Must-see restaurants in India

  • Peshawri

    Mumbai (Bombay)

    Make this Northwest Frontier restaurant, outside the international airport, your first or last stop in Mumbai. It's a carbon copy of Delhi's famous…

  • Kashi Art Cafe

    Kochi (Cochin)

    Fort Cochin's original (and best) art cafe, this fashionable, natural-light-filled space has a Zen vibe, a creeping vertical garden and stylish wood…

  • Indian Accent

    Delhi

    Inside luxury Lodhi hotel, though privately run, Indian Accent is one of the capital's top dining experiences. Chef Manish Mehrotra works his magic using…

  • Cafe Lota

    New Delhi

    Bamboo slices the sunlight into flattering stripes at this outdoor restaurant offering a modern take on delicious Indian cooking from across the regions…

  • Naturals

    New Delhi

    Founder Mr Kamath's dad was a mango vendor in Mangalore, which apparently inspired his love of fruit. He went on to start Naturals, with its wonderfully…

  • DLF Cyber Hub

    Delhi

    This is a food court par excellence, and you'll find any type of cuisine you fancy here, from Indian street food and Tibetan momos (dumplings) to high-end…

  • Bohri Kitchen

    Mumbai (Bombay)

    Served up in a family home, this weekend-only pop-up dining experience was cooked up by former Google employee Munaf Kapadia. It showcases both the…

  • Tunday Kababi

    Lucknow

    This is the cleaner, more tourist-friendly outlet of Lucknow's renowned, 100-year-old, impossible-to-find kebab shop in Chowk, where buffalo-meat kebabs…

  • Bombay Canteen

    Mumbai (Bombay)

    Bombay Canteen is one of Mumbai's hottest restaurants, courtesy of former New York chef and Top Chef Masters winner Floyd Cardoz, and executive chef…

  • Esphahan

    Agra

    There are only two sittings each evening at Agra's finest restaurant, so booking ahead is essential, especially as non-hotel-guest tables are limited. The…

  • Brown Bread Bakery

    Varanasi

    This restaurant's fabulous menu includes more than 40 varieties of European-quality cheese and more than 30 types of bread, cookies and cakes – along with…

  • Malaka Spice

    Pune

    Maharashtra's shining culinary moment is a fury of Southeast Asian fantasticness; trying to choose one dish among the delectable stir-fries, noodles and…

  • Alchi Kitchen

    Ladakh

    Alchi Kitchen offers a rare chance to taste traditional Ladakhi foods made with a modern twist. The striking, mod-trad open kitchen runs out flavoursome…

  • Oudhyana

    Lucknow

    If you want to savour the flavours of the Nawabs performing at their culinary best, look no further than Oudhyana, where Chef Nagendra Singh gives Lucknow…

  • Mama Chicken

    Agra

    This superstar dhaba (casual eatery) is a must: duelling veg and nonveg glorified street stalls employ 24 cooks during the rush, each of whom handles…

  • Johnson’s Cafe

    Manali

    The relaxed yet stylish garden-fronted restaurant at Johnson's Hotel frames a mountain view through foldaway windows, and its wood-fired pizza oven is…

  • Kinara Dhaba Village

    Maharashtra

    A bit of a dhaba Disneyland, but therein lies the fun. About 5km east of Lonavla, near Karla and Bhaja caves, is this fun-for-all restaurant/entertainment…

  • Grapevine

    Maharashtra

    Way too hip for Mahabaleshwar, this classy restaurant/wine bar is unmissable. Chef/owner Raio's culinary pedigree includes Taj Hotels and his creative…

  • Malabar Junction

    Kochi (Cochin)

    Set in an open-sided pavilion or at candlelit poolside tables, this outstanding restaurant at Malabar House is (almost) Bollywood-star glam. The ambitious…

  • Dakshinayan

    Mumbai (Bombay)

    With rangoli (elaborate designs) on the walls, servers in lungis, and sari-clad women lunching (chappals – sandals – off under the table), Dakshinayan…

