How A Californian Steakhouse Inspired Mumbai’s Iconic Sizzlers

When we think of Californian foods, the first image that springs to mind is probably a smoothie with sea moss and fish oil and bits of the Great Barrier Reef. All organic, of course. But, there's an unlikely and surprising Indian favourite that traces its origins to this sunny state.

The crackle of a sizzler wafting through a restaurant has a way of capturing attention. It’s a sensory experience, not just a meal: protein, veggies, and sauces on a piping hot platter; sending tendrils of steam into the air as we sit wide-eyed. It’s a spectacle; an event; a moment to gather around and savor. And like so many global culinary fusions, its origins are anything but simple.

The sizzler first found its footing, oddly enough, across the Pacific, in a steakhouse in California. In the late 1950s, Del Johnson, a Californian ice cream salesman, walked into a steakhouse in New York City and was immediately struck by a peculiar presentation: a steak served on a hot, sizzling platter. Simple but theatrical, the sizzling entrée drew every eye in the room. Inspired, Johnson returned to California and, in 1958, opened the Sizzler Family Steak House in Culver City.

Johnson’s idea was grounded in the very American ideal of affordable indulgence. It was a humble beginning, with sawdust on the floors that embodied casual dining with a touch of spectacle. But the sizzle was more than just a gimmick: it was a sensory experience that elevated a straightforward steakhouse to something special. By the late 1960s, Johnson had sold his burgeoning business to Jim Collins, who turned Sizzler into a full-blown chain. By then, the sizzling platters had all but disappeared from the menu, yet the brand name endured.

The story, however, doesn’t end in California. Thousands of miles away in Mumbai, a businessman named Firoz Irani walked into a Sizzler steakhouse in California and saw in that sputtering steak more than just a piece of meat. Like Johnson, Irani was captivated, but unlike his American counterpart, he saw in it the seeds of reinvention. He envisioned a dish that would marry the drama of the sizzling platter with India’s own rich culinary heritage.

The sizzler, as we know it in India today, was born in 1963 in the heart of Mumbai. Irani’s restaurant, The Sizzler, opened in Churchgate, near the iconic (and now-demolished) Excelsior Theater. What set Irani’s creation apart wasn’t just the heat of the cast iron or the sizzling sound — it was the eclecticism of the ingredients. Instead of sticking to the traditional steak, Irani threw in a mix: paneer, samosas, spaghetti, and Mexican cheese all shared the stage, dusted with Indian spices like garam masala. 

While the precise details of the sizzler’s origin remain fuzzy, with some claiming that Irani’s Japanese wife, Tachiko, introduced elements of teppanyaki into the mix, what’s certain is that Irani’s creation resonated with Mumbai’s palate. The spectacle of the sizzler — a dish that not only satisfied the taste buds but also stimulated the eyes and ears — was an instant hit.The Origins Of Rasam: A Classic South Indian Comfort Food

By 1967, Irani had shut down The Sizzler and moved to the Isle of Man, but his son, Shahrookh, picked up where he left off. Shahrookh opened Touche on Warden Road, a restaurant that would become synonymous with the city’s sizzler scene. In 1971, Shahrookh moved to Pune and opened The Place: Touche The Sizzler, which remains a beloved institution to this day. Sizzlers became a pan-Indian phenomenon, with restaurants popping up across major cities, each offering its own variation.

More than 50 years after Firoz Irani first introduced his take on the sizzling steak, the sizzler has become a symbol of culinary globalization, a dish that fuses East and West along with tradition and culinary innovation; all on a sizzling hot plate. As the steam rises and the crackling sound fills the air, one thing becomes clear: the sizzler is more than just a meal — it’s a moment of theater, and in Mumbai, the show must always go on.

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