Chandigarh
A top spot for kebabs, this roadside joint cooks up lip-smacking tandoori delights, as well as curries featuring fish, chicken and mutton, optionally…
Must-see restaurants in India
New Delhi
This buzzy Connaught Place joint signifies the Delhi foodie penchant for quirkiness, with all sorts of 'molecular gastronomy' and unusual fusion dishes…
Jaipur
Despite the crusty exterior this tiny shop has a delightfully creamy centre. Pandit gets rave reviews for its conical kulfi (firm-textured ice cream) on a…
Mumbai (Bombay)
Euro-style Basilico does decadent sweets and especially creative fare when it comes to vegans and vegetarians. There are exquisite salads (from ₹330) like…
Jaipur
Set back from the street, down an easily missed alley, this traditional coffee house (a venerable co-op institution) offers a pleasant cup of filtered…
Chandigarh
This fantastic alfresco dining address, spread across an ivory-white villa and a shaded courtyard, is arguably the closest you'll get to Italian cuisine…
Bengaluru (Bangalore)
SlimSins lives up to its name, with an interesting menu of sinful-looking food actually made with wholesome ingredients. The open kitchen offers a peek…
Bengaluru (Bangalore)
This decidedly old-school resto-pub is an institution for the city's chattering classes: here you can put away tasty North Indian dishes in between mugs…
Chandigarh
On the ground floor of Hotel Icon, Hibachi is the place to go if you're craving some Japanese or Southeast Asian food. There's some imaginative sushi on…
Hyderabad
Chutneys is famous for its South Indian meals and all-day dosa, idli and uttapams (thick, savoury rice pancake with finely chopped onions, green chillies,…
Old Delhi (Shahjahanabad)
This popular local sweet shop is the place in Paharganj to come for your evening treats; try the kaju barfi (cashew-milk sweet wrapped in silver leaf) or…
Chandigarh
This small, no-frills restaurant in the heart of bustling Shastri Market whips up tasty Indian staples plus Punjabi specialities. The dhal Punjabi is for…
Kolkata (Calcutta)
Among the best South Indian restaurants in town. The classic dosa, a paper-thin rice-batter crêpe – layered with ingredients such as cottage cheese and…
Karnataka
Just the place when you need some AC relief, this business hotel's restaurant takes a good stab at Western dishes such as pasta and pizza, as well as…
Bengaluru (Bangalore)
Gramin offers an affordable, wide choice of flavourful, rural, all-veg North Indian fare in cosy surrounds. Try the excellent range of lentils and curries…
Jaipur
The best Italian restaurant in Jaipur, Little Italy is part of a national chain that offers excellent vegetarian pasta, risotto and wood-fired pizzas in…
Old Delhi (Shahjahanabad)
Currently the most popular of the numerous rooftop restaurants and cafes overlooking frenetic Tooti Chowk, Exotic is a small laid-back place with a breezy…
Mysuru (Mysore)
This hotel's grand dining room (with portraits, chandeliers and Murano-glass mirrors) makes quite a setting for delectable Indian cuisine, or opt for the…
Bengaluru (Bangalore)
A beautifully designed place on a quietish side street, with an open-air front terrace and a spacious interior. The mod-Indian menu features an array of…
New Delhi
Fresh fish is flown in daily from Mangalore to this buzzing restaurant in the diplomatic district. There are three intimate levels, decorated with…
Jaipur
Four Seasons is one of Jaipur’s best vegetarian restaurants. It’s a popular place with dining on two levels and a glass wall to the busy kitchens. There’s…
New Delhi
In the beautifully restored colonial-era Bikaner House, Chor Bizarre ('Thieves' Market') is a new branch of Hotel Broadway's famous restaurant on the…
Old Delhi (Shahjahanabad)
Although overshadowed by its famous neighbour, Karim's, Al-Jawahar is also fantastic, serving up tasty Mughlai cuisine at Formica tables in an orderly…
Old Delhi (Shahjahanabad)
There's only one true Moti Mahal, and its been open for six generations – it's full of charm, with a stuck-in-time atmosphere, though it's dead during the…
Hyderabad
This classic Irani cafe, always packed to the rafters, is located almost underneath the Charminar's arches. It offers a particularly tasty range of Irani…
Kodagu (Coorg) Region
Specialising in Kodagu specialities such as pandhi barthadh (pork dry fry), kadambuttu (rice dumplings) and koli nallamolu barthad (chicken-pepper fry),…
Mumbai (Bombay)
Mahesh Lunch Home, a great choice for Mangalorean or Chinese-style seafood, is renowned for its ladyfish, pomfret, lobster, crab and salt-and-pepper squid…
Panaji
Styled on an American diner, this roomy restaurant across from Ourem Creek specialises in burgers such as the SOB or Wolverine, but also excels at hot…
Old Delhi (Shahjahanabad)
The Kuremal family have been making kulfi (traditional Indian ice cream) since 1906, and serve up delicious options including pomegranate and rose from…
Old Delhi (Shahjahanabad)
A Karol Bagh institution for its scrumptious special pista badam kulfi (frozen milk dessert with pistachio, almond and cardamom). Unless you're a kulfi…
Pushkar
Distinctly a deeper shade of blue in this sky-blue town, Out of the Blue is a reliable restaurant. The menu ranges from noodles and momos (Tibetan…
New Delhi
Fashion designer Rohit Baal created Véda’s sumptuous interior, making for Connaught Place’s most dimly lit eatery, a dark boudoir with swirling neo-Murano…
Bundi
Morgan's Place is a relaxed (possibly overly relaxed) rooftop restaurant. If you're in the mood for caffeine (it serves espresso coffee), don't mind…
Delhi
The Oberoi Gurgaon’s swish restaurant wins plaudits for its creative Indian cuisine. Its seafood is outstanding, flown in daily from the coast, but for…
Old Delhi (Shahjahanabad)
Eat like a local rather than a tourist at this popular Paharganj dhaba (simple roadside eatery). It's no frills, for sure, but the food is tasty, as are…
Mumbai (Bombay)
Opposite Crawford Market, Badshah has been serving snacks, fruit juices and its famous falooda (rose-flavoured drink of milk, cream, nuts and vermicelli),…
Delhi
Not quite as popular as its Hauz Khas sister, this branch of Social is funky nonetheless, with a faux old-city terrace, including washing hanging beside…
Mysuru (Mysore)
This atmospheric and authentic South Indian eatery rolls out steaming breakfast platters for Mysuru’s office-goers, serves up thalis for lunch (from ₹80),…
Bengaluru (Bangalore)
For authentic Mexican flavours in South India, look no further. The tempting menu features tasty tostadas (crispy tortillas with toppings), braised-pork…
Hyderabad
Southern Spice offers sublime Andhra-style cooking and specialities from across the South. Try a special veg thali (₹299), which features an unlimited…