  • Food Library

    Punjab (India)

    The speciality dum-a-dum biryani (veg, chicken or mutton) in this young, friendly, 1st-floor eatery bursts with flavour, but there are also tasty dhals…

  • Savya Rasa

    Pune

    This modern, fiercely regional South Indian restaurant champions the best of India's bottom half and isn't afraid to tell you if you are ordering the…

  • Black Sheep Bistro

    Panaji

    Among the best of Panaji's burgeoning boutique restaurants, Black Sheep’s impressive pale-yellow facade gives way to a sexy dark-wood bar and loungy…

  • Maitre

    Himachal Pradesh

    Easily missed opposite the petrol station, around 2km south of central Kullu, Maitre is the most appealing Western-centric restaurant for miles around,…

  • Under the Mango Tree

    Madhya Pradesh & Chhattisgarh

    Jehan Numa Palace’s best restaurant specialises in barbecue kebabs and tandoor dishes (including vegetarian options). Most things on the menu are top…

  • Viva Panjim

    Panaji

    Well-known to tourists, this little side-street eatery, in an old Portuguese house and with a few tables out on the laneway, delivers tasty Goan classics…

  • Thalassa

    North Goa

    North Goa's most famous Greek restaurant was forced out of its long-running Vagator location in 2018 but has found a new waterfront home at Teso in Siolim…

  • Bon Appetit

    Leh

    Hidden down unlikely footpaths south of Changspa Rd, classy Bon Appetit has far more finesse than most in Leh, so consider booking. Much on the eclectic…

  • Ahdoos Restaurant

    Srinagar

    This historic restaurant (a century old in 2018) is the classiest place in town to try meaty wazwan (traditional Kashmiri multicourse meal) dishes such as…

  • Bean Me Up

    North Goa

    Bean Me Up is vegan, but even nonveg travellers will be blown away by the taste, variety and filling plates on offer in this relaxed garden restaurant…

  • Corner Courtyard

    Kolkata (Calcutta)

    This reincarnated 1904 mansion has had its walls artistically splattered with doorknobs, locks and old books, complementing its stylish distressed-look…

  • 6 Ballygunge Place

    Kolkata (Calcutta)

    Housed in a superbly renovated mid-20th-century mansion, this top-notch restaurant serves some of the best Bengali fare in town. If you're confused about…

  • Food Street

    Bengaluru (Bangalore)

    For a local eating experience, head to VV Puram, aka Food Street, with its strip of hole-in-the-wall eateries cooking up classic street-food dishes from…

  • Sarafa Bazar

    Madhya Pradesh & Chhattisgarh

    This 300m-long nocturnal food-stall strip is a great experience, not just for the local taste sensations, but also for its friendly atmosphere. Come…

  • Fire and Ice

    Kolkata (Calcutta)

    Founded and directed by an Italian lady from Naples, Fire and Ice's waiters bring forth real Italian (al dente!) pastas and Kolkata’s best thin-crust…

  • Kitchen Garden by Suzette

    Mumbai (Bombay)

    From the same French trio that brought us Suzette comes this superb organic cafe, a haven of health and homesick-remedying salads, sandwiches, cold-press…

  • Darbhanga

    Varanasi

    Seriously some of the best Indian food we've ever had. The palak chaman (paneer in spinach and spices) is heaven in your mouth and the aloo chaat (fried…

  • Villa Maya

    Thiruvananthapuram (Trivandrum)

    Villa Maya is more an experience than a mere restaurant. Dining is either in the magnificent 18th-century Dutch-built mansion or in private curtained…

  • Bait

    Kovalam

    Designed as an upmarket alfresco beach shack, the fabulous seafood restaurant at the Taj Green Cove fronts the sea, with waves and palms on one side and…

  • Bharawan Da Dhaba

    Amritsar

    Pronounced 'praa-waan', this down-to-earth Amritsar institution has been serving lip-smacking Punjabi treats since 1912. The thalis are delectable…

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