30 editor picks across India.
30 indian restaurants worth the trip across India, editor-ranked. All cuisines in India.
Bukhara has served the same North-West Frontier menu at ITC Maurya in Delhi since 1978: tandoor kebabs, table-wide naan and a black dal simmered for 24 hours.
OrderDal Bukhara, the black dal simmered close to 24 hours, with a tandoori kebab and naan.
TipEating with your hands is part of the ritual, and the naan arrives as wide as the table; book ahead for dinner.
Jamavar is the candlelit signature restaurant of The Leela Palace Jaipur at Kukas, serving a Rajasthani set menu in a room of mirror work, by reservation.
OrderThe Jodhpuri gatta curry with masala baati, or the dal baati churma.
TipChildren under 12 are not accommodated and the room is lit by candles, so book ahead on +91 63504 92085; lunch is served only Friday to Sunday.
Dhilli at The Oberoi in Delhi, mentored by Michelin-starred chef Vineet Bhatia, builds its whole menu around the multicultural cooking of the capital.
TipLunch runs only Friday to Sunday; weekday visits are dinner from 19:00, so book the evening slot midweek.
The Sarvato serves a set Rajasthani tasting menu inside the City Palace in Jaipur, for dinner only between September and April, by reservation only.
OrderThe set tasting menu, with the wine pairing (₹3,500 plus taxes) if you want it.
TipOpen from September to April, reservation only; the evening lasts 90 to 120 minutes, so arrive for the 19:30 start.
Chor Bizarre on Asaf Ali Road in Delhi serves Kashmiri wazwan in a thieves-market room of antique tables and 1950s Hindi songs, near Delhi Gate.
OrderThe wazwan, or a plate of mutton yakhni with haaq and rice.
TipReserve ahead for dinner and order the full wazwan for the table; the kitchen also runs Kashmiri specials such as aloo bukhara korma.
Spice Court serves Rajasthani food in a 1930s colonial mansion on Jacob Road in Jaipur, best known for keema baati, laal maas and junglee maas.
OrderKeema baati with jhol, then laal maas with butter naan; vegetarians can order papad mangodi sabzi.
TipDzurt, a patisserie by Chef Tejasvi Chandela, shares the premises, so finish with its ghewar entremet.
Peshawri at ITC Rajputana on Palace Road in Jaipur serves coal-grilled North-West Frontier kababs, breads and lentils at lunch and dinner every day.
OrderThe coal-grilled kababs with the house breads and a lentil dish.
TipLunch runs 12:30 to 15:00 and dinner 19:00 to 23:30; the restaurant is inside ITC Rajputana, so give the driver the hotel address.
1135 AD is a restaurant inside Amer Fort in Jaipur serving Rajasthani and Mughlai dishes in a courtyard, a frescoed hall and a mirrored room, lit by candles.
OrderThe Maans Sula or Junglee Maans, then the saffron Shahi Tukda with hand-pounded cardamom.
TipTell the team in advance if you are celebrating, as it arranges surprise dinners with floral decoration; the fort road drive after dark is part of the evening.
Suvarna Mahal is the dinner-only Rajasthani restaurant inside Rambagh Palace in Jaipur, clad with Venetian frescoes and crystal chandeliers, serving thalis.
OrderThe Rajasthani thali with dal baati churma, safed maas and ker sangri.
TipDinner only, 19:00 to 23:45 every day; Time Out puts the thali at ₹6,000 or more per person, and Lifestyle Asia about ₹8,500 for two.
Khyber on MG Road has been a Mumbai Mughlai institution since 1958. The murals run the length of the room and the raan still arrives at the table on a board.
OrderThe raan for two with mint chutney.
TipLunch sees less wait than dinner; book the upstairs section for groups.
Swati Snacks in Tardeo has run the family-style Gujarati menu for three generations. Panki on banana leaves, faraali pattice and seasonal aamras-puri.
OrderPanki on banana leaves and a faraali pattice.
TipAamras season runs March to May; that is the time to make the booking.
Swati Snacks in Tardeo has run family-style Gujarati for three generations. Panki on banana leaves, faraali pattice and seasonal aamras with hot puris.
OrderPanki on banana leaves and a faraali pattice.
TipAamras season runs March to May; book ahead for weekends in those months.
Khyber on MG Road has been a Mumbai Mughlai institution since 1958. The murals run the length of the room and the raan still arrives at the table on a board.
OrderRaan for two with mint chutney.
TipLunch sees less wait than dinner; book upstairs for groups. Cash and card both accepted.
Moti Mahal in Daryaganj, Old Delhi, is where Punjabi refugees from Peshawar made butter chicken famous after Partition; the room still serves it daily.
OrderButter chicken with a butter garlic naan, plus a plate of tandoori chicken.
TipAsk for a courtyard table, where live music plays on some evenings, and order breads to share across the table.
Gulati is one of the Punjabi dining rooms of Pandara Road Market in Delhi, open until midnight for butter chicken, murgh malai tikka and handi gosht.
OrderButter chicken and murgh malai tikka, with dal makhani and garlic naan.
TipThe kitchen runs until midnight, so it suits a late dinner after India Gate; expect a wait at peak weekend hours.
