25 Best Restaurants in Rajasthan, India

The Jaipur version of a Nordstrom Cafe, this little eatery, attached to the Anokhi store, has a relaxed air and is a perfect place to rest limbs weary from sightseeing or shopping, enjoying a drink for as long as you like. Try the caramelized onion, goat cheese, and tomato pizza or opt for one of the freshly made salads (washed in filtered water); also among the selection are vegetarian sandwiches and pastas, and a variety of cold drinks (the ice cubes are safe to drink).

This spacious café with chic interiors is a popular spot with locals who come for their excellent coffee (which is roasted on-site) and baked goods like croissants, Korean buns, and sandwiches as well as all-day breakfast items like omelets and pancakes.

About half an hour's drive out of the center of town, and an upward climb on a hilltop, the restaurant offers traditional-style vegetarian Rajasthani thali. The local delicacies—dal baati (unleavened wheat bread eaten with lentils), bajra roti (millet rotis), garlic chutney, sangri (a desert vegetable)—are tasty. Service is warm, but this is more about the throwback experience of sitting in a rural roadside setting where amenities are basic. There's a puppet show, Rajasthani folk dancing, and a handicraft shop.

With bright green interiors, warm lighting, and indoor plants, this bakery-cafe is a great spot to stop at after exploring Saheliyon ki Bari. Their coffee is excellent, as is their dessert selection that includes tea cakes, brownies, and cheesecakes. There are also smoothies, shakes, cold-pressed juices, and standard European cafe-fares on offer.

The glass- and wood-dominated environment of this regional chain is the best place to tuck into South Indian specialties such as dosas, idlis, upma, and vadas.

At the base of the fort, this little Italian restaurant has a lovely vibe, an interior that is simple yet far from rustic, and an open rooftop area that is perfect for people-watching. It also has a huge advantage: it is one of the only restaurants in town with an indoor area with a/c comfort. The menu focuses on vegetarian Italian pasta dishes and pizza as well as good espresso and tiramisu---just don't expect it to taste the same as a cafe in Italy. Beer is available.

Join fellow travelers at this happening spot for a cup of masala chai or a meal in the garden courtyard oasis in the city. The restaurant, which also offers rooftop dining with fort views or indoor dining with a/c, is strictly vegetarian and alcohol-free, but even meat eaters will marvel at the well-priced Indian house specialties. Pizzas and western dishes are on the menu, but the Indian entrées shine; go for a thali, vegetable biryani, or some perfectly spiced curries. Jhankar is at its best after dark, when tiny twinkling lights strung through the trees lend a whimsical air to the setting.

Rajasthani vegetarian