Samosa café opens first site in Reading

Jaswa Samosa serves both sweet and savoury samosas and aims to appeal to consumers for breakfast, snacks, lunch and dinner.

Husband and wife Ravi and Jaspinder Sidhu said their aim is to change the way people eat Indian food, and they hope to rapidly expand their concept in other UK locations.

"Within the next six months we are looking to open two to three new Jaswa restaurants in larger cities in the UK," they told BigHospitality.

“When I came to the UK I was shocked that most people only associate Indian food with evening takeaways,” said Ravi Sidhu, who has lived in India most of his life. “I wanted to change this perception and make it more accessible and appealing to people at any time of the day. Jaspinder and I are passionate about traditional Indian street food and we saw a gap in the market for quality, nutritious Indian snacks.”

The venue’s focus is on using ‘fresh’, ‘natural’ and ‘quality’ ingredients. The samosas are also baked rather than fried for an extra ‘healthy’ appeal. Fillings include superfood and pea, mint and paneer or salmon and cauliflower. Traditional fillings like chicken tikka are also available, as are sweet options such as chocolate.

Location and design​

The Jaswa Samosa cafe, located at 5 Station Road in Reading, is decorated with warm red and orage colours and natural wood in an attempt to reproduce “both the sophisticated and traditional sides of modern India”.

The site targets both on-the-go consumers wanting to pick up a snack, as well as customers looking for a relaxed environment for breakfast, lunch or dinner.

“We chose Reading for our first store as it is where Jaspinder grew up and we love the buzz and cultural diversity,” says Sidhu.

”We are really excited to be part of the local community as Reading grows but we will also be looking to expand and open more stores in other locations across the UK. Most importantly, we want Jaswa to be known for its uniqueness and quality produce.”