Burma Burma: The Story Behind Ankit Gupta and Chirag Chhajer’s Culinary Journey

What began with home-cooked Burmese food eventually became one of India's best-known Burmese restaurant brands. The story of Burma Burma is rooted in family, friendship and a desire to introduce Indian diners to a cuisine that was still relatively unfamiliar when the restaurant first opened.

At the centre of that story are co-founders Ankit Gupta and Chirag Chhajer.

A Story That Started at Home

For Ankit Gupta, Burmese cuisine was not something he discovered later in life. It was part of his childhood.

Gupta's mother and her family were brought up in Myanmar, and her Burmese heritage had a strong influence on the food at home. Her recipes, ingredients and cooking traditions eventually became one of the inspirations behind Burma Burma. The brand describes its origins as a combination of Gupta's Burmese family heritage and his father's background in hospitality and restaurants.

The idea, however, needed to go beyond family recipes.

In 2011, Ankit Gupta travelled to Burma with Chef Ansab Khan to explore the country's food and culture more closely. They ate home-cooked meals, explored street food and visited local markets to understand the ingredients and traditions behind Burmese cooking. Multiple research trips eventually helped shape the culinary direction of the restaurant.

From an Idea to Burma Burma

Before opening a restaurant, Gupta and his team tested the concept through pop-ups in Mumbai and Goa. At the time, Burmese cuisine was still relatively unexplored by many Indian diners, so these pop-ups provided an opportunity to understand how people responded to the food.

The response encouraged Gupta to take the idea further.

He approached his childhood friend Chirag Chhajer, a food enthusiast and traveller, to turn the concept into a restaurant business. The partnership brought together Gupta's connection to Burmese cuisine and Chhajer's business experience.

In 2014, the first Burma Burma Restaurant & Tea Room opened in Kala Ghoda, Mumbai.

Building More Than a Restaurant

From the beginning, Burma Burma was intended to represent more than individual Burmese dishes.

The founders wanted diners to experience Burmese food alongside elements of the country's culture. The restaurants therefore became spaces where food, tea, design and cultural influences came together.

The menu itself developed through research into different parts of Burmese cuisine. Burma Burma's own account of its first decade describes how the team continued travelling to Burma, exploring regional foods and developing dishes while retaining connections to traditional flavours and techniques.

That approach helped the brand move beyond being known simply for khow suey. Dishes such as Tea Leaf Salad, Samosa Soup and other Burmese preparations became part of its identity, while the restaurants also incorporated Burmese art, handicrafts and textiles into the experience.

The Role of Chirag Chhajer

While Ankit Gupta Burma Burma is a phrase often associated with the brand's origin because of Gupta's family connection to Myanmar, the business has always been a partnership.

Chirag Chhajer became Gupta's co-founder after being approached with the idea of creating a speciality Burmese restaurant. His background included experience in his family's textile business, along with formal education in international business and family-managed business.

Together, Gupta and Chhajer developed Burma Burma from a single Mumbai restaurant into a larger hospitality business.

Hunger Pangs Pvt Ltd and the Growth of the Business

Behind the Burma Burma brand is Hunger Pangs Pvt Ltd , a Mumbai-based private company incorporated in 2013. Public company information identifies Ankit Virendra Gupta and Chirag Narendra Chhajer as directors.

The company's growth has gone beyond simply adding restaurants. Burma Burma has expanded its restaurant and delivery operations and has also developed related businesses, including its retail offering. The company's official website now presents Burma Burma as a broader culinary brand centred on Burmese food and culture.

The expansion has also attracted outside investment. In 2024, The Economic Times reported that Hunger Pangs had raised equity funding and that the founders were planning further expansion.

What About the Burma Burma IPO?

The Burma Burma IPO is another part of the company's growth story, but it is important to distinguish a planned IPO from a completed one.

In September 2024, Chirag Chhajer and Ankit Gupta told The Economic Times that they planned to take the company public in 2027. Chhajer said the company was targeting the April-to-December 2027 period and wanted to reach approximately ₹300 crore in revenue before going public.

That statement represents the founders' stated plan at the time. It should not be described as confirmation that a Burma Burma IPO has already been filed, approved or launched.

This distinction is particularly important when discussing Hunger Pangs Pvt Ltd, because the company remains a private company in the available corporate records.

From Burmese Heritage to a Modern Indian Restaurant Brand

The story of Burma Burma ultimately comes back to its beginnings.

A cuisine that was part of Ankit Gupta's family life became the foundation for a restaurant idea. That idea was tested through pop-ups, developed with Chef Ansab Khan and eventually turned into a business with childhood friend Chirag Chhajer.

The first restaurant in Kala Ghoda was only the beginning.

Today, Burma Burma represents an effort to bring the depth of Burmese cuisine and culture to a much wider Indian audience. Its journey also shows how a personal connection to food and heritage can become the foundation for a modern hospitality company.

For Ankit Gupta and Chirag Chhajer, the next chapter is about continuing to grow that idea while staying connected to the cuisine and cultural heritage that inspired Burma Burma in the first place.