It started this way. I went to lunch at Manish Mehrotra’s Nisaba. I had not been back since it opened officially, though I had gone for the previews and had confidently predicted that it would become Delhi’s hottest restaurant. A short time later, Nisaba opened to the public and duly became the city’s hottest restaurant and hardest reservation. I was relieved to have been vindicated and happy for Manish. But I did not go back.
Last week, my wife (who had been back with friends) told me that I did not know what I was missing. And so, I went with her for lunch and yes, the food had actually got even better since the previews. I posted pictures of our meal on Instagram and said that while there used to be only four Delhi restaurants that I would recommend blindly, there were now five, because Nisaba was so good.
I should have expected what would come next. My DMs on Instagram are now full of questions about the other four restaurants that I would recommend. What are their names?
I don’t usually do restaurant lists because Culinary Culture does such a great job of rating restaurants, and though I am chairman of the company, these ratings follow a process that goes far beyond my personal preferences. Besides, my intention was not to rate restaurants, but only to say that when people (including foreign visitors to Delhi) ask me where to eat in Delhi there are four – now five – sureshot picks.
But having started this conversation, I guess I am obliged to name those four. And equally: Why just Delhi? What would I recommend in other cities. So here goes.
Delhi
Nisaba: No need to say more.
Bukhara: A no-brainer. I have yet to meet a single visiting chef (including many like Mauro Colagreco, Massimo Bottura, Oriol Castro and Dani Garcia with three- Michelin-star restaurants of their own) who has not fallen in love with the food. We tend to see it as a Delhi favourite, not realising that many visitors regard it as the world’s best Indian restaurant. It is certainly the most famous.
Indian Accent: Manish has moved on, but the restaurant where he first made his name continues to flourish. Shantanu Mehrotra (no relation) who was Manish’s deputy has maintained the standards and the last time I went – for a wine dinner- the other guests said it was the best meal they had ever eaten at Indian Accent.
China Kitchen: Easily the best Chinese food (especially the Sichuan dishes) of any restaurant in India. Ever! I stick to the Sichuan food myself, but the Peking Duck is justly celebrated. It all comes together so well because the kitchen is run by real Chinese people (from the mainland) who work under the brilliant Chef Zhang.
Dum Pukht: When I go out with chefs from abroad who understand Indian food, I take them to Dum Pukht. I have had two long meals with Heston Blumenthal there and he thought the food was sensational. I couldn’t agree more. It’s Awadhi cuisine with a few modern tweaks and a world class biryani.
Mumbai
The Table: Okay I am going to cheat a bit and pick chefs rather than restaurants. Will Aghajanian already had a formidable reputation in California before he moved to India and he has transformed The Table. His new restaurant in Bandra, Kaspers, is just as good.
Americano: Alex Sanchez made his reputation at The Table before opening Americano which is easily the best Italian-inspired restaurant in India. Alex also runs the Latin-American Otra which, according to Sameer Sain, my co-founder at Culinary Culture, who understands this cuisine, is authentic and terrific. Both restaurants are consistently and deservedly packed out.
The Bombay Canteen: Chef Hussain Shahzad runs Papa’s Bombay, a small counter-seating restaurant, to which I have not been since it formally opened. But most people I know regard it as one of India’s best restaurants. I don’t recommend it to visitors because it’s impossible to get a seat. But I always recommend the excellent The Bombay Canteen, one of India’s most influential restaurants and O Pedro, where I first fell in love with Hussain’s food.
Masque: An obvious choice. Go for Varun Totlani’s food, which is sophisticated without being pompous, and where the only story they tell is about deliciousness.
Tresind: Its Dubai parent has three Michelin stars, so people tend to treat this as just another branch. But it has a very good chef in Sarfaraz Ahmed, who may lurk in the shadow of Himanshu Saini but has his own original style and runs Mumbai’s best modern Indian restaurant. I always recommend it.
Bengaluru
Lupa: I sometimes fear that I don’t give Manu Chandra the credit he deserves because I have known him so well for so long that I take the excellence of his food for granted. But Lupa is an amazing achievement. You can go for world-class fine dining. Or you can just have a pizza. Both will be great experiences.
Farmlore: I first raved about Johnson Ebenezer’s food when he was unknown outside of Bangalore. He is now globally recognised as a great chef but fame has not spoiled him. The food is still outstanding. Don’t be misled by the name. It’s not one of those dreadful bogus farm-to-table places but just a vehicle for Johnson’s talent.
Naru Noodle Bar: I don’t usually recommend Japanese restaurants to foreign visitors because most Japanese places in India are not particularly special by global standards. This is the exception. Kavan Kuttapa’s ramen is a work of passion and enormous skill.
Karavalli: It was 36 years ago that Karavalli opened and it forever transformed people’s expectations of South Indian coastal food by using recipes from home cooking and very fresh fish. It is still one of India’s greatest restaurants, thanks to chef Naren Thimmaiah, who has been in the kitchen since the day it opened.
Bengaluru Oota Company: Wonderful and authentic Mangalorean and Gowda food with deep flavours. It’s a simple restaurant but nobody I recommend it to ever goes back disappointed. A favourite of Gaggan Anand and of the twin chefs from Bangkok’s three-Michelin-starred Suhring.
From HT Brunch, April 18, 2026
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