India has never really understood the concept of “just having dinner.” Here, dinner can become a five-hour philosophical discussion about butter chicken, a debate over whether biryani needs potatoes, or a ₹5,000 exercise in discovering that a pea can apparently have “notes of the monsoon.”
From legendary Mughal kitchens and coastal institutions to experimental tasting menus and tiny ramen counters, the best restaurants in India are now doing much more than feeding us. They are documenting regional food, reinventing forgotten recipes and occasionally making us question why we ever thought instant noodles were cooking.
This list brings together 25 of the best restaurants in India, based on their culinary reputation, awards, longevity, innovation, chef-led kitchens and appearances in major restaurant rankings. For context, Condé Nast Traveller’s 2024 Top Restaurant Awards placed Avartana at #1, The Table at #2 and Indian Accent at #3, while its 2025 list continued to feature restaurants such as Naru, Kappa Chakka Kandhari and Bengaluru Oota Company prominently.
1. Indian Accent — New Delhi
Founded: 2009
Address: The Lodhi, Lodhi Road, New Delhi – 110003
Cuisine: Progressive Indian
Chef: Shantanu Mehrotra
Approx. cost for two: ₹8,000–₹12,000+
Awards: Multiple-time #1 in Condé Nast Traveller Top Restaurant Awards; seven consecutive years as Best Restaurant in India in Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants’ India ranking.
Instagram: @indianaccent
Website: Indian Accent
The story
Indian Accent began in 2009 at The Manor in Friends Colony, when restaurateur Rohit Khattar and chef Manish Mehrotra decided Indian food deserved a contemporary voice. The restaurant later moved to The Lodhi, becoming one of India’s most influential fine-dining institutions. Mehrotra has since moved on, with Chef Shantanu Mehrotra leading the Delhi kitchen.
Expect dishes that sound like they’ve attended a culinary finishing school: blue cheese naan, pork ribs, daulat ki chaat and inventive takes on Indian classics. Indian Accent’s greatest trick is making experimentation feel comforting. It doesn’t throw tradition out of the window; it gives tradition a passport, a cocktail and perhaps slightly better lighting.
2. Avartana — Chennai
Founded: 2015
Address: ITC Grand Chola, 63 Mount Road, Guindy, Chennai – 600032
Cuisine: Progressive South Indian
Chef: Nikhil Nagpal
Approx. cost for two: ₹7,000–₹10,000+
Awards: #1, Condé Nast Traveller x Zomato Top Restaurant Awards 2024; Highest New Entry, Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants 2023.
Instagram: @avartana
Website: Avartana
The story
Avartana is ITC Grand Chola’s answer to the question: What happens when South Indian cuisine goes to culinary school but refuses to forget where it came from? The restaurant has spent years transforming familiar ingredients, spices and techniques into sophisticated tasting menus. Chef Nikhil Nagpal has been central to its evolution, after a long career with ITC Hotels.
The menu explores South Indian broths, coconut, curry leaves, seafood, regional spices and modern interpretations of classics. It is precise, elegant and occasionally theatrical. In 2024, Avartana topped India’s prestigious Condé Nast Traveller restaurant ranking.
Basically, this is South Indian food wearing a very expensive blazer.
3. Masque — Mumbai
Founded: 2016
Address: Unit G3, Laxmi Woollen Mills, Shakti Mills Lane, Mahalaxmi, Mumbai – 400011
Cuisine: Progressive Indian
Chef: Varun Totlani
Approx. cost for two: ₹12,000–₹18,000+
Awards: Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants #21 in 2022; India’s top-ranked restaurant in Asia’s 50 Best 2024 Indian listings; major Condé Nast Traveller rankings.
Instagram: @masquerestaurant
Website: Masque
The story
Masque was founded in 2016 by Aditi Dugar and Prateek Sadhu inside a former textile mill in Mahalaxmi. It helped establish Mumbai as a serious destination for ambitious tasting-menu restaurants. Chef Varun Totlani joined the opening team as a commis and eventually became head chef in 2022.
The restaurant serves a seasonal multi-course tasting menu built around Indian produce, fermentation, smoking, pickling and painstaking experimentation. Ingredients can include everything from nagphani and coconut to regional grains and vegetables.
Masque isn’t really dinner. It’s a culinary TED Talk where the food does all the presenting—and thankfully, nobody asks you to fill out a feedback form.
