17 Best Restaurants in Kolkata (Calcutta), India

Famous for its tandoor cuisine, Peshawri is rooted in the culinary traditions of the Indian North-West frontier and serves prime-cuts of meat without any gravy or sauce. Charming wooden elements and cushioned stools set this restaurant apart from its contemporary counterparts, transporting guests to simpler times.

This sleek, modern restaurant with massive ceilings is an expat favorite in Kolkata. As the name suggests, the menu here covers a broad variety of dishes from Japan, Mongolia, Korea, Thailand, and China, all made with ingredients sourced from its very own kitchen garden.

This restaurant serving North Indian and Bengali cuisines is a tasteful replica of a rural house, complete with a courtyard, a well, dark wood on taupe stone, copper curios, and metal light fixtures. Delicacies like kakori (traditional sweet bread), gilafi kulcha (layered flatbread), prawn Malali curry, and boneless hilsa paturi (steamed hilsa fish in banana bread; seasonal) are wildly popular here.

Set in the upscale Quest Mall, Yauatcha, a well-regarded dim sum house, is known for great dumplings, tea, and seafood—in short, everything Kolkata is obsessive about. The crispy duck, prawn, and chicken shu mai (dumplings) seem to be the overall favorites.

This well-liked restaurant is known for its traditional and contemporary Bengali cuisine. Try the prawns or the hilsa (a local fish), wrapped in banana leaves and steamed in a mustard and coconut marinade. The buffet here is one of the best you can get in the city—it's a great introduction to Bengali dishes.

A tribute to ancient bazaars of the Middle East, Souk serves contemporary Middle Eastern and Mediterranean cuisines. You can dine on an assortment of dips like muhammara (roasted red pepper dip), as well as falafel, kebabs, and more, in a sleek, contemporary setting.

Kolkata's first upscale Bengali restaurant still draws a crowd. Traditional Bengali delicacies, such as macher sorse paturi (fish cooked with mustard paste) and chingri malai curry (with prawns and coconut milk) are served in an intimate terra-cotta dining room.

Using aromatic local spices, delicate broths, and infused oils, Avartana executes flavorful yet innovative South Indian dishes. The seafood plates—like the fried crab claws with red chilli chutney—are superb. The cocktails use fresh ingredients and aromatic spices; ask your server for recommended pairings.

Nestled in the Taj Bengal, Cal 27 is an international restaurant offering a wide array of both vegetarian and non-vegetarian cuisine from across the world. The architectural motifs typical in Kolkata—green wooden shutters, wrought-iron grills, and white checkered floor—evokes the rich heritage of the city.

Popular with locals and visitors alike, this Chinese fine-dining restaurant may be the best in Kolkata. Choose from a delectable spread of Sichuan and Cantonese dishes, including sweet and sour pork belly, Hong Kong–style tofu, and an indulgent list of dim sum.

The Indian tradition of serving by courses has been revived in Dum Pukht, a restaurant with Mughal-era charms and excellent Awadhi cuisine. Hailing from a lineage of royal khansamas (cooks), Chef Zubair Qureshi has his own formulas for mixing spices, and uses his heirloom recipes to prepare aromatic curries, kormas, kebabs, and biryanis.

At this expansive indoor-outdoor restaurant, you can sample Bengali cuisine at its best. Try their Dhakai morog pulao (chicken pilaf from Dhaka), ilish paturi (steamed hilsa fish in banana leaf), and mishti doi (sweet fermented yogurt).

Kolkata's popular Chinese restaurant, now a national chain, is known for efficient service and spacious interiors with minimalist but comfortable furniture. Try their fish and prawn dishes or the elaborate and reasonably priced buffet.

Started in 2002, this is one of the most successful chains for traditional Bengali cuisine in upscale settings. All-time favorite dishes here include river prawns cooked in coconut milk and served in tender coconut shells.

Vegetarian recipes from the erstwhile royal kitchens of India are presented here in a warm, comfortable setting. While here, try the Sheherwali Khasa, a special indigenous tasting menu that offers delicacies from the royal vegetarian kitchens of the Sheherwalis---the Jain nobility from the havelis of Murshidabad.

At this restaurant located at the Taj City Centre New Town, you can snag a seat on its lush alfresco dining space that looks over the cityscape and dine on a selection of pan-Asian dishes. Try their golden fried mushroom in black pepper sauce, spicy edamame truffle oil dumplings, or the Thai lotus root.

With opulent furniture and ornate upholstery, Zaranj remains popular for its North-West Frontier cuisine and tandoori classics. The Zaranji raan, a favorite among guests, is a whole leg of goat marinated in Indian spices and slowly grilled—it takes a good 30 minutes to prepare, but it melts in your mouth.