A Different Kind of Indian Restaurant

Mowgli Street Food is not a curry house. Founded by Nisha Katona MBE, the restaurant group set out to bring the food that Indian families actually eat at home, and on the street, to British high streets. The concept was born in Liverpool, where Katona, a former barrister, decided to leave the courtroom behind and pursue a lifelong ambition to change perceptions of Indian cuisine in the UK. What started as a single site on Bold Street in 2014 has since grown into a chain with locations across England, but the ethos remains rooted in that first Liverpool kitchen.

Mowgli's menu reads nothing like a traditional Indian restaurant's. There are no heavy, cream-laden sauces. Instead, the food is light, vibrant and served in small plates designed for sharing. Dishes like the Mowgli Chip Butty, yogurt chat bombs and gunpowder chicken wings draw from the traditions of Calcutta street vendors, Delhi chaat stalls and Tamil home kitchens. The approach is accessible without being diluted, and it has won a loyal following among diners who might never have considered Indian food as a casual weeknight option.

The Story Behind the Name

The name Mowgli is a nod to Rudyard Kipling's jungle boy, raised between two worlds. Katona has spoken often about her own experience growing up between Indian and British cultures, and how the food she ate at home bore little resemblance to what was available in restaurants. That gap, between the Indian food of her childhood and the Indian food most Britons knew, became the founding idea of the business. Every Mowgli restaurant is designed to feel like stepping into a different world: colourful interiors, swing seats, walls covered in vintage Indian imagery and lighting that feels warm without being dim.

The restaurants are deliberately informal. There is no white linen, no stiff service protocol, no expectation that diners will know the difference between a dosa and a paratha before they sit down. Staff are trained to guide guests through the menu with genuine knowledge and a relaxed manner. This informality is not accidental. It is central to the brand's identity and one of the reasons Mowgli has succeeded in cities where more traditional Indian restaurants have struggled to attract younger audiences.

Values That Shape the Workplace

Katona has been outspoken about wanting Mowgli to be a force for good, not just a profitable business. The company donates a portion of its profits to charitable causes, particularly those supporting street children and animal welfare in India, through the Mowgli Trust. This commitment filters down into the day-to-day culture of the restaurants. Team members are encouraged to take part in fundraising and community events, and the company invests in training programmes that go beyond the mechanics of food preparation and service.

"I wanted to create a place where people could eat the India I know, not the India that was invented for the British palate. And I wanted the people who work here to feel the same pride in that food as I do."

Staff development is taken seriously. Mowgli runs its own training academy, and the company has a reputation for promoting from within. Many of its general managers started as waiters or kitchen porters. The hierarchy inside a Mowgli restaurant is relatively flat, with an emphasis on teamwork and mutual respect rather than rigid chains of command. This structure suits people who prefer a collaborative working environment and who are comfortable taking initiative without waiting for instructions.

Liverpool Roots

Liverpool holds a special place in the Mowgli story. The Bold Street restaurant remains one of the busiest in the group, and the city's independent, slightly rebellious dining culture has always been a natural fit for the brand. Liverpool diners were among the first to embrace the idea that Indian food could be casual, shareable and affordable without sacrificing authenticity. The city's food scene has grown enormously over the past decade, and Mowgli has been part of that transformation.

The Liverpool team reflects the city's character: direct, friendly and unpretentious. New starters often remark on how quickly they feel part of the group. The pace of service can be intense, particularly on weekends and during events at the nearby waterfront venues, but there is a strong sense of camaraderie that carries teams through the busiest shifts.

Growth Without Losing Identity

As Mowgli has expanded, opening restaurants in Manchester, Birmingham, Nottingham, Oxford and other cities, the challenge has been to maintain the qualities that made the original Liverpool site special. Each new location is designed individually rather than stamped from a corporate template. Menus evolve with seasonal ingredients and regional preferences. Hiring decisions are made locally, with managers encouraged to recruit people who reflect the communities they serve.

The company has resisted the temptation to franchise or to grow so quickly that quality suffers. Katona has said publicly that she would rather open fewer restaurants and do them well than chase scale for its own sake. This measured approach has earned Mowgli a reputation as one of the more thoughtful operators in the casual dining sector, a space that has seen plenty of overextended brands collapse in recent years.

What Comes Next

Mowgli continues to open new sites, but the focus remains on deepening relationships with existing communities rather than simply planting flags in new postcodes. The company is investing in sustainability initiatives, from sourcing to packaging, and exploring ways to reduce food waste across its kitchens. For anyone considering a career with the group, the appeal lies in joining a business that is still growing, still evolving and still led by a founder who cares as much about culture and community as she does about the bottom line.