The City of Ahmedabad’s iconic Patang restaurant will reopen after a four-year-long break today. It will be reopened by Hindi film actor Sunil Shetty. A revolving restaurant – named after Patang, a kite that is an essential part of the tw0-day long Makarsankranti ( Uttarayan) festival every year – remained shut for four years, initially due to Covid-19 pandemic and later due to renovation. It is popularly known as Patang Hotel, or Farti Hotel (revolving hotel).
Patang was built and opened back in 1983 to coincide with India’s World Cup victory in England. It was then known as the costliest and status-wise top restaurant in the city. The hotel then remained shut for many years in the 1990s and early 2000s. It was reopened in 2006. The hotel during the last four years, was renovated at a cost of around Rs. 22 crore according to Neil Thakkar of Dharmadev group that owns it.
Umang Thakkar, the Chairman of the Dharmadev group is a staunch follower of the Swaminarayan sect. He said he is going to continue to run this restaurant as a fully vegetarian-only hotel. These enhancements will be supervised by MasterChef Ajay Chopra. The hotel will offer Indian, Mexican, and Chinese dishes.
Neil Thakkar, the son of Umang Thakkar told media persons on Monday that the project’s estimated cost was ₹12 crore, which was later expanded to incorporate the addition of a garden restaurant and an elevated terrace restaurant, resulting in a total cost of approximately ₹22 crore.
Patang Hotel will offer a distinctive birthday celebration experience, enabling city residents to celebrate their special days in a manner reminiscent of the world-famous Burj Khalifa by arranging a projection image on the outer body of the Patan Hotel. This feature is expected to be launched around Diwali. The hotel will host complimentary celebrations for up to 50 underprivileged children from a local voluntary organization every week as per Thakkar.
The restaurant area will have an audio-visual screen to showcase the cultural heritage of the city. According to Thakkar, a special table for four persons will be placed on the terrace, offering a view of Eastern and Western Ahmedabad and Sabarmati Riverfront. This table will be initially offered for Rs. 25,000, but later the price will be revised to Rs. 50,000.
According to Thakkars, the menu at Patang will change every week. Total 8 menus are prepared. Earlier the price of meal was Rs. 799 which is now increased to Rs. 1300 for lunch and Rs. 1500 for dinner for first 3 months. Later the price will be increased.
The hotel situated in close proximity to the Sabarmati riverbank, was designed by the renowned architect Hasmukh Patel.