Residential south-central Delhi with a busy market core: specialty coffee and bakeries in Defence Colony, momos and parathas in Lajpat Nagar.
Chef Adwait Anantwar's INJA at The Manor in New Delhi mashes Indian and Japanese technique, a tempura shiso leaf standing in for palak patta chaat.
OrderChawanmushi spiked with rasam masala and butter-poached lobster.
Book1 to 2 weeks ahead
TipINJA sits inside The Manor hotel in Friends Colony West, the same property where Indian Accent first opened in 2009.
Swagath has served South Indian and coastal seafood dishes in Delhi's Defence Colony Market since 2001, built around Chettinad chicken and fish curry.
OrderThe Chettinad chicken with a Malabar parotta.
TipWeekday lunch is quieter than the dinner rush that starts around 20:00.
Daily Drama pours beans from several Indian roasters side by side at this Defence Colony market cafe in Delhi, built for comparing origins cup by cup.
DrinkRotating multi roaster pour over flight
TipThe room is up on the 1st and 2nd floor of the market; order the flight format to taste several roasters at once.
Defence Bakery opened as a wholesale bakery in Defence Colony in 1962 under Jagdish Mitra Dhingra, and his family's third generation runs it in Delhi today.
Worth the queueWalnut pie and chocolate truffle cake
TipShop 34 sits inside Block A Market; order a custom cake a day ahead for a specific size or flavour.
Theobroma stocks its brownie counter and celebration cakes at this Defence Colony market outlet, one stop in the bakery chain's wider Delhi run.
Worth the queueBrownie and choco chip cookie
TipThe counter is on the ground floor of Main Market; the range runs from brownies and cookies to tea cakes and eggless celebration cakes.
Blue Tokai sells beans roasted in Gurugram from this Defence Colony cafe in Delhi, part of what it calls India's largest specialty coffee company.
BeansIndia
BrewsEspresso, Pour-over, Whole bean retail
TipTry the Vietnamese-style iced coffee made with the dark Dhak blend, then pick up a bag of single-estate beans to take home.
Dolma Aunty Momos has steamed chicken and vegetable momos in Lajpat Nagar's Central Market since 1994, a Delhi momo stall with a fiery chilli chutney.
OrderChicken momos with the red chutney on the side.
TipLook for Shop D 44; closed Mondays, and the chutney runs hot, so ask for less if you want it milder.
Lajpat Nagar Central Market pairs bargain fashion stalls with a dense street food lane in Delhi, momo counters and chaat carts running between the shops.
OrderA plate of momos from one of the market's dedicated momo counters.
TipClosed Mondays; evenings after 17:00 bring the biggest street food crowds.
Moolchand Parantha has fried stuffed parathas by Moolchand metro in Lajpat Nagar, Delhi, since 1975, a mostly takeaway counter with a few tall tables.
OrderAn aloo pyaz paratha, served with a cube of Amul butter, chutney and salad.
TipSeating is a few tall tables beside the counter, so most people take their parathas away; one paratha is a meal for one.
Genre in Defence Colony was Delhi's first dedicated vinyl bar, a daytime cafe that turns into a curated record listening room after dark falls.
TipBring a favourite record on a Thursday and the staff just might spin it; Genre opens at 09:00 as a cafe before the listening sessions.
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