4. The Table — Mumbai
Founded: 2011
Address: Ground Floor, Kalapesi Trust Building, Apollo Bunder, Colaba, Mumbai – 400005
Cuisine: Global / Modern European
Chef: Varies by current kitchen leadership
Approx. cost for two: ₹7,000–₹10,000+
Awards: #2, Condé Nast Traveller x Zomato Top Restaurant Awards 2024; Best European Restaurant of the Year, NDTV Food Awards 2026.
Instagram: @thetable_colaba
Website: The Table
The story
Founded by Gauri Devidayal and Jay Yousuf in 2011, The Table arrived in Colaba with a San Francisco-inspired approach to dining. Its early partnership with chef Joey Altman and executive chef Alex Sanchez helped establish the restaurant as one of Mumbai’s defining contemporary dining spaces.
The menu is globally inspired, with dishes changing according to season and produce. Think handmade pasta, seafood, vegetables, carefully cooked meats and elegant desserts, rather than one giant manifesto about Indian cuisine.
The restaurant won Best European Restaurant of the Year at the NDTV Food Awards 2026, showing that after more than a decade, The Table still has plenty of tricks in its napkin pocket.
5. The Bombay Canteen — Mumbai
Founded: 2015
Address: Unit-1, Process House, S.B. Road, Kamala Mills, Lower Parel, Mumbai – 400013
Cuisine: Modern Indian
Chef: Hussain Shahzad
Approx. cost for two: ₹4,000–₹6,000
Awards: Featured among India’s top restaurants in Condé Nast Traveller rankings; World Culinary Awards India’s Best Restaurant nominee.
Instagram: @thebombaycanteen
Website: The Bombay Canteen
The story
The Bombay Canteen opened in 2015 and became the cornerstone of Hunger Inc. Hospitality. Its mission was gloriously simple: celebrate India’s regional food without turning it into museum exhibits. Chef Hussain Shahzad, who trained at Eleven Madison Park in New York, now leads the kitchen.
The menu changes with the seasons and includes crowd favourites such as Eggs Kejriwal, ghee-roast chicken seekh and chilled seabass sev puri.
The Bombay Canteen is what happens when India’s neighbourhood food culture gets a passport to modern gastronomy. It’s playful, energetic and deeply Mumbai—and has probably caused more people to say, “Wait, why have I never eaten this before?”
6. Bukhara — New Delhi
Founded: 1977
Address: ITC Maurya, Sardar Patel Marg, Diplomatic Enclave, New Delhi – 110021
Cuisine: North Indian / Mughlai
Chef: Chef Manish Uniyal / ITC culinary team
Approx. cost for two: ₹8,000–₹12,000+
Awards: Multiple international restaurant rankings; long-standing global reputation as one of India’s landmark restaurants
Instagram: @bukhara_itcmaurya
Website: Bukhara at ITC Hotels
The story
Some restaurants chase trends. Bukhara simply waits for trends to become hungry.
Established in 1977 at ITC Maurya, Bukhara became famous for its rustic interpretation of North-West Frontier cuisine. The setting—wood, stone, open kitchen energy and unapologetically serious grills—has remained part of its identity for decades.
Its legendary dishes include Dal Bukhara, Sikandari Raan, Murgh Malai Kebab and enormous naan breads that appear capable of doubling as emergency flotation devices.
The restaurant’s cooking revolves around the tandoor and slow-cooked preparations. It has hosted heads of state, celebrities and countless hungry travellers.
Bukhara is not trying to reinvent Indian food. It is reminding everyone that sometimes the original was already ridiculously good.
7. Dum Pukht — New Delhi
Founded: 1989
Address: ITC Maurya, Sardar Patel Marg, Chanakyapuri, New Delhi – 110021
Cuisine: Awadhi
Chef: Gulam Qureshi
Approx. cost for two: ₹7,000–₹10,000+
Awards: Asia’s first Golden Fork Award; international restaurant recognition.
Instagram: @d…
Website: Dum Pukht at ITC Hotels
The story
Dum Pukht takes its name from the slow-cooking technique associated with Awadhi royal kitchens, where ingredients are sealed and cooked gently so flavours have plenty of time to gossip with each other.
The Delhi institution was established in 1989 with the late Padma Shri chef Imtiaz Qureshi, while Chef Gulam Qureshi has been an important custodian of its kitchen.
