Sid and Chand Sahrawat at Cassia at SkyCity. Photo / Babiche Martens
Sid and Chand Sahrawat at Cassia at SkyCity. Photo / Babiche Martens
Acclaimed Indian restaurant Cassia will close its doors at Auckland’s SkyCity dining precinct, after a final dinner service on June 5.
But unlike the raft of recent restaurant closures, Cassia isn’t closing permanently; instead, it’s relocating to a new CBD location in August.
“The move is responding to bettereconomic conditions and us wanting to move back to being 100% owner-operated again, as we are with The French Cafe,” Sahrawat told the Herald.
Cassia’s new location is a previously unoccupied corner site owned and managed by Pro-invest Group at Albert and Wyndham Streets, next to the voco hotel.
It’s the second time restaurateurs Sid and Chand Sahrawat have relocated the restaurant. In 2023, Cassia closed its doors on Fort Lane and relocated to the SkyCity dining precinct after damage from the Auckland Anniversary Weekend floods.
“We are so grateful to the SkyCity team for welcoming us into the fold and giving us a home over the past three years,” Sahrawat said in a statement.
“Now it’s time for us to make our final move. We’re thrilled to remain in the CBD and close to our loyal guests who have supported Cassia since we first opened in 2014.”
SkyCity’s general manager of hospitality, David Allott, told the Herald its team felt “privileged” to have Cassia with them over the past three years.
Sahrawat has won several accolades and awards for his cooking.
After moving to New Zealand in 2000, he and his wife co-own three top restaurants - Anise, The French Cafe and Cassia.
In 2018, Sahrawat was named New Zealand’s Best Chef at the Metro Peugeot Restaurant of the Year Awards. Cassia has been a regular in Viva’s Top 50 Auckland Restaurant Awards.
There is no confirmation of what will open in Cassia’s place at SkyCity, with a spokesperson saying “we will let you know as soon as we have something to share”.
