RESTAURANT NEWS | CHARLOTTE
Vamshi Krishna Adi Expands to Charlotte With Zamindar’s Clubhouse
Zamindar’s stretches across India’s regional cooking in a sprawling new South End restaurant.
ZAMINDAR’S | MAP | INSTAGRAM
By Eric Barton
7:45 a.m. ET, June 17, 2026
AUTHOR BIO: Eric Barton is editor of The Adventurist and a freelance journalist who has reviewed restaurants for more than two decades. Email him here.
Zamindar’s Clubhouse has opened in Charlotte with 7,500 square feet, a Michelin-recognized chef, and no interest in keeping dinner small.
The South End restaurant comes from founder David Pandoria and chef Vamshi Krishna Adi, whose New York restaurant Ishq earned a Michelin Bib Gourmand in 2024. Adi grew up in Hyderabad, studied at the Culinary Academy of India, and later worked at Junoon, Baar Baar, and Rooh before opening Gazab, Ishq, and Kebabishq in New York.
Dahi ke kebab
At Zamindar’s, that background stretches across India rather than settling into one region. Jalebi chaat pairs chickpea masala with beetroot and crispy sev. Paneer is cooked inside bamboo with coconut and curry leaves. Ghee-roast scallops come dusted with gunpowder alongside crisp koti roti, while pulled venison varuval gets toasted coconut and Malabar parotta.
The larger plates keep time zones: raw mango and coconut sharpen a lobster curry from Calicut; sea bass is wrapped with kasundi cream, poppy seeds, and mustard; and Hyderabadi chicken biryani brings Adi back to the food of his hometown. Dessert includes a kalakand chocolate tart with basundi, chocolate caviar, and gold dust.
Paneer shahi tukda
Pandoria arrived at the restaurant by a less direct route. He spent decades in corporate sales while moonlighting as a DJ in the Southeast Asian American community. After treatment for stage-four cancer in 2023, he left corporate life and turned his attention to hospitality.
Mangalorean prawn gassi
Chef Vamshi Krishna Adi
That explains why Zamindar’s extends beyond the dining tables. A bar, lounge, patio, private dining space, live music, and DJ programming are all part of the plan.
Charlotte has plenty of Indian restaurants. Zamindar’s is betting there’s room for one that treats dinner more like the beginning of the night.
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