Alappuzha (Alleppey)
Loved by both visitors and locals, mellow, welcoming Katamaran brings a traveller-style menu to its elevated, low-seating deck looking right out on the…
Must-see restaurants in India
Jodhpur
Risala is one of a selection of elegant eateries at Umaid Bhawan Palace. Celebrating the famous Jodhpur Lancers (Risala means cavalry), it is a relaxed…
Agra
This classic chaat (snack) house is the oldest of a dozen street stalls just off Sadar Bazaar. Choose several dishes such as the aloo tikki chat (fried…
Gujarat & Diu
With a stunningly large and royal dining room, complete with old portraits and a stuffed tiger head, this is by far the city's best restaurant. It's…
Shantiniketan
Specialising in traditional Bengali fare, Ghare Baire turns out delectable platters for lunch and dinner. There are a few generic snacks and Chinese…
Sikkim
Yuksom's foremost traveller meeting point is little more than a shack with a one-table thatched rotunda, but it's an old-school classic serving thalis,…
Kochi (Cochin)
Behind an ivy-covered facade, this atmospheric cafe is perfect for ‘high tea’, with an impressive choice of brews, sandwiches and cakes turned out in airy…
Varkala
Halfway along the North Cliff, this relaxed and welcoming terrace spot with a handy book exchange remains firmly popular for its inventive salads (perhaps…
Varanasi
Housed in a nearly 200-year-old heritage building, the excellent main restaurant at Hotel Surya has colonial elegance; on warm evenings eat on the large…
Mumbai (Bombay)
Perfectly executed cakes, tarts and brownies go well with the coffee at this staple Mumbai patisserie. The pastries change regularly; if you’re lucky, you…
Manali
Tibetan lutes and ornate Chinese lanterns give panel-walled Chopsticks an attractively distinctive if slightly dated feel. It's handily located just…
Kolkata (Calcutta)
This popular address has two restaurants in one location, with a single kitchen turning out good (if not really gourmet) Chinese food. The upstairs…
Mumbai (Bombay)
Welcome to the tea party! A new addition to busy Veer Nariman Rd, Tasse De Thé was inspired by the extravagance of Versailles Palace. Think arches,…
Pushkar
This chilled rooftop restaurant is a great place to head to even if you didn’t score a room in the popular hotel. The pizza and the Indian seasonal…
Thiruvananthapuram (Trivandrum)
Right beside Trivandrum's main bus stand, this branch of the famous Indian Coffee House serves its strong coffee and wallet-friendly snacks (biryanis,…
Kochi (Cochin)
The waterside restaurant at the family-owned Fort House Hotel is a prime choice for a leisurely lunch, fringed by hot-pink bougainvillea and plants…
Chennai (Madras)
'Double roti' refers to burger buns – the semi-open kitchen at this always-packed, super-casual, industrial-chic cafe plates them up with fun, flair and…
Kozhikode (Calicut)
Hidden away in the sea-facing Beach Hotel, Salkaram serves excellent fish and chicken dishes, Malabari cuisine (such as fish coconut curry) and Keralan…
Rishikesh
Perched above the bridge and looking across the river to Shri Trayanbakshwar temple, this cafe is a sublime spot for a break at any time of the day. While…
Ahmedabad (Amdavad)
This no-nonsense canteen-style place is excellent for trying traditional Gujarati and Rajasthani snacks, such as panipuri (round, hollow, crisp dumplings…
Kozhikode (Calicut)
Distressed-wood shutters, vibrant paintwork and old-school radios create a retro-style scene at this wildly popular restaurant near the beach, where…
South Goa
Surya Beach Café, nestled at Galgibag’s southern end in the pine trees, specialises in fresh oysters, clams, mussels and crabs caught from the Galgibag…
Orchha
Good food and friendly waiters, in the elegant pillared hall of a former royal guesthouse, are a cut above what you'd normally expect from a government…
Bhubaneswar
Among the best North Indian kitchens in town, this stylish, air-conditioned restaurant serves perfectly cooked tandoori chicken, as well as other classics…
Chennai (Madras)
A calm ambience seeps through the four orange-toned, three- to four-table rooms of this elegant Keralan restaurant. Lightly spiced pachakkari vegetable…
Jodhpur
Sharing premises with a Rama temple and a hotel, Nirvana has both an indoor cafe, covered in ancient Ramayana wall paintings, and a rooftop eating area…
Mcleod Ganj
This popular, vegetarian Japanese restaurant is renowned for its daily changing set menus, but also worth visiting for its fairly authentic miso soup (₹50…
Kolkata (Calcutta)
A series of food stalls selling a unique combination of creole cuisine is interspersed by a few somewhat-dodgy bar-restaurants, whose fairy lights add…
Srinagar
This upstairs restaurant is a great place to try a full spread of Kashmiri cuisine, though good Indian veg dishes are also served. A special room with…
Kolkata (Calcutta)
This central business district eatery has long been a favourite with journalists and bureaucrats, who congregate here at mealtimes to tuck away hearty…
Varkala
With giant dreamcatchers and tiered candlelit tables strewn with flower petals, Darjeeling is always packed with travellers. Snappy, cheerful service…
Mumbai (Bombay)
Long on wall-to-ceiling windows and neighbourhood charm, this Ranwar village organic cafe dishes up an enticing Mediterranean/Indian melange of sandwiches…
Kochi (Cochin)
A beautiful duo of Dutch-style dockside godowns (warehouses) reimagined into a laid-back outdoor cafe and art space with bench-style tables along a…
Arunachal Pradesh
Nepali-run Sela is the valley's best standalone restaurant, with satisfying fried rice, momos (Tibetan dumplings), thukpa (noodle soup), chow mein,…
Haridwar
While it's a chain that's gone global, Dosa Plaza offers a more contemporary choice than the gritty dhaba options close to the train station. There are…
Kochi (Cochin)
Gloriously fresh seafood is the thing at this smart, locally popular restaurant with turquoise table runners and touches of greenery. Fish is served in…
Spiti
The warm-weather terrace of the Himalayan buzzes with wise-cracking staff, youthful music and a happy graffiti-mural chic that becomes all the more…
Spiti
Shaded by a parachute canopy held high on a prayer pole, Kunzum Top sits amid flowers in the walled yard of the Sonam Homestay, which is also a good…
Chennai (Madras)
From an impeccably clean kitchen (which you're welcome to tour) come limitless, flavour-packed lunchtime thalis, dished up traditional-style on banana…
Udaipur
Most captivating in the evening, this semiformal restaurant in the ritzy Shiv Niwas Palace Hotel has indoor seating, but if the weather’s warm enough it’s…
