Moshe's
An Indian restaurant and café brand built around Mediterranean cuisine with Turkish, Moroccan, Israeli, Italian, Greek, Portuguese, North African, and broader Middle Eastern influences.
Last updated August 31, 2026
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Overview
Moshe's is an Indian restaurant and café brand founded by chef Moshe Shek. The business is associated primarily with Mediterranean food, while its menus also draw from Turkish, Moroccan, Israeli, Italian, Greek, Portuguese, North African, and other Middle Eastern traditions. The brand operates two related formats: restaurants generally branded Moshe's and café locations branded Cafe Moshé's. Its food proposition includes prepared meals, sandwiches, delicatessen products, house-made breads, desserts, and takeaway items, with menus that rotate regularly. The brand's roots are connected to Shek's professional development in hospitality and his exposure to Israel. Shek, an Indian Jew raised in Mumbai, visited Israel in 1988 and worked on a kibbutz during the trip. He later undertook training at Sophia Polytechnic and Richmont in Switzerland. His first Indian business was Caterbility, a catering company established in 1992. After another visit to Israel in 1995, he returned to India and worked on the Athena restaurant-and-lounge concept in 1999. He subsequently collaborated with restaurateur Farhan Azmi at Cafe Basilico in 2001. In 2003, Shek opened Moshe's Oliva in New Delhi as an independently operated restaurant. The venue was notable for being identified with its chef rather than with an outside promoter or corporate restaurant group. Within roughly six months, the brand began expanding into Mumbai, where it developed the market that later became its principal operating base. A Cuffe Parade location opened in 2004 in a converted bungalow, followed by an outlet at Bombay Gymkhana and additional locations connected with Crossword Bookstores at Kemps Corner, as well as venues in Fort and Colaba. Moshe's broadened its format with the opening of Moshe's Bakery Café at the Gateway of India in South Mumbai in January 2009. This café combined short-order meals with sandwiches, cheeses, desserts, and takeaway products. A later outlet opened at Palladium Mall in Lower Parel on 1 August 2011. The brand also supplied prepared food to Westside, the department-store chain owned by the Tata Group. The restaurants were initially opened and operated wholly by Shek. In February 2013, he sold a 90 percent interest in the company to Bangalore-based businessman Prakash Shetty. In September of the same year, private-equity firm New Silk Route acquired a majority stake for an undisclosed amount. The supplied reference describes the network as having 13 outlets, all in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region, but does not establish the brand's current outlet count or ownership structure. Moshe's positioning combines upscale dining with an informal, approachable atmosphere. Shek described the intended environment as refined without being overly formal, with reasonable pricing and a homelike ambience. Outlet design developed with architect Ajit Shilpi is associated with high ceilings, dark wood flooring, patios, and garden seating. The kitchens separate milk and meat, reflecting Jewish dietary practice, although the brand is not otherwise presented as kosher and Shek is not described as observant. Current operating status, ownership, leadership, and outlet numbers require verification.
History
Moshe's was created by Mumbai-born chef Moshe Shek, whose hospitality career was shaped in part by his visits to Israel and by formal culinary and hospitality training. Shek visited Israel in 1988, worked on a kibbutz during a group trip, and later studied at Sophia Polytechnic and Richmont in Switzerland. He established Caterbility, a catering business, in India in 1992. After returning from another Israel visit in 1995, he worked on Athena, a restaurant-and-lounge project financed by Chateau Indage, and later collaborated with restaurateur Farhan Azmi at Cafe Basilico in 2001. Shek launched his own restaurant, Moshe's Oliva, in New Delhi in 2003. The restaurant was operated without a promoter or business associate and was named after its chef, an approach that helped establish the personal, chef-led identity of the brand. Within approximately six months, Moshe's opened two outlets in Mumbai. The first Mumbai location opened in Cuffe Parade in 2004 in a converted bungalow, followed by an outlet at Bombay Gymkhana. The company then added locations associated with Crossword Bookstores at Kemps Corner and restaurants in Fort and Colaba. The business developed both restaurant and café formats. Moshe's restaurants focused on Mediterranean and related regional cuisines, while Cafe Moshé's locations emphasized bakery, café, takeaway, and casual meal occasions. In January 2009, the company opened Moshe's Bakery Café at the Gateway of India in South Mumbai. Its offer included sandwiches, delicatessen cheeses, desserts, other takeaway products, and short-order meals. On 1 August 2011, another outlet opened at Palladium Mall in Lower Parel. Moshe's also supplied prepared foods to Westside, a Tata Group-owned department-store chain. Cuisine at Moshe's is centered on Mediterranean fare but extends into Turkish, Moroccan, Israeli, Italian, Greek, Portuguese, North African, and Middle Eastern cooking. Menus are described as frequently changing. The kitchens separate milk and meat in keeping with Jewish dietary practice, although the food is not otherwise described as kosher. The physical environment was developed by Shek with architect Ajit Shilpi and was intended to feel polished but not excessively formal. Reported design characteristics include high ceilings, dark wooden floors, patio and garden seating, and a generally homelike atmosphere. The initial outlets were owned and operated wholly by Shek. In February 2013, he sold a 90 percent interest to Prakash Shetty of Bangalore. In September 2013, New Silk Route acquired a majority stake in the company for an undisclosed amount. The reference material identifies 13 outlets, all in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region, but does not provide a reliable current account of locations, ownership, management, or trading status. Accordingly, the brand's present condition should be independently reviewed.