Order Kakori kebabs, Awadhi biryani, raan and rich kormas, and prepare yourself for the kind of meal that makes conversation progressively quieter.
Dum Pukht has won the Golden Fork Award and has earned a place in international restaurant discussions.
The only problem? After eating here, your regular dal suddenly starts looking underqualified.
8. Comorin — Gurugram
Founded: 2018
Address: Two Horizon Center, DLF Phase 5, Sector 43, Gurugram, Haryana – 122002
Cuisine: Regional Indian
Chef: Dhiraj Dargan
Approx. cost for two: ₹3,500–₹5,000
Awards: Best Restaurant Bar in India for four consecutive years at 30 Best Bars India; repeated Top 10 restaurant recognition.
Instagram: @comorin.in
Website: Comorin
The story
Comorin, from the team behind Indian Accent, approaches Indian food from a slightly more relaxed angle. The restaurant is designed as an all-day dining space and bar, combining regional Indian comfort food with a serious beverage programme.
Chef Dhiraj Dargan leads the culinary vision, drawing on lesser-known regional dishes and familiar flavours with modern techniques.
Expect Indian small plates, regional specialities, inventive snacks, house-made drinks and cocktails.
Comorin has also become particularly famous for its bar programme, winning Best Restaurant Bar in India for four consecutive years at the 30 Best Bars India awards.
In short: come for dinner, stay for drinks, and blame your “one last cocktail” on the research department.
9. Karavalli — Bengaluru
Founded: 1990
Address: Taj Gateway, 66 Residency Road, Bengaluru – 560025
Cuisine: Coastal South Indian
Chef: Naren Thimmaiah
Approx. cost for two: ₹4,000–₹6,000
Awards: Best Indian Restaurant of the Year – South Indian category, NDTV Food Awards 2026.
Instagram: @karavalli.taj
Website: Karavalli at Taj Hotels
The story
Karavalli opened in 1990 with a bold idea for luxury dining at the time: South India’s coastal cuisines deserved the same attention traditionally given to Mughlai and Continental food.
Three decades later, the restaurant remains an institution. Its menu travels through Karnataka, Kerala, Goa and the Konkan, bringing together dishes such as appam with stew, kane fry and Coorgi pandi curry.
Chef Naren Thimmaiah has been closely associated with Karavalli’s culinary legacy. In 2026, the restaurant won Best Indian Restaurant of the Year in the South Indian category at the NDTV Food Awards.
Karavalli proves that longevity and innovation don’t have to be enemies. Sometimes they sit down together and order another plate of fish fry.
10. Kappa Chakka Kandhari — Chennai
Founded: 2017
Address: #10, Haddows Road, Nungambakkam, Chennai – 600006
Cuisine: Kerala
Chef: Regi Mathew
Approx. cost for two: ₹2,500–₹4,000
Awards: NDTV Food Awards Best Regional Indian Premium Dining Restaurant 2025; CNT Top Restaurant Awards #31 in 2025; multiple Chef of the Year honours.
Instagram: @kckfoods
Website: Kappa Chakka Kandhari
The story
Chef Regi Mathew and partners Augustine Kurian and John Paul spent three years travelling through Kerala before building Kappa Chakka Kandhari. They visited more than 265 homes and 70 toddy shops, collecting and testing hundreds of recipes.
The result is a restaurant devoted to the food of Kerala’s homes rather than hotel buffets. Expect appam, meen curry, beef preparations, puttu, seafood, toddy-shop-inspired dishes and regional vegetarian recipes.
Chef Regi has also collected impressive accolades, including Chef of the Year awards and a Guinness World Record for a 123.03-foot dosa.
It’s basically culinary anthropology—with excellent coconut milk.
11. Bengaluru Oota Company — Bengaluru
Founded: 2016
Address: 5 Cambridge Cross Road, Halasuru, Bengaluru – 560008
Cuisine: Karnataka
Chef/Founder: Divya Prabhakar
Approx. cost for two: ₹2,500–₹4,000
Awards: CNT Top 50 Restaurants #34 in 2025; #32 in 2024; #11 in 2023; La Liste recognition.
Instagram: @bengaluruootacompany
Website: Bengaluru Oota Company
The story
Divya Prabhakar created Bengaluru Oota Company after an 18-year career in hospitality, drawing on her family’s deep connection with Karnataka’s food traditions.
