Must-see restaurants in India

Way too hip for Mahabaleshwar, this classy restaurant/wine bar is unmissable. Chef/owner Raio's culinary pedigree includes Taj Hotels and his creative…

Set in an open-sided pavilion or at candlelit poolside tables, this outstanding restaurant at Malabar House is (almost) Bollywood-star glam. The ambitious…

With rangoli (elaborate designs) on the walls, servers in lungis, and sari-clad women lunching (chappals – sandals – off under the table), Dakshinayan…

The speciality dum-a-dum biryani (veg, chicken or mutton) in this young, friendly, 1st-floor eatery bursts with flavour, but there are also tasty dhals…

This modern, fiercely regional South Indian restaurant champions the best of India's bottom half and isn't afraid to tell you if you are ordering the…

Among the best of Panaji's burgeoning boutique restaurants, Black Sheep’s impressive pale-yellow facade gives way to a sexy dark-wood bar and loungy…

Easily missed opposite the petrol station, around 2km south of central Kullu, Maitre is the most appealing Western-centric restaurant for miles around,…

Jehan Numa Palace’s best restaurant specialises in barbecue kebabs and tandoor dishes (including vegetarian options). Most things on the menu are top…

Well-known to tourists, this little side-street eatery, in an old Portuguese house and with a few tables out on the laneway, delivers tasty Goan classics…

North Goa's most famous Greek restaurant was forced out of its long-running Vagator location in 2018 but has found a new waterfront home at Teso in Siolim…

The most romantic restaurant in Bundi welcomes visitors from other hotels. Dine in the sheltered yet open-sided terrace, or on the rooftop with…

Hidden down unlikely footpaths south of Changspa Rd, classy Bon Appetit has far more finesse than most in Leh, so consider booking. Much on the eclectic…

This historic restaurant (a century old in 2018) is the classiest place in town to try meaty wazwan (traditional Kashmiri multicourse meal) dishes such as…

Bean Me Up is vegan, but even nonveg travellers will be blown away by the taste, variety and filling plates on offer in this relaxed garden restaurant…

This reincarnated 1904 mansion has had its walls artistically splattered with doorknobs, locks and old books, complementing its stylish distressed-look…

Housed in a superbly renovated mid-20th-century mansion, this top-notch restaurant serves some of the best Bengali fare in town. If you're confused about…

For a local eating experience, head to VV Puram, aka Food Street, with its strip of hole-in-the-wall eateries cooking up classic street-food dishes from…

This 300m-long nocturnal food-stall strip is a great experience, not just for the local taste sensations, but also for its friendly atmosphere. Come…

Founded and directed by an Italian lady from Naples, Fire and Ice's waiters bring forth real Italian (al dente!) pastas and Kolkata’s best thin-crust…

Seriously some of the best Indian food we've ever had. The palak chaman (paneer in spinach and spices) is heaven in your mouth and the aloo chaat (fried…