Lahaul & Spiti
It's worth strolling up to the Nordaling's small, mood-lit little garden restaurant, not just for the cosy if simple shaded seating between apple trees…
Must-see restaurants in India
Nashik
This wildly popular restaurant known as Panchavati around town (but actually called Dhaba) will take your tastebuds on a roller coaster of flavour via its…
Ahmedabad (Amdavad)
This peaceful spot in a tree-fringed garden is popular with students from Gujarat University and other colleges nearby. It’s right next to the Amdavad ni…
Periyar Tiger Reserve
A perennially popular traveller haunt, this 1st-floor and rooftop cafe delivers with cakes and snacks, excellent coffee, free water refills, well-prepared…
Varkala
At the southern end of the North Cliff trail, this leafy terrace cafe-restaurant remains a firm favourite for your morning coffee fix. Freshly ground…
Aurangabad
Though prices are similar, always-packed Swad is the simpler, more local and slightly greasier counterpart to some of our other favourite spots in town…
Mumbai (Bombay)
Over 110 years young, Kyaani is one of just a few Parsi cafes left in Mumbai. With its rattling, sky-high ceiling fans, black bentwood chairs and chipped…
Gujarat & Diu
A leader in Vadodara’s exciting dining scene, That Place is a bright and cool global culinary tour, with offerings from Persian lamb to African chicken…
Jaisalmer
Just inside First Fort Gate, Jaisal Italy has decent vegetarian Italian and Indian dishes, including bruschetta, antipasti, pasta, pizza, salad and…
Uttarakhand
This busy place with upstairs tables quickly dishes up veg and nonveg momos (Tibetan dumplings; half/full plate ₹20/40) and other Tibetan food, along with…
Port Blair
An excellent frills-free pure-veg option, reminiscent of a high-school cafeteria, that rustles up rich North Indian–style curries and delicious South…
Himachal Pradesh
Above a clothes shop on the motorbike path that links the town and New Bus Stand, this delightful place is cheaper than most dhabas yet has almost the…
Ooty (Udhagamandalam)
You get a taste of everything at this elegant heritage-hotel restaurant up above Ooty. Half glassed-in conservatory, half tables scattered across Raj-era…
Manali
This decadent summer-only outpost of a chic Goan eatery serves French standards, like onion soup or mushroom quiche. You can also try specialities like…
Mumbai (Bombay)
A tiny and relaxed Parisian-style place serving delectable crêpes, croques, salads and healthy juices. Ingredients are organically sourced where possible…
Kolkata (Calcutta)
For a really local and inexpensive experience, venture into this archetypal old-fashioned eating house serving excellent Bengali food eaten with the …
Sikkim
With comfortable Sikkimese furniture inside, a covered terrace out, Tathagata is an agreeable place for freshly made thukpas, fried rice, chow meins and…
Madhya Pradesh & Chhattisgarh
Not your average roadside dhaba (casual eatery)! A scrumptious, long-winded, South Indian, nonveg and Chinese menu is served here in several open or…
Kochi (Cochin)
This gorgeous, multiroom, 300-year-old spice warehouse, built in Dutch style, was once lived in by the rabbis of Mattancherry's synagogue, which you can…
Siliguri & New Jalpaiguri
The secluded garden here offers merciful relief from the thunderous Hill Cart Rd chaos. The extensive menu ranges from fine curries and naan (tandoor…
Alappuzha (Alleppey)
In the sandy fairy-lit garden at Raheem Residency, this enjoyable drink-and-dine spot is more casual and budget conscious than the hotel’s main restaurant…
Mumbai (Bombay)
This Parsi institution is the domain of 97-year-old Boman Kohinoor, who will warm your heart with his stories (and he still takes the orders!). The…
Rishikesh
Looking over the Ganges is this relaxed glassed-in cafe run by young, friendly, can-do owner, Sandy. It attracts a bohemian crowd, strumming on guitars…
Madurai
If you're splashing out, the panoramic all-day restaurant at Gateway Hotel, 6km southwest of central Madurai, works up an astounding array of delicious…
Bodhgaya
This informal, shanty-like, alfresco restaurant on the north side of the Kalachakra maidan has a backpacker-friendly menu, with lots of vegetarian options…
Jodhpur
This cosy restaurant on the rooftop of Haveli Inn Pal features great food, attentive staff and a spectacular view of the fort. It dishes up delicious…
Ahmedabad (Amdavad)
The narrow 'Cook's Lane' and adjoining alleyways really come into their own in the evenings, with no-frills eateries and stalls preparing meaty delights…
Assam
This incredibly busy and popular cafeteria serves hot, tasty snacks and mini meals throughout the day – the puris (puffed-up deep-fried flatbreads) are…
Bengaluru (Bangalore)
Empire is all about authentic, inexpensive tandoori and meat dishes in unpretentious surrounds (plastic banquette seating and fake wood); try the butter…
Kochi (Cochin)
Set in the grand Cochin Club, this stylish cafe-restaurant enjoys a wonderful garden location with large windows facing out to the water, and is jazzed up…
Maharashtra
This new adventure-sports outfitter and campground whips up tasty Marathi cuisine, such as patodi (a curry made with chickpea flour) and dal bhaji …
Uttarakhand
Going since 1944, this spotless cafe/bakery near the cable car serves up a range of unusual global items such as spicy Sriracha wings, Thai curries, roast…
Maharashtra
Numerous street vendors line the roads outside Nagpur Civil Court, each hawking their own variation of the city's most famous snack, sambarwadi, a fried…
Kolkata (Calcutta)
Mocambo dates back to 1956, but with old-fashioned seats in scalloped red leather, it feels more like a mood-lit 1970s steakhouse. A very loyal following…
Rishikesh
A one-man show run by Eshu who cooks up nightly communal feasts of vegetarian and vegan dishes, all freshly made using local and seasonal ingredients. It…
Sikkim
This Pelling traveller classic creates a wonderfully cosy atmosphere at night with candles and colourful, half-lit globe lamps; by day the balcony has…
Madhya Pradesh & Chhattisgarh
An Indore classic, Nafees has a well-earned reputation for serving some of the finest nonveg food in the city. Most dishes have a Central Asian twist to…
Havelock Island (Swaraj Dweep)
Right by the jetty, with sea views, B3's breezy wooden deck makes a great place to wait for the ferry. Come for the scrumptious homemade pasta, the fresh…
Mumbai (Bombay)
A Bandra institution where filmi producers and expats socialise in the stylish air-conditioned dining room or buzzing terrace. The classic breakfasts,…
Manali
Twinkling fairy lights and strings of plastic flowers give a sweetly naïve charm to this cosy cafe-restaurant. Its Mexican meals are worth trying, while…
