Thali is unconventional, makeshift and unexpected, reflecting the behaviours and spirit of India; the land, the people and the cuisine.

Thali started as a street food truck at Glastonbury Festival.

The parallels between Thali’s make-shift beginnings and the atmosphere, attitude and spirit of India offers a unique interpretation of Indian food.

Thali showcases the hero dishes of the subcontinent from the back streets of Bombay to the beach shacks of Goa.

Ethics & Sustainability

In rural India, where the Thali meal originates, people use seasonal, local, organic food out of necessity and recycle as much as they can because they can’t afford to waste it. Thali adopted the Indian mantra of ‘jugaad’ (do more with less) and became the first Indian restaurant group to be awarded a Three Star Sustainability Champion Rating by the Sustainable Restaurant Association in 2013.

 

Sustainability principles

  • Meat: locally sourced + free range
  • Fish: MSC certified "Fish to Eat"
  • Dairy: organic, locally sourced milk and cream, free-range and locally sourced eggs
  • Fruit + Veg: seasonal + locally sourced where possible
  • Waste: majority is recycled including cardboard, plastics, tins + food waste
  • Tiffin Scheme: highly sustainable + waste free
  • No palm oil
Traditional roadside dhaba, India.

Traditional roadside dhaba, India.

Awards

Thali have won plenty of awards along the way, including the winner of the best cheap eats category in Observer Food Monthly Awards – and subsequent runner-up five times in the same category – and the BBC Radio 4 Food & Farming Award for Best Takeaway in 2010.

The Tiffin Revolution

From Monday to Friday at around midday something astonishing happens on the streets of Mumbai. More than 200,000 tiffins are delivered by tiffin wallahs to office workers with a staggering 99.99% success rate. The tiffin wallahs are considered so trustworthy that workers place their wages inside the tiffin box rather than risk carrying money on the ‘super dense crush’ commuter train.

Join 10,000 Thali tiffin owners putting Mumbai’s reusable lunchbox system to good use. The Thali tiffin scheme is an everyday way to enjoy your favourite thali at home with zero waste. Buy an insulated tiffin tin and fill it with your thali of choice for just 25 pounds, you will then recieve discounted rates every time you bring your tiffin in for a refill.  REFILL NOT LANDFILL!

Click here to join the Tiffin Scheme.