This isn’t a restaurant where you casually point at a menu and say, “I’ll have that.” It is a carefully curated five-course Karnataka oota, featuring seasonal drinks, curries, rice varieties, chutneys, pickles, pachadis, curd rice, traditional sweets and filter coffee.
Meals are served on banana leaves, while ingredients are sourced locally and menus change with the seasons.
The experience feels like being invited into an extremely food-obsessed Kannadiga home—except somebody has already done the washing up.
12. Naru Noodle Bar — Bengaluru
Founded: 2022
Address: 105, The Courtyard, KH Road, Shanti Nagar, Bengaluru
Cuisine: Japanese / Ramen
Chef: Kavan Kuttappa
Approx. cost for two: ₹1,500–₹2,500
Awards: CNT Top Restaurant Awards #21 in 2025; #17 in 2024.
Instagram: @narunoodlebar
Website: Instagram-led restaurant; no major standalone website
The story
Naru began during lockdown with DIY ramen kits before evolving into pop-ups and eventually a tiny 20-seat noodle bar. Chef Kavan Kuttappa built the restaurant around handmade noodles, carefully developed broths and a very Japanese approach to eating ramen: quickly, enthusiastically and with considerable slurping.
The menu includes tonkotsu ramen, Tokyo-style shoyu, vegetarian and vegan ramen, chicken karaage, mango mochi and Thai bubble-tea ice cream.
The place is tiny. The demand is not.
Naru has turned Bengaluru ramen into a competitive sport, where the first victory is securing a seat and the second is resisting the urge to drink the entire bowl of broth.
13. Ekaa — Mumbai
Founded: 2020/21
Address: 1st Floor, Kitab Mahal, D Sukhadwala Road, Fort, Mumbai – 400001
Cuisine: Modern Indian / Global
Chef: Niyati Rao
Approx. cost for two: ₹5,000–₹8,000+
Awards: Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants recognition; featured in India’s leading restaurant rankings.
Instagram: @ekaamumbai
Website: Ekaa
The story
Ekaa is the kind of restaurant that doesn’t seem interested in putting itself neatly inside a cuisine box. Chef Niyati Rao, who trained at Noma in Copenhagen, co-founded the restaurant and built its food around Indian ingredients, seasonality and global technique.
Its philosophy is ingredient-led: one humble ingredient can become the central character of an entire culinary story.
Menus evolve frequently, incorporating Indian grains, vegetables, seafood, fermentation and unusual regional ingredients. The restaurant also offers tasting menus and à la carte dining.
Ekaa is for diners who enjoy asking, “What exactly am I eating?” and then being delighted when the answer turns out to be something they have eaten all their lives—just not like this.
14. Americano — Mumbai
Founded: 2019
Address: 121/123 Radha Bhavan, Nagindas Master Road, Kala Ghoda, Fort, Mumbai
Cuisine: Italian / European
Chef: Alex Sanchez
Approx. cost for two: ₹4,000–₹6,000
Awards: Best Italian Restaurant, NDTV Food Awards 2026.
Instagram: @americanobombay
Website: Americano Mumbai
The story
Americano opened in Mumbai’s Kala Ghoda in 2019, created by chef Alex Sanchez and Mallyeka Watsa. Sanchez’s background includes The Table and training under some of America’s most respected kitchens.
The restaurant specialises in relaxed, sophisticated Italian-influenced food, with Neapolitan-style pizzas, handmade pasta, corn ribs and an exceptionally popular tiramisu.
In 2026, Americano won Best Italian Restaurant at the NDTV Food Awards, confirming that its combination of food, cocktails and hospitality is more than just another fashionable Kala Ghoda experiment.
And yes, the tiramisu really does deserve its own paragraph.
15. Hosa — Goa
Founded: 2022
Address: Siolim, Goa
Cuisine: Modern South Indian
Chef: Chef-led Hosa culinary team
Approx. cost for two: ₹2,500–₹4,000
Awards: Best Modern South Indian – Premium Dining; Best South Indian – Goa; Best Cocktails – Goa; CNT Top Restaurant Awards #15 in 2024.
Instagram: @hosaindia
Website: Hosa
The story
Hosa brings a modern South Indian perspective to Goa’s increasingly adventurous dining scene. Its name means “new” in Kannada, which neatly describes its philosophy: familiar regional flavours interpreted through a contemporary lens.
The restaurant’s cooking explores South Indian ingredients, seafood, meats, vegetables, spice blends and traditional preparations, while its bar programme is equally ambitious.
