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All American Diner
True to its name, this groovy diner - with its cherry-red booths and bar stools - serves stars-&-stripes classics, from buttermilk pancakes and peanut-butter malts to podgy burgers and onion rings. Breakfast is an all-day affair with chefs rustling up eggs, bacon and hash browns on demand. The jukebox has everything from Frank Sinatra to Pink Floyd.
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Appetite German Bakery
Dive into mushrooms on toast for breakfast, moussaka for lunch and roast chicken for dinner, or just drop by for a cup of lemongrass tea. Multicuisine Appetite adjoins the Hotel Vishal.
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Arabian Nites
Also known as the Priya complex, Basant Lok offers many different comestible options. Arabian Nites, a teeny take-away specialising in Middle Eastern food, does mighty good chicken shawarma.
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Baci
If you're hankering for something other than thali, Baci serves reliable Italian cuisine in sleek surroundings, either at the informal cafe or in the fine-dining section.
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Banana Leaf
First-rate South Indian standards as well as some more obscure options like bath masala dosa (dosa stuffed with lemon rice). The dahi idli is a cool yogurty elixir - just the thing for Delhi Belly-ravaged tummies.
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Basil & Thyme
Hobnob with society ladies who duck into Basil & Thyme for mushroom risotto or blueberry crepes whilst shop-hopping their way through the Santushti complex.
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Berco's
Berco's is popular with Delhiites for its flavoursome Indianised Chinese cuisine. It does a mean sweet chilli tofu and the Mongolian chicken isn't bad either.
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Big Chill
There are now two BC branches in Khan Market, equally merry and both with wall-to-wall film posters, from James Whale's Frankenstein to Alfred Hitchcock's Vertigo . Everything about the menu is magical, from the velvety smoothies and homemade ice cream (the tobelerone is tops), to the chicken-and-blue-cheese fettuccine and baked potatoes. The cakes are impossibly delicious.
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Café 100
Café 100 is easygoing and offers a varied menu straddling the continents. Recommendations include the masala fish fingers, chicken cacciatore and chocolate mud pie.
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Café Coffee Day
This bubbly cafe is a fabulous place to loll around and natter over endless cups of hot brew, brownies and caramelised-walnut pie. The sandwiches and focaccias aren't bad either, while the icy granitas will quench even the most savage summer thirst. There are many citywide branches including one at Khan Market.
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Cha Bar
After browsing at the attached bookstore, pop into Cha and ponder over their long list of teas which include liquorice, peppermint and even thyme. For something more nourishing, try the milk with honey and nuts. If you've got the munchies, Cha has the usual (cafe) suspects - muffins, sandwiches, cakes, salads and the like.
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Chicken Inn
Chicken Inn serves (mainly) Indian and (some) Chinese dishes to a seemingly happy crowd. The interior, as Delhi restaurants go, is perfectly pleasant.
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China Garden
Spread over three levels and with a subterranean bar/nightclub, this well-regarded Chinese restaurant does sensational loo phai kut (spare ribs), soya and wine chilli-fish and, on request, homemade date pancakes. The googly-eyed Dragon fish in the foyer's tank are strictly ornamental.
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Chor Bizarre
Dimly-lit and with an eclectic decor - from the 'buffet bar' vintage car to the four-poster bed table - Chor Bizarre specialises in Kashmiri and Mughlai cuisine. Their signature dish, sharabi kababi tikka masala (brandy-flamed chicken) gets a round of applause, as does the phirni (semolina pudding).
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Costa
Strong coffee, delicate teas, English-toffee milkshakes, almond croissants, tarts, white chocolate muffins, cookies, vegetable & pesto sandwiches, chicken salsa focaccias, and a damn fine date and fig cake. That's just a splash of what's on offer at this dapper downtown cafe.
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Diamond Restaurant
Diamond shines when it comes to pasta, however its stab at other world cuisines produces haphazard results. It has to be said that servings are generous, however.
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Dilli Haat
Opposite INA Market, this rather contrived open-air food-and-crafts market sells regional handicrafts of variable quality. The on-site food stalls cook up regionally diverse cuisine. Avoid the busy weekends.
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Diva
A stylish Italian restaurant with a carefully thought-out menu that includes agnolotti della casa (asparagus-and-ricotta-stuffed pasta pillows in thyme sauce) and wood-grilled prawns. The chocolate soufflé is orgasmic.
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Ego Thai
Ego Thai can claim to be one of Delhi's most likeable Thai restaurants. If you want atmosphere, head upstairs; if you want the best of the menu, skip the satay sticks.
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Embassy
Embassy has a mishmash of Indian and Continental creations, from chicken stroganoff and chutney sandwiches to rogan josh and chicken masala. They're also offal aficionados - anyone for brain cutlets & fries?
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Flavours
Filled with diners gleefully tucking into appetizing pasta dishes and wood-fired pizzas; the fettuccine with smoked salmon and the grilled-vegetable-and-goats-cheese pizza get good reports. There are also fresh salads, gourmet sandwiches (with ciabatta) and tempting desserts.
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Fujiya
Happy-go-lucky Fujiya has a Chinese menu laced with Japanese dishes. Whether it's Peking lamb, Sukiyaki pork, or just a bowl of glass noodles, diners are rarely disappointed.
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Ghantewala
Near the Sisganj Gurdwara, this simple sweetery has been churning out traditional mithai (Indian sweets) since 1790. Prices for mithai are around Rs200 per kg.
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Govinda's
Promising a 'transcendental dining experience', Govinda's pure-veg (no onion or garlic) Indian buffet is indeed otherworldly. Every Sunday there's a jaw-dropping 56 dishes (around 30 on other days) - come on an empty stomach!
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Gulati
Gulati maintains a largely North Indian focus. Stand-outs to try include the tangri kebab (charcoal-grilled chicken drumsticks) and dum aloo (stuffed potatoes).
