House of Bombay Closes After Fire as Diwali Festival Returns to Edison's Papaianni Park
Two contrasting stories marked the week for Edison's Indian community: a brand-new restaurant on Route 1 faced an unexpected setback just weeks after opening, while the township's beloved Diwali festival confirmed its autumn return.
House of Bombay Temporarily Closes After Fire at Route 1 Location
The House of Bombay, an Indian restaurant that opened this summer in the former Menlo Park Diner space on Route 1 in Edison, has temporarily closed following an unexpected fire. In a social media announcement, the restaurant stated it was shut "until further notice" due to "an unexpected fire incident," noting the fire occurred while the establishment was closed and that no guests or staff members were present at the time. The management has not disclosed the cause of the fire or a timeline for reopening, though they indicated the team is working through the situation and will provide an update when ready to resume operations. All reservations made through Resy from September 5 onward were canceled, and customers who were charged will receive refunds upon providing a screenshot of their transaction. The closure is especially striking given how recently the restaurant launched. House of Bombay is owned by husband-and-wife team Nishiket and Shizani Parikh, representing Nishiket's first restaurant venture in New Jersey; he owns multiple restaurants in India. The couple fully remodeled the interior of the former diner site before opening, with Nishiket stating his goal was to preserve the warmth the Menlo Park Diner was historically known for while offering elevated Indian cuisine. The original Menlo Park Diner opened in 1960 and ran around the clock for about three decades before closing in 2023 following its own kitchen fire. The House of Bombay is located at 1475 Route 1 South in Edison. [1]
Edison's Annual Diwali Festival Returns to Papaianni Park on November 7
Edison's cherished annual Diwali festival is confirmed for its return to Papaianni Park this fall, with the celebration set for Saturday, November 7, from 5:00 PM to 9:00 PM. The event has grown into one of Edison's most prominent and widely attended community occasions, drawing hundreds of residents and neighbors who come to enjoy local vendors, food trucks, and live music. Organizers are still accepting vendor applications on a first-come, first-served basis ahead of the festival, with a submission deadline of Monday, October 26. Several vendor participation tiers are available: a 10-foot-by-16-foot parking lot space with a wooden hut is priced at $1,000 and is open to both food and non-food vendors, while a standard 10-by-16-foot parking lot space without the hut is $850 for similar vendor types. For those seeking grass spaces, a 10-by-10-foot plot costs $600 for for-profit organizations and $250 for non-profit groups. Vendors are advised that no water hookups or electricity will be provided at the event, meaning all participants must bring their own tables, chairs, canopies, generators, tent weights, and related equipment. All vendors are also required to file permit applications through both the Edison Health Department and the Edison Fire Department, and no application will receive final approval until all associated fees have been paid in full. The Diwali festival remains a cornerstone event in Edison, a township widely recognized as a hub for the South Asian diaspora in New Jersey. [4]