Lamb chops have become the dish to order at Desi Twist, the upscale Mughlai restaurant tucked into a Hoover shopping center at 1031 Brocks Gap Pkwy, Suite 151-B. The restaurant also pours from a full-service bar and leans on executive chef Sanjay Verma to walk diners through a menu built on centuries of culinary history.
According to Bham Now, Desi Twist serves Mughlai cuisine, a tradition the outlet reports evolved over hundreds of years by combining cooking influences from India, Persia, Afghanistan and Pakistan. Verma, the restaurant's executive chef, has taken on the role of explaining that history to guests, according to the same report, and says he can walk customers through the origin, creation and name behind nearly anything on the menu.
Mughlai cooking is tied to the Mughal era, which began in India in the 16th century, and drew on culinary influences including those brought by Afghan predecessors. Naan and kebabs are among the dishes associated with those influences. The tradition also changed over time: ingredients now common in Indian cooking, including tomatoes, chilies and potatoes, entered Indian kitchens only in the late 17th or early 18th century, as a historical review of Indian cuisine explains.
“Each dish has a story,” Verma said, per the outlet's report, adding that he can explain a plate's name, creation and history to anyone who asks.
From Manchurian Fire Soup to Tandoori Lamb Chops
The menu spans small plates, shared plates, tandoori items and weekend brunch. Small plates include Manchurian fire soup, masala okra fries, cocktail samosa and pasta chaat, while shared plates run toward tikka masala, Punjabi saag and chicken makhani, the restaurant's listed offerings show.
Bread lovers get options too: Desi Twist offers 10 kinds of breads alongside tandoori chicken, salmon, shrimp and lamb chops, with the lamb chops singled out as the chef's signature dish. On weekends, the kitchen shifts into brunch mode with chicken tikka benedict, chicken tikka and butter brunch tacos, and aloo gobi rounding out the offerings.
Hours Vary Between Listings
Current hours listed in the Nov. 4 report show Desi Twist closed Mondays, open Tuesday through Thursday from 3 p.m. to 10 p.m., Friday from 3 p.m. to 11 p.m., and both Saturday and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. for brunch with evening service resuming at 5 p.m. — until 11 p.m. on Saturday and 10 p.m. on Sunday. That schedule differs from hours published in a March 2026 Bham Now business listing, which gave Sunday through Wednesday hours of 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. and Thursday through Saturday hours of 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. It's unclear from available listings which schedule currently applies.
The restaurant sits near Biscuit Belly and Phil Sandoval's Mexican restaurant in Hoover, placing it among a cluster of eateries in the Brock's Gap area, the outlet noted. Verma has invited Hoover and Birmingham residents to bring family and friends to check out the space for themselves.
Desi Twist joins an established and expanding Indian-subcontinent dining scene in the Birmingham-Hoover area. A 2024 local food feature counted more than a dozen metro eateries serving cuisines from India, Pakistan, Nepal and neighboring countries, and noted that three such restaurants had opened in Mountain Brook and Hoover earlier that year. The same feature traced a broader wave of openings and relocations since 2022, including Taj India, which it described as the metro’s oldest Indian restaurant, at 38 years old; the roundup also profiled several Hoover restaurants.
A Different Description Than Earlier This Year
The restaurant's identity has shifted somewhat in local coverage. Earlier this year, a March 2026 Bham Now business roundup described Desi Twist as a brand-new Indian fusion restaurant in The Villages at Brock's Gap, founded by Ali Mathani, a Hoover native and local entrepreneur who previously created the Milky Way Ice Cream Bar. The Nov. 4 report instead frames the business as an upscale, fine-dining restaurant serving authentic Indian cuisine with Verma now leading the kitchen as executive chef.
On Instagram, the account @desitwisthoover describes itself with phrases including “100% Halal Certified” and references to “A Modern Twist on Indian Dining” with a Bollywood theme, though the full current description of the account was not independently verified.
