Edison Desi Scene: A Restaurant Fire and a Festival Renewed
Edison, New Jersey — long one of the most prominent centers of South Asian life in the United States — is navigating a setback for a promising new restaurant even as the township prepares for a Diwali festival that draws more than ten thousand people.
House of Bombay Closes After Fire, Weeks After Opening
House of Bombay, the Indian restaurant that took over the former Menlo Park Diner space on Route 1 in Edison, has temporarily closed after a fire struck the property just weeks after its much-anticipated opening. The restaurant, owned by husband-and-wife team Nishiket and Shizani Parikh, marked the couple’s first business venture in New Jersey. Nishiket Parikh, who operates several restaurants in India, said at opening that he wanted to preserve the warmth and hospitality the diner had been known for while bringing elevated Indian cuisine to the Route 1 corridor. The building’s interior was completely renovated before the opening. In a post on social media, the restaurant announced it was closed “until further notice” following “an unexpected fire incident.” The fire occurred while the restaurant was closed with no staff or guests present. All reservations made through the Resy platform from September 5 onward were canceled; customers who were charged can contact the restaurant for a full refund. The Menlo Park Diner, which House of Bombay replaced, had been a Route 1 landmark for roughly six decades, operating around the clock until the COVID-19 pandemic changed its hours; it closed for good after a kitchen fire in October 2023. [1]
A New Chapter Interrupted: The Significance Behind the House of Bombay
Patch’s reporting on the House of Bombay fire offered context for what the restaurant’s opening had meant to Edison’s Route 1 corridor. The Menlo Park Diner had been an around-the-clock institution at 1475 Route 1 South — a place that served families and late-night travelers for decades, the kind of fixture that defines a stretch of road. Its closure left a gap that the Parikh family set out to fill with a different kind of institution: a full-service Indian restaurant designed to serve Edison’s substantial South Asian community with the attentiveness and consistency of a classic American diner. The renovation was extensive, transforming the interior while preserving the building’s footprint on a stretch of highway that holds enormous cultural significance for the Indian American families concentrated throughout Middlesex County. The opening generated considerable local attention, with early reservations filled quickly. The fire, which struck while no one was inside, disrupted those early weeks before the business had fully established itself. In its social media posts following the incident, the restaurant struck a measured tone, indicating its owners were “working through everything” and would share a reopening timeline when ready. [3]
Edison’s Annual Diwali Festival Returns to Papaianni Park on November 7
Edison’s annual Diwali festival is returning to Papaianni Park on Saturday, November 7, from 5:00 PM to 9:00 PM, with a rain date of November 14. The Township of Edison and the Edison Recreation Department are calling it the township’s largest cultural celebration, drawing more than 10,000 attendees in recent years for an evening of lights, vendors, food trucks, and live music. Vendor applications remain open and will be accepted on a first-come, first-served basis; the deadline to apply is October 26. Fees range from $250 for a 10-by-10-foot grass space for non-profit organizations to $1,000 for a 10-by-16-foot parking lot space with a wooden hut, with additional options for for-profit vendors and food trucks. All vendors must supply their own equipment — tables, chairs, canopies, generators, and tent weights — as no water hookups or electricity will be provided on site. Permit applications must also be submitted through the Edison Health Department and the Edison Fire Department; approval is contingent on full payment of fees. The festival has grown into one of the signature events of Edison’s civic calendar, reflecting the township’s large and active South Asian community and drawing neighbors and visitors from across the region. [5]