Boston’s First ‘Indian Gastropub’ Comes to Back Bay

A spread of dishes at Don’t Tell Aunty. / Photo by Rachel Leah Blumenthal

Boston’s Indian food scene is about to get a lot more fun, if restaurateur Koushik “Babu” Koganti has his way. Don’t Tell Aunty, opening in Back Bay in early March, is the latest venture from his company, Flying Lion Hospitality Group—and he says there’s nothing like this restaurant in the city. “It’s an Indian gastropub,” says Koganti, explaining that local Indian restaurants tend toward either fast-casual or high-end, without much in the middle. (He should know, as Flying Lion is behind casual spots Madras Dosa Co. and Vaanga, higher-end restaurants Godavari and 1947, and more.) With Don’t Tell Aunty, he’s hoping to provide the student- and tourist-filled neighborhood—it’s steps from Berklee and the Hynes Convention Center, in the former Boloco space near Mass. Ave.—with something fun, casual (but full-service), and affordable, with “good drinks, good vibes, good music, and good food.” With dishes like Kerala fried chicken sandwiches, rasam ramen, and “chaat’ar” tots, plus live music and a high-energy tropical-themed ambiance, he just might be onto something.

Don’t Tell Aunty’s avakaya hummus. / Photo by Rachel Leah Blumenthal

Don’t Tell Aunty’s butter chicken croquettes. / Photo by Rachel Leah Blumenthal

Located right by the in-progress Lyrik development (with high-profile openings like the Celeste team’s Rosa y Marigold coming later this year), Don’t Tell Aunty’s Boylston Street space is unrecognizable as the flagship Boloco that closed in 2023 after a decade-plus in that location. The new restaurant’s centerpiece is a tree covered in faux flowers and greenery, accented with basket-like light fixtures, plush red banquettes, and jungle-inspired wallpapers. It’s meant to be “sexy and fun,” says Koganti, a playful spot to keep secret from gossipy aunties to whom the restaurant’s name cheekily nods. “Back home [in India], whatever the kids do, aunties make a big thing of it: ‘This guy’s doing that, this girl’s doing this,'” he explains. “So we want to make this place, like, whatever happens in this place—you don’t have to tell her! … You want to come in, have a beer, chill out? This is the place, and you don’t have to spend a lot.”

Don’t Tell Aunty. / Photo by Rachel Leah Blumenthal

Don’t Tell Aunty’s kale pakora. / Photo by Rachel Leah Blumenthal

In fact, Koganti would be thrilled if customers post up to watch the game on the bar TVs or work on their laptops (there are plenty of outlets), even if they’re only hungry for, say, wings or dessert. The plan is for the restaurant to operate from 11 a.m. to 2 a.m. daily, with food until close, and he hopes to introduce weekend brunch when the weather warms up and he can open the front patio. For brunch, he’s dreaming of mimosa towers and beer towers alongside Indian-inspired omelets and live Indian fusion music. “Berklee is our landlord, and they want us to incorporate music whenever we can,” says Koganti.

Don’t Tell Aunty’s kothu Bolognese. / Photo by Rachel Leah Blumenthal

Don’t Tell Aunty’s house-made chips with spicy podi. / Photo by Rachel Leah Blumenthal

As far as the menu is concerned, Koganti’s hoping to change people’s perception of Indian cuisine—it’s not just “spicy food and a lot of curry,” he says. There’ll be some classic curries, sure, but also creative fusion dishes, such as kothu Bolognese, which mixes torn-up flatbread with an Italian-style sauce. “It’s going to be a very unique menu,” he says, “and we’re going to change it every three months.”

Don’t Tell Aunty. / Photo by Rachel Leah Blumenthal

Don’t Tell Aunty’s South Indian dal “happy bowl,” one of several lunch options that complements a classic Indian dish (butter chicken, lamb vindaloo, etc.) with rice, salad, and pickled onions. / Photo by Rachel Leah Blumenthal

Desserts get a bit of a twist, too. India’s famous gulab jamun—rosewater syrup-soaked dough balls—get the ice cream sundae treatment here, while Parle-G biscuits are used for an ice cream sandwich and for the crust of a mango lassi cheesecake. “We’re not going to have mango lassi in this restaurant,” says Koganti. “It’s a standard drink at every Indian restaurant, and we don’t want to do it. So we’re gonna do it as a cheesecake.”

Don’t Tell Aunty’s tawa shrimp. / Photo by Rachel Leah Blumenthal

Don’t Tell Aunty’s jamun sundae, with vanilla ice cream, gulab jamun, and ghee-roasted almond flakes. / Photo by Rachel Leah Blumenthal

So, no mango lassi, but plenty to drink: affordable beers (including some Indian picks) and intriguing cocktails (including some on draft), like an espresso martini featuring South Indian coffee.

Whether you’re sipping that espresso martini at brunch with a front-row view of bustling Boylston Street or sliding in for some late-night spicy podi wings at the bar or sharing a host of small plates with friends, Don’t Tell Aunty aims to “show the world the other side of Indian food, not just the curry part,” says Koganti. “Indian food is also the vibes, the drinks. It’s about fun.”

Don’t Tell Aunty. / Photo by Rachel Leah Blumenthal

Opening early March 2025. 1080 Boylston St., Back Bay, Boston, instagram.com/donttellauntyboston.