for a peek inside the kitchen.

There, good-sized shrimp were marinating in Tandoori sauce.

Chunks of chicken tikka had been prepped in their yogurt sauce and were hitting the grill.

In a frypan, sizzling samosas were being crisped.

A few minutes later, our three starters arrived at the table.

The Brits at the table were reminiscing about the nights of old. How the pub would close at 11:00 and how the Indian takeout that was always close by would conveniently stay open until 11:30. But times have changed a little since the days we downed those multiple pints of bitter.

In 2001, Chicken Tikka Masala was declared to be a true British national dish. In the English town that I once lived in, there are now more Indian restaurants than there are pubs.

In North America, as immigrant families have left the big cities for the suburbs, they’ve left behind the family owned tandoori, curry, roti, and samosa spots for fast food chains. In Toronto’s India Town, there were once more than 30 Indian, Pakistani and Sri Lankan restaurants. Today, less than 10 survive.

I asked Adrian how things have changed in San Miguel since he first opened Bhaji Famous Curry House.

“SMA Changes. It’s changed a lot from a restaurant business side. So many new places open, so many, including old favourites, are forced to close. And with each closure, rents go up, not down. So it feels El Centro is becoming more and more a place for large, expensive enterprises, and the affordable, individually owned places need to locate out of town. Personally not the ideal that first drew me to come to SMA. What made San Miguel special is now finding itself on the periphery in the pursuit of something more high end and dare I say it, a facsimile of what makes this town special.”

“Good for a certain strata of customer, not for the majority. But we all endeavor to continue and flourish and offer amazing flavors for all budgets and tastes.”

Ordering your mains at Bhaji isn’t easy, even if you’re a currificianado. Words like dopiaza, bhuna and jalfrezi mean nothing even to a foodie like me. Best if you’re in a group is to put it on Adrian’s shoulders. You’ll get a nice variation in tastes and textures. And with almost every dish being made from scratch when you order, you can choose your exact spice level.

For our lunch, Adrian chose Sag Paneer, Chicken Tikka Masala, Shrimp Madras, Chicken Rogan Josh. Pilau Rice and Naan Bread for us to share. They worked wonderfully alone and even better in harmony together.

I want pizza once a week. I want sushi once a week. I want Chinese, steak and wings once a week. Indian cuisine I only want every month or two but, when I do and I’m in San Miguel, I’m glad that Adrian Gorton and Bhaji are still there for me after all these years.

Bhaji is located upstairs, above La Adelita, at Zacateros 48 in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico. The restaurant is open from 1:00 to 9:00 pm, Tuesday through Saturday; 1:00 to 6:00 pm, Sundays. Call or WhatsApp 442 186 5611 for reservations or takeout.