Hosa’s trophy cabinet is already getting crowded, with awards including Best Modern South Indian – Premium Dining, Best South Indian – Goa and Best Cocktails – Goa.
It was also ranked #15 in Condé Nast Traveller’s 2024 Top Restaurant Awards.
Goa already had beaches, sunsets and cocktails. Hosa decided the state needed another reason to postpone your flight.
16. Bomras — Goa
Founded: 2000s
Address: Anjuna, Goa
Cuisine: Burmese / Southeast Asian
Chef: Bomras culinary team
Approx. cost for two: ₹2,000–₹3,500
Awards: #5, Condé Nast Traveller x Zomato Top Restaurant Awards 2024; #2 in the 2023 edition.
Instagram: @bomrasgoa
Website: Bomras
The story
Bomras has long been one of Goa’s most beloved destination restaurants, built around Burmese-inspired food served in an informal, garden-like setting. Its rise through India’s restaurant rankings proves that serious food doesn’t necessarily require chandeliers, white gloves or waiters who whisper.
Its menu features Burmese salads, curries, seafood, noodles, rice dishes and fresh, herb-heavy preparations.
The restaurant ranked #2 in Condé Nast Traveller’s 2023 list and #5 in 2024, placing it firmly among India’s culinary heavyweights.
Bomras is particularly good for people who believe a restaurant should feel like a holiday. Goa provides the scenery; Bomras supplies the food; your office emails can remain tragically unanswered.
17. Cavatina by Avinash Martins — Goa
Founded: 2016
Address: Benaulim, South Goa
Cuisine: Goan / Modern European
Chef: Avinash Martins
Approx. cost for two: ₹3,000–₹5,000
Awards: Featured among India’s Top Restaurants by Condé Nast Traveller; #8 in the 2024 Top Restaurant Awards.
Instagram: @cavatinagoa
Website: Cavatina
The story
Chef Avinash Martins built Cavatina around an idea that makes perfect sense in Goa: local food can be deeply rooted in tradition while still looking forward.
The restaurant combines Goan ingredients, seafood, seasonal produce and European techniques, producing dishes that feel unmistakably coastal without becoming a greatest-hits album of Goan cuisine.
Cavatina ranked #8 in Condé Nast Traveller’s 2024 list of India’s top restaurants and has become one of South Goa’s essential culinary stops.
Chef Martins’ cooking pays particular attention to local produce and culinary heritage.
In other words, Cavatina is Goa without the tourist T-shirt: sophisticated, slightly mischievous and very comfortable near the sea.
18. Sienna Store & Café — Kolkata
Founded: 2016
Address: 49/1, Golpark, Hindustan Park, Gariahat, Kolkata – 700029
Cuisine: Contemporary / Regional Indian-inspired
Chef: Auroni Mookerjee
Approx. cost for two: ₹1,200–₹2,000
Awards: #5, Condé Nast Traveller Top Restaurant Awards 2023.
Instagram: @sienna_store
Website: Sienna Store & Café
The story
Sienna is part café, part restaurant, part design store and entirely capable of making you wonder whether your own home could use seventeen more handmade ceramics.
Led by chef Auroni Mookerjee, Sienna describes itself as a “bazaar-to-table kitchen,” drawing heavily from Bengal’s markets and ingredients. Its menu plays with global formats while keeping local flavours front and centre.
Dishes include bhetki with pasta, congee featuring choto maach and echor bhorta, dheki shaak ramen, doodh-cha caramel custard and nolen-gur desserts.
Its #5 ranking in CNT’s 2023 list was a major national moment for Kolkata dining.
Come hungry. Leave with food, pottery and an unnecessarily expensive tote bag.
19. Jamavar — Mumbai
Founded: 2019 in Mumbai
Address: The St. Regis Mumbai, 462 Senapati Bapat Marg, Lower Parel, Mumbai – 400013
Cuisine: Indian
Chef: Surender Mohan / Jamavar culinary team
Approx. cost for two: ₹6,000–₹9,000+
Awards: Recognised in India’s major fine-dining and hospitality awards
Instagram: @jamavarmumbai
Website: Jamavar
The story
Jamavar brings the luxury Indian dining format to Mumbai with a menu inspired by India’s enormous regional repertoire. The restaurant’s approach combines elaborate hospitality with dishes rooted in traditional cooking.
