Karnataka
This hotel restaurant serves tasty North and South Indian food and is the best option in the Aihole area. It's 1km north of the village centre.
Must-see restaurants in India
Madhya Pradesh & Chhattisgarh
Hugely popular branch that does all the breakfast favourites – real coffee, dosas, scrambled eggs – but also has a main-course menu, including excellent…
Thanjavur (Tanjore)
This classy hotel restaurant does a very nice line in fresh, tasty, mainly Indian veg dishes, along with lunchtime thalis (₹140) and a decent multicuisine…
Odisha
At the Raj Residency hotel, this restaurant has a good mix of North Indian, local and Indo-Chinese dishes served in clean, quiet surroundings.
Maharashtra
This popular place dishes out South Indian snacks and generous Punjabi thalis (₹115 to ₹225), as well as freshly squeezed fruit juices. There are branches…
Tamil Nadu
Cheap veg restaurants line Arcot Rd, and this is one of the cleanest and most popular, serving good thalis, as well as cheap, yummy biryani and enough…
Ladakh
Though this vegetarian restaurant sits right beside the Khalsi bus stand, it has a surprisingly charming garden of apple and apricot trees. The veg thali…
Madurai
The nondescript facade leads into a casual dining space with impeccable service, where a long list of meat dishes is the main attraction. The chicken dosa…
Kashmir & Ladakh
This unpromising shack next to the J&K Tourism Bungalow offers surprisingly tasty aloo mattar (curried potato with peas) or rice with rajma (kidney beans).
Mamallapuram (Mahabalipuram)
A relaxed cafe with some 'sidewalk' seating, Joe's serves up crêpes, burgers and other snacks, along with good lassis, juices and coffee drinks. The iced…
Chennai (Madras)
This tiny spot pulls in the crowds with the deep-fried delights of its signature Maharashtrian vada pavs – spiced potato fritters in buns, doused in…
South Goa
Considered by many locals to be the best veg restaurant in Vasco, this udupi (South Indian veg) place churns out dosas and thalis and a full Indian menu…
North Goa
The usual array of Indian, Chinese and Russian food is on the menu but this welcoming open-fronted restaurant is also a good place to watch the Chapora…
Odisha
This shack features cheap and cheerful alfresco dining on the esplanade overlooking the beach. Noodles, biriyanis and seafood preps seem to strike a chord…
Hampi
Food here takes ages to arrive, and the Western food lacks real flavour, so order a biryani – your best bet. There's comfy cushioned seating to lounge on…
Bikaner
A splendid place to eat, this beautiful hotel welcomes nonguests to its veg dining hall (reservations are essential). You can have a drink before dinner…
Tamil Nadu
With cheery staff, Anupallavi is a good air-conditioned multicuisine restaurant tucked into the backyard of a decent enough hotel.
Thanjavur (Tanjore)
The Hotel Gnanam's smart-ish nonveg restaurant is very good, with a wide range of North and South Indian dishes, plus local Chettinadu fare – and even…
Tamil Nadu
The smart in-house restaurant at the GRT Regency Sameera offers a good upscale alternative to Vellore's cheap Indian restaurants.
Munnar
In the slightly smart hotel of the same name, this brightly lit restaurant serves Chinese, North and South Indian and Keralan specialties, including…
Thanjavur (Tanjore)
The good, semi-open-air Indian/Sri Lankan/Chinese restaurant at the jungle-fringed Ideal River View Resort overlooks the river.
Panaji
For some of the best-value fish curry rice (fish thali) in town, this 1st-floor local eatery specialises in Goan seafood dishes. Simple and tasty. Also…
Tamil Nadu
A popular pan-Indian budget spot serving breakfast idli, filter coffee and South Indian thalis alongside curries and biryanis, in a clean, friendly…
Himachal Pradesh
The menu is fairly standard but on a fine day the open rooftop of the Sahil Hotel is hard to beat for dining with river views. It's 200m east of the old…
North Goa
This pure-veg place bordering the Municipal Gardens is a busy local spot for a hot chai, pav bhaji (bread with curried vegetables) or a quick breakfast.
Gokarna
Casual cafe-restaurant that serves a mixed bag of local (try a dhal fry) and Western-ish food (mashed potato, cheese on toast). It's renowned for its ice…
Northeast States
Bare, functional, clean and friendly, this town-centre eating house sees very few foreigners and will serve a filling lunch of rice, dahl and three veg…
Kolkata (Calcutta)
This stand-and-snack chain bakery is best known for its flaky pastry savouries like paneer and chicken patties. Ice creams (Cornetto ₹40) are available…
Uttarakhand
A good spot for a feed is this inviting, brightly lit restaurant doing Punjabi, South Indian and tandoori dishes, along with the usual Indo-Chinese…
Ooty (Udhagamandalam)
Climb the stairs and join Ooty's international students for board games, wi-fi, a lending library and well-priced pizzas, chips, toasties, cakes and…
Ooty (Udhagamandalam)
Stocks all kinds of international foods, from muesli to marmalade, along with particularly good Western Ghats produce, such as breads, cheeses and…
Manali
The pretty flower garden of this 1860 stone-and-timber house makes a lovely stop on the way to or from Hadimba Temple – and the pizzas are pretty good too.
Pune
Famous throughout Pune for its sweet, spicy and unlimited Gujarati-style thalis, which are lovingly prepared, as well as good lassis and juices. Come…
North Goa
Sunrise doesn’t pretend to be anything special but it does open early for breakfast and has good food and a little garden on the main road out of Chapora.
Rishikesh
This friendly little joint is perched up high, catching river views and breezes. Customise your own sandwich, or dig into Indian, Italian or Israeli…
Telangana & Andhra Pradesh
Serves a range of inexpensive veg meals including a good Andhra thali, as well as fish dishes and biryanis. Expect to wait a while as service can be slow.
Maharashtra
This cafe-restaurant right by the main ticket office at the caves serves a decent vegetarian thali and cold drinks, including beer (Tuborg and Carlsberg).
New Delhi
Indian versions of Chinese and Thai food, with some Japanese sushi too, served in pleasant surroundings in this small, classier-than-average food market.
Nashik
Dependable South Indian dosas, idli (a spongy, fermented rice cake) and pan-fresh Punjabi dishes in a quick and clean diner-like atmosphere.
Delhi
A simple eatery serving roti-wrapped mutton, chicken and paneer kebabs to a youthful crowd who appreciate the moderate prices and no-fuss attitude.