Chef Amninder Sandhu's Kikli in Connaught Place, Delhi, cooks village Punjabi food, including dal slow-cooked overnight on a cow-dung-fired hara.
OrderThe hara dal with toonhi roti, plus kathal takatak and a glass of lassi.
TipDal, chana and winter saag cook overnight on the hara in the courtyard; the kadahi section covers Lahori dishes such as kadahi chicken.
Arirasa is an all-vegetarian North Indian restaurant in Lal Kothi, Jaipur, in a neo-Art Deco room, serving kair korma, edamame seekh kebab and khamiri roti.
OrderThe kair korma with dahi ki khamiri roti, and the edamame seekh kebab.
TipOpen daily from 12:00 to 23:00; the house breads are khapli atta roti, dahi ki khamiri roti and adrak mirchi roti, so order them with the curries.
Once Upon A Time At The Bagh, a garden restaurant in Jaipur, serves Indian and Mughlai dishes beside fountains, with the Aravalli hills in view.
OrderThe mutton chapli kebab and the laal maans, which the kitchen does best.
TipAt weekends you can probably catch a live Sufi band; the indoor room is blue and white and called the Neela Palace.
Papa Pancho on Pali Naka does dhaba-style Punjabi cooking: sarson da saag, butter chicken, makki rotis and lassi in steel tumblers. Open since 1997.
OrderSarson da saag with makki di roti and a sweet lassi.
TipCash and card both accepted; the pork pickle is a counter favourite to take home.
Cream Centre opened at Chowpatty Seaface in 1958 as a vegetarian sweets and snacks counter. The channa bhatura is the canonical dish; the hot fudge sundae.
OrderChanna bhatura with a Spanish omelette sizzler and a hot fudge sundae.
TipFamily-friendly with a high-chair stock; weekday lunches are quietest.
Papa Pancho on Pali Naka serves dhaba-style Punjabi cooking since 1997: sarson da saag, butter chicken, makki rotis and lassi in steel tumblers.
OrderSarson da saag with makki di roti and a sweet lassi.
TipCash and card both accepted; the pork pickle is a take-home favourite.
Pancham Puriwala near CSMT has fried puris and served thali to Bombay commuters since 1848. UP migrants who succeeded in the puri trade opened the room.
OrderPancham thali with the puri-sabzi combo and a sweet lassi.
TipCash easiest; lunch service is fastest before 12:30. Cash and card both accepted.
Maa Tara has cooked home-style Bengali food in Chittaranjan Park, Delhi since 1994, known citywide for its mustard hilsa and mutton kosha curry.
OrderThe mutton kosha with steamed rice, followed by mishti doi.
TipThere's no reservation line; expect a short queue at the door on weekend evenings and Durga Puja season.
Sharma Dhaba & Garden on Sikar Road, Jaipur, is a North Indian dhaba that Time Out calls all-vegetarian, known for crisp breads, malai kofta and mawa paratha.
OrderThe mawa paratha with malai kofta and the creamy cashewnut curry.
TipStart with the aloo chaat, then garlic naan and the mawa paratha; Time Out calls it all-vegetarian but EazyDiner lists veg and non-veg food, so ask.
Pindi has served Punjabi food on Pandara Road in Delhi since 1948, founded by a family with roots in Rawalpindi and known for its kebabs and Pindi chana.
OrderA mutton seekh kebab and the Pindi chana, with butter chicken and tandoori roti for the table.
TipThe name comes from Rawalpindi, where the founders came from before Partition; order the namesake Pindi chana alongside the kebabs.
Shikaar Bagh is the all-day restaurant and bar at Narain Niwas Palace in Rambagh, Jaipur, with wooden interiors and north Indian and European plates.
OrderThe mushroom galouti kebabs or the char-grilled prawns.
TipThe kitchen runs from 12:30 to 00:00, so lunch and a late dinner both work; the outdoor seating has carriages and twinkling lights.
Zoya is the all-day restaurant at Fairmont Jaipur in Kukas, serving a Rajasthani Royal Thali, live cooking and western dishes in Mughal tent-style rooms.
OrderThe Rajasthani Royal Thali, or a dish from the live cooking experience.
TipZoya is open from 07:00 to 23:00, so a thali lunch works as well as dinner.
Saffron at Jaipur Marriott Hotel, Ashram Marg, serves North Indian and traditional Rajasthani dishes from a live kitchen, open for dinner every evening.
OrderA North Indian or Rajasthani main from the live kitchen, with fresh breads.
TipSaffron serves dinner only, from 19:00 to 23:00, so go for lunch at Okra, the hotel's all-day restaurant, instead.
Sukh Sagar at Chowpatty has run a pure-veg multicuisine menu for four decades. Pav bhaji, sandwiches, dosas and the South Indian counter run all day.
OrderPav bhaji and a sweet lassi.
TipCrowded counter, table service runs slower; takeaway at the front is faster.
Rajasthali serves an unlimited Rajasthani thali from a small dining room in Connaught Place, Delhi, built around dal baati churma and gatte ki sabzi.
OrderThe unlimited Rajasthani thali with gatte ki sabzi and dal baati churma.
TipCome hungry and skip breakfast; the thali is refilled on request until you wave the server off.
