Bihar
This small, fan-cooled, vegetarian restaurant serves good-value Punjabi and South Indian dishes, including good thalis (₹120 to ₹150). It's 100m beyond…
Must-see restaurants in India
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…
Bihar
On the pathway leading to the archaeological museum, Cafeteria Nalanda makes a pleasant spot for lunch, and serves a smattering of simple dishes from…
Periyar Tiger Reserve
Tasty, no-frills local specialities – masala dosa, appam, Keralan meals – and North Indian curries, at sensible prices, opposite Kumily's bus station.
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…
Kachchh (Kutch)
This 1st-floor, air-conditioned place serves up tasty lunchtime thalis, as well as an extensive all-veg menu including many Punjabi and South Indian…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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.
Bihar
A clean, good-value, pocket-sized restaurant serving Indian and Chinese dishes (including some good vegetarian options), as well as thalis (₹90 to ₹120).
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.
New Delhi
Located in a quiet, upmarket residential area, this circle of small shops, and one or two cafes, is famous for its Indian sweets and street food.
Trichy (Tiruchirappalli)
Hidden away 1km south of Trichy Junction train station, this popular nonveg hotel restaurant specialises in excellent local Chettinadu cuisine.
Chennai (Madras)
It's all about deliciously griddled, ghee-coated idlis and uttapams at this 37-year-old eatery in the thick of George Town.
Ajmer
Elite has a welcoming ambience, attracting families to feast on the popular thali, as well as South Indian and tandoori vegetarian dishes.
Gujarat & Diu
With air-conditioning and fish tanks, this all-veg Punjabi-Chinese restaurant is a quiet oasis, with reliable food and attentive service.
Northern Kerala
All your favourite biryanis, veg cutlets, fish curries and filter coffee, in a no-fuss split-level setting with veg and nonveg sections.
Port Blair
Pick from seafood curries, tandoori specials, noodles and biryanis in the bright dining space, or head to the bar for a cold Kingfisher.
Madhya Pradesh & Chhattisgarh
An outdoor restaurant and sort of reverse zoo, as monkeys sit outside watching humans eating in a cage. Good wide-reaching Indian menu.
Delhi
This teeny takeaway does mighty good chicken shawarma and other tasty grilled wraps, including veg options such as falafel and paneer.
Gujarat & Diu
This vegetarian joint is the best of several simple restaurants along the village’s main street and serves up tasty Gujarati thalis.
Thiruvananthapuram (Trivandrum)
For fresh bread, cakes and little bags of biscuits, next to MG Rd's well-known Azad restaurant.
Coonoor
Well-organised shelves are stocked with all of your self-catering needs, from fresh veggies to candy bars, plus tonnes of toiletries.
Chennai (Madras)
Tuck into cheap South Indian classics, veg biryanis or thalis (₹120) in the clean AC hall upstairs, or go for snacks downstairs.
Kalimpong
The bright and cheerful cafe in the glitzy Mayfair hotel does good coffee and teas and has some very tempting cakes and pastries.
Sarnath
Large and modern, pumpkin-orange 1st-floor restaurant serving mostly Indian dishes, but some Chinese too. It's the best in town.
Palolem
This friendly streetside cafe is a good place for strong morning coffee or a lunchtime thali – the Goan fish thali is ₹250.
Ahmedabad (Amdavad)
This place, part of a small nationwide chain, has a range of delicate Belgian chocolates, various fudgy cakes and good coffee.
