thought this might be an interesting thread to start...and in a self-interested way, i'd certainly do my best to visit as many as possible during my upcoming trip!

the most over-rated restaurant that i found in my one trip to india was Bukhara at the sheraton in delhi...

the same exact food is available at both the sheratons in agra and jaipur for 1/3 to 1/2 less...

the food is ok but the prices are outrageous... and we found the seating to be very uncomfortable...also i telephoned them from the usa to make a reservation a couple of months in advance and when we arrrived they had no reservation...

spice route at the imperial was fantastic and a visit to this hotel is also very interesting as well...

we very much enjoyed our dinner at the peshawri rest. at the agra sheraton....we were invited into the kitchen for a look around as well...

in the santucci shopping complex we had an excellent lunch at Basil and Thyme....delhi

the esphanhan rest. in the amarvilas in agra is quite nice....we had the set thali meals: one vegetarian and one meat....the hotel is out of this world to experience...

the suvarna mahal rest. in the rambaugh palace hotel was quite an experience...the place is lovely and we had excellent service and food...jaipur

cinnamon at the jai mahal hotel in jaipur is small and we had a great tasting menu there for a reasonable price..

the main restaurant at the neemrana fort palace hotel is a fantastic dinner experience overlooking the pool in the open air...

lunch at the samode palace is a real experience....pay a small entrance fee and you get a tour and the entrance fee is taken off of your lunch price....

the dum phkht rest. in the delhi sheraton was also a disappointment for our last nites' dinner....i would never return to that hotel for anything...

twice we ate at the very local parampara rest. in jaipur....it is on the road to the fort....very good and very reasonable...

the riao rest on 44 taj rd agra was a nice lunch and break from the hectic agra streets...

the Pindi rest. in a small mall in delhi was very good for our first delhi lunch...lots of westerners in this complex...

we ate at the spice court rest. in jaipur one nite based on a flip of a coin vs eating at Indiana....we wish we had gone to indiana...next time...

I agree with rhkkmk about Bukhara at the sheraton. I hated the lamb dish I had...way too salty, nothing special.

Seating was the most uncomfortable (they make the place look like a cave, so you sit really low with no back on the seat and no room for the foot). I vowed never to go back.

I didn't know that it was one of the top restaurants in the country or Asia until I read it somewhere afterwards. Must have spent a lot on marketing.

I have to agree about Bukhara. Service was on the verge of rude and the food was average. We had many fantastic meals in India but none better than at the Indian restaurant in the Oberoi hotel in Delhi.We went twice and often think about planning to go back.

Sorry forgot to mention the name!!!

It is the Kandhar.

With restaurants there are a lot of variables - what time of the evening you visit, day of the week, what you order etc. We visited India in February 2005. While we had an excellent experience at Bukhara, we were disappointed with Spice Route and thought the food at the Rambagh Palace was just plain bad. I should point out that we were served a special meal (not on the menu) at Bukhara compliments of Compass Tours to make up for a hotel mishap.

We had fabulous vegetarian meals at Rajvilas in Jaipur and in both restaurants at Amarvilas. One restaurant in Delhi that we really enjoyed has now changed its name and menu - Corbett's at the Claridges hotel no longer exists.

LMB in Jaipur-Jain cooking,sooooo good!

I had a great experience at Veda in CP, Delhi. Food was amazing, service very friendly and the decor great. The lemon saffron kulfa (maybe kulfi) was one of the best desserts I have ever had in my life. I walked in as a scruffy backpacker looking for a great last meal before I left India and they still treated me like royalty. You cannot beat the 2 for 1 beers during lunch time. Nothing like 2 Kingfishers to wash down a tandoori meat platter. I think they also have a place called Devi in NYC.

I have to agree with the Amarvilas in Agra, especially with its day-time and stunning view of the Taj Mahal. The cheaper of the two restaurants does a great breakfast, specially out on the terrace where you can watch the sun rising over the Taj.

Can one have breakfast there, if not staying there??

Yes.