Most restaurants treat their signature dish as a dinner-only affair. Delhi Darbar treats Nihari Wednesday as an all-night affair — because staying open until 2AM Tuesday through Friday means the kitchen doesn’t stop serving the good stuff just because the sun went down hours ago.
The Late-Night Food Gap in Chicago
If you’ve ever finished a late shift, come home from an event, or just found yourself hungry at 11PM with nothing but fast food chains around, you know the problem: real, home-style South Asian food is hard to find after 10PM in most of Chicago. Delhi Darbar fills that gap directly, and Nihari Wednesday is the dish that benefits most from it.
Nihari was traditionally eaten as a breakfast dish in parts of South Asia — a slow-cooked stew ready by morning after cooking overnight. There’s something fitting, then, about being able to order it late into the night in Chicago too, whether you’re treating it as a very late dinner or an early one, depending on how you look at the clock.
Who’s Ordering Nihari at 11PM
Late-night Nihari orders come from a mix of crowds: rideshare and delivery drivers looking for a real meal on a break, people coming from weddings or family events elsewhere in the city, night-shift workers, and plenty of Devon Street regulars who simply prefer eating later in the evening. It’s also become a go-to for groups who want to keep hanging out after dinner elsewhere and land at Delhi Darbar for a second round.
What to Expect Late at Night
The kitchen doesn’t cut corners for late orders — Nihari served at midnight is made from the same batch, same recipe, same slow-cooked process as the version served at 5PM. What changes is the vibe: later hours tend to be quieter, making it a good option if you’d rather not deal with the earlier dinner rush.
Planning a Late-Night Devon Street Run
If you’re planning a late Wednesday night out, Delhi Darbar is a reliable anchor point on Devon Street, with parking available nearby, making it easy to grab a spot even after other lots and street parking on the strip have filled up earlier in the evening.
