Pune on My Plate: How ‘Hinjewadi viral samosa’ teen turned a roadside stall into a shop
Customers queue up even before opening, with many discovering the stall through Instagram and word of mouth, praising its taste and the young entrepreneur’s journey.
Himanshu Nishad (extreme left) along with his siblings Neelu Devi and Nilesh at their newly opened outlet outlet in Hinjewadi Phase 3 (Express photo) Written by Piyush Padwale, Navnoor Kaur
A Class 12 student, known for a roadside samosa stall outside the Tech Mahindra campus in Pune’s Hinjewadi — widely popular online as the “Hinjewadi Viral Samosa” — launched his first permanent shop Monday night, drawing long queues of customers within hours.
What began as a small roadside setup by Himanshu Nishad, along with his sister Neelu Devi and brother Nilesh, on December 29, 2025, was driven by a simple goal: to support their family financially. Videos of the stall later circulated online, turning it into a popular late-night food spot among IT employees and residents, who queued well past midnight for a bite.
Speaking about the shift from a roadside stall to a permanent shop, Himanshu, 18, says the transition has made operations significantly easier. “There are many more facilities here. If it rains or the weather is bad, work does not stop now. Earlier, we faced several daily struggles, but this setup has made things easier,” he says.
He adds that life changed significantly after the stall went viral on Instagram. “People see the fun part, but behind it lies a lot of struggle. You barely get any sleep, and the tension is constant”.
Himanshu says he deliberately chose Hinjewadi’s Krishna Market because of its constant flow of office-goers and tech employees. “There are always people here, so I thought it would work,” he says.
A hat-tip to Lakhimpur Kheri
The earlier venture had no name, but the new one is now officially called Lmpians Kitchen. According to the family, the name is inspired by their hometown, Lakhimpur Kheri in Uttar Pradesh, commonly shortened to “LMP”.
The menu at the stall, which operates daily from 2 pm to 10 pm, includes samosas, dahi samosa chaat, chole samosa chaat, and fries. The samosas, initially priced at Rs 20, now cost Rs 25 following LPG shortages and rising operational costs.
Himnashu Nishad frying the special Uttar Pradesh-style samosas at his ‘Lmpians Kitchen’. (Express photo)
The recipe draws inspiration from Uttar Pradesh-style samosas but has been slightly adapted by the siblings into a mix of UP and Maharashtra flavours.
Neelu Devi, who helps manage kitchen operations, said, “It sounds like a simple samosa, but there is a lot of work behind it.”
Friends and relatives often help during peak hours to manage the workload.
The outlet currently prepares around 1,000 to 1,500 samosas daily, though demand often exceeds capacity due to limited staff and infrastructure.
‘We are happy to wait’
Even before the outlet opened, customers would stop by to check whether the shop was operational, and queues would form later in the evening. Many say they first learned about the stall through Instagram reels and recommendations from employees working nearby.
Kaustubh Natkut, a software developer at Infosys and a regular customer, says he first visited the stall months ago after a friend recommended its garlic chutney and North Indian-style samosas. “For that taste, we are happy to wait. He’s worked so hard, and we are happy to see him succeed at this new location,” he adds.
Another customer, Gayatri Pillay, a business owner from BT Kawade Road, says she discovered the stall through Instagram reels, adding that the journey reflects the importance of hard work and starting from the basics at a young age.
(Piyush Padwale, Navnoor Kaur are interns with The Indian Express)
Share