Expect kebabs, curries, biryanis, seafood, regional vegetarian dishes and Indian breads, presented with the sort of precision that makes you briefly afraid to touch the plate.
Jamavar’s larger international story began in London before the brand expanded across India, giving the restaurant a distinctly global outlook while keeping Indian cuisine firmly at the centre.
The experience is luxurious without being disconnected from the food.
Basically, if your idea of “casual Indian dinner” involves chandeliers, serious silverware and a bill that needs emotional counselling, Jamavar has you covered.
20. Ziya — Mumbai
Founded: 2009
Address: The Oberoi Mumbai, Nariman Point, Mumbai – 400021
Cuisine: Modern Indian
Chef: Chef Manish Uniyal / Ziya culinary team
Approx. cost for two: ₹7,000–₹10,000+
Awards: India’s Best Hotel Restaurant nominee, World Culinary Awards.
Instagram: @ziya.restaurant
Website: Ziya at The Oberoi Mumbai
The story
Ziya occupies a privileged position in Mumbai’s dining scene: inside The Oberoi overlooking Marine Drive. But the view isn’t the only attraction.
The restaurant specialises in contemporary Indian cuisine, interpreting familiar flavours through modern technique and elegant presentation. Expect Indian tasting menus, seafood, meats, regional spices and carefully constructed desserts.
Its location makes it particularly popular for celebrations, business dinners and occasions where somebody has said, “Don’t worry about the price.”
Ziya has been recognised among India’s leading hotel restaurants, including World Culinary Awards’ India’s Best Hotel Restaurant nominations.
The experience is polished, sophisticated and unapologetically luxurious.
Think of it as Indian cuisine putting on evening wear—but still remembering to bring the masala.
21. Loya — New Delhi
Founded: 2023
Address: Taj Palace, 2 Sardar Patel Marg, Diplomatic Enclave, Chanakyapuri, New Delhi – 110021
Cuisine: North Indian / Regional Indian
Chef: Taj culinary team
Approx. cost for two: ₹5,000–₹8,000
Awards: Featured among leading Indian restaurant rankings; Culinary Culture 3-star rating.
Instagram: @loya.taj
Website: Loya at Taj Hotels
The story
Loya is Taj’s contemporary exploration of North Indian regional cooking, created after extensive research into lesser-known dishes and culinary traditions.
Rather than relying solely on the greatest hits—hello, butter chicken—the restaurant explores Himalayan, Punjabi, Kashmiri and other northern Indian influences, with recipes that have historically travelled through homes, villages and royal kitchens.
Culinary Culture describes Loya as a restaurant combining Taj’s Indian food expertise with lost dishes and recipes sourced during months of research.
The dining room is dramatic, the food is robust and the spice levels are capable of reminding your taste buds that they have responsibilities.
Loya is for anyone who thinks Indian cuisine is much too big to be reduced to naan and gravy.
22. Varq — New Delhi
Founded: 2010
Address: The Taj Mahal Hotel, 1 Mansingh Road, New Delhi – 110011
Cuisine: Modern Indian
Chef: Varq culinary team
Approx. cost for two: ₹6,000–₹9,000+
Awards: Repeatedly recognised among India’s leading luxury hotel restaurants
Instagram: @varq.taj
Website: Varq at Taj Hotels
The story
Varq has spent years proving that modern Indian fine dining doesn’t have to abandon its roots. Located inside The Taj Mahal Hotel in central Delhi, the restaurant blends traditional Indian flavours with contemporary presentation and technique.
Its menu explores kebabs, curries, seafood, Indian breads, vegetarian specialities and modern interpretations of regional dishes.
The restaurant has regularly appeared in major Indian hotel-restaurant rankings and World Culinary Awards nominations, reinforcing its position among Delhi’s established fine-dining names.
Varq is particularly suited to diners who enjoy the classic luxury-hotel experience but want their food to have a little more personality.
It’s the culinary equivalent of a perfectly tailored bandh-gala: traditional, expensive and extremely unlikely to go out of fashion.
23. Megu — New Delhi
Founded: 2005
Address: The Leela Palace New Delhi, Diplomatic Enclave, Chanakyapuri, New Delhi – 110023
Cuisine: Japanese
Chef: Megu culinary team
Approx. cost for two: ₹7,000–₹10,000+
Awards: Major luxury dining and hospitality recognitions
Instagram: @megu_delhi
Website: Megu at The Leela Palace New Delhi
The story
Megu brought high-end Japanese dining to Delhi’s luxury hotel circuit with an emphasis on premium ingredients, dramatic presentation and traditional Japanese techniques.