- 2013
Founder sells a 90 percent interest
[1]Moshe Shek sells a 90 percent interest in the company to Prakash Shetty.
- 2013
New Silk Route takes a majority stake
[1]New Silk Route acquires a majority stake in Moshe's in September; the deal value is undisclosed.
- 2011
Palladium Mall outlet opens
[1]A Moshe's location opens at Palladium Mall in Lower Parel on 1 August.
- 2009
Gateway of India bakery café opens
[1]The company launches Moshe's Bakery Café in South Mumbai, adding a stronger bakery, takeaway, and casual café proposition.
- 2004
First Mumbai outlet opens in Cuffe Parade
[1]Moshe's enters Mumbai with a Cuffe Parade restaurant located in a converted bungalow.
- 2003
Moshe's Oliva opens in New Delhi
[1]Shek opens his first independently operated Moshe's restaurant, Moshe's Oliva.
- 2001
Cafe Basilico collaboration
[1]Shek teams up with restaurateur Farhan Azmi to open Cafe Basilico.
- 1999
Shek works on the Athena restaurant-and-lounge concept
[1]After returning to India, Shek works at Athena, a restaurant and lounge financed by Chateau Indage.
- 1992
Moshe Shek establishes Caterbility
[1]Shek begins his Indian hospitality business career by founding Caterbility, a catering company.
Products and positioning
An upscale but approachable urban dining brand offering broad Mediterranean and adjacent regional cuisines, supported by chef-led preparation, house-made bakery products, and a relaxed residential-style environment.
Full-service restaurants · 2003
Moshe's Restaurants
The restaurant format serves Mediterranean cuisine alongside Turkish, Moroccan, Israeli, Italian, Greek, Portuguese, North African, and Middle Eastern influences. Menus rotate frequently and are supported by house-made breads and desserts. The dining rooms are positioned as refined but comfortable, with design elements such as dark wood flooring, high ceilings, patios, and garden seating.
Cafés and bakery cafés · 2009
Cafe Moshé's
Cafe Moshé's is the brand's café-oriented format. Reported offerings include sandwiches, delicatessen cheeses, desserts, bakery items, takeaway foods, and short-order meals. The Gateway of India location, opened in 2009, illustrates the format's combination of casual dining and retail-style prepared food.
Catering and retail food supply
Moshe's Catering and Prepared Foods
Beyond restaurants and cafés, Moshe's has operated in catering and prepared-food supply. The brand supplied prepared foods to Westside department stores, extending its chef-led Mediterranean proposition into a retail environment.
Brand decisions
2013
Sale of founder's controlling interestM&ABackground
The restaurant business had been created and operated by founder-chef Moshe Shek.
Action taken
Shek sold a 90 percent interest in Moshe's to Prakash Shetty of Bangalore in February 2013.
Aftermath
The transaction reduced Shek's reported ownership role. Later in 2013, New Silk Route acquired a majority stake, but the reference does not explain the final ownership structure or operational consequences.
2013
New Silk Route majority investmentM&ABackground
Moshe's had expanded from a chef-founded New Delhi restaurant into a multi-outlet Mumbai restaurant and café network.
Action taken
Private-equity firm New Silk Route acquired a majority stake in September 2013.
Aftermath
The acquisition marked a further shift from founder-led ownership toward institutional investment. No transaction value or subsequent strategy is identified in the supplied material.
Recent events
- 2013
Moshe Shek sells a 90 percent interest in Moshe's[1]
M&A · Leadership change
Founder Moshe Shek sold a 90 percent interest in the restaurant company to Bangalore-based businessman Prakash Shetty.
- 2013
New Silk Route acquires a majority stake in Moshe's[1]
M&A
Private-equity firm New Silk Route acquired a majority stake in Moshe's in September 2013. The transaction value was not disclosed in the reference material.
- 2011
Moshe's opens at Palladium Mall[1]
Product launch
A new Moshe's outlet opened at Palladium Mall in Lower Parel on 1 August 2011, extending the brand's Mumbai presence into a major shopping destination.
- 2009
Moshe's opens a bakery café at the Gateway of India[1]
Product launch
The brand expanded its café format in South Mumbai with a Gateway of India location offering bakery products, sandwiches, cheeses, desserts, takeaway foods, and short-order meals.
Sources1 sources
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