The menu typically features sushi, sashimi, robata-grilled seafood and meats, tempura and Japanese desserts. The restaurant’s polished interior and extensive beverage programme make it a favourite for celebratory dinners.
Megu has also appeared in India’s leading restaurant rankings, including Condé Nast Traveller’s Top Restaurant lists.
What makes it stand out is the balance between Japanese restraint and Delhi’s appetite for theatrical dining.
In other words, the food whispers while the bill occasionally clears its throat.
24. Dakshin — New Delhi
Founded: 1980s
Address: Sheraton New Delhi Hotel, District Centre, Saket, New Delhi
Cuisine: South Indian
Chef: Dakshin culinary team
Approx. cost for two: ₹3,500–₹5,000
Awards: Long-standing recognition among India’s leading South Indian restaurants
Instagram: @dakshinrestaurant
Website: Dakshin at ITC Hotels
The story
Dakshin is one of Delhi’s classic destinations for South Indian fine dining, created around the idea that the cuisines of Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh deserved their own sophisticated platform.
Its menu covers dosas, appams, seafood, meat curries, vegetarian preparations, rasam, sambhar and regional sweets, with recipes inspired by traditional kitchens across southern India.
The restaurant has remained relevant because it doesn’t confuse modernity with abandoning tradition.
Dakshin is the place to take someone who says, “South Indian food is just dosa and idli,” and watch their worldview expand over the course of several courses.
And possibly several chutneys.
25. Olive Bar & Kitchen — New Delhi
Founded: 2000
Address: One Style Mile, 8, Kalka Das Marg, Mehrauli, New Delhi – 110030
Cuisine: Mediterranean / European
Chef: Olive culinary team
Approx. cost for two: ₹4,000–₹6,000
Awards: Regularly featured among India’s top restaurants; Condé Nast Traveller Top Restaurant Awards.
Instagram: @olivebarandkitchen
Website: Olive Bar & Kitchen
The story
Olive Bar & Kitchen has been part of India’s modern restaurant culture for more than two decades. Its Mehrauli location combines Mediterranean-inspired dining with one of Delhi’s most atmospheric settings.
The menu focuses on European and Mediterranean dishes, handmade pasta, seafood, grills, pizzas, salads and elaborate desserts, alongside a strong cocktail programme.
Its longevity is perhaps its greatest achievement. In a city where restaurants can disappear faster than your weekend plans, Olive has remained a fixture through changing culinary fashions.
It has repeatedly appeared in major Indian restaurant rankings and awards, including Condé Nast Traveller’s lists.
Olive is proof that sometimes the coolest restaurant isn’t the newest one. It’s the one that’s still packed after everyone has stopped calling it “new.”
Frequently Asked Questions About the Best Restaurants in India
Which is the best restaurant in India?
There is no universally accepted single “best” restaurant. However, Avartana, Indian Accent, Masque and The Table consistently appear near the top of major Indian restaurant rankings. Avartana was #1 in Condé Nast Traveller’s 2024 Top Restaurant Awards, while Indian Accent has an exceptional history of winning India’s top restaurant honours.
Which Indian restaurant has won the most awards?
Indian Accent has one of the strongest award records among Indian restaurants, including seven consecutive years as Best Restaurant in India in the Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants ranking and multiple #1 positions in Condé Nast Traveller’s restaurant awards.
What is the most expensive restaurant on this list?
The tasting-menu destinations—particularly Masque, Indian Accent and Avartana—can be among the most expensive, especially when tasting menus, wine pairings and taxes are included.
Which city has the best restaurants in India?
Mumbai, New Delhi, Bengaluru, Chennai and Goa are arguably India’s strongest restaurant cities, with Mumbai and Delhi particularly dominant in fine dining and Bengaluru, Chennai and Goa contributing increasingly influential regional and contemporary restaurants. Condé Nast Traveller’s rankings reflect this geographic diversity.
Is this list suitable for a food-travel itinerary?
Absolutely. If food is the reason you’re travelling, a Delhi → Mumbai → Bengaluru → Chennai → Goa culinary trail could keep your stomach busy for considerably longer than your annual leave will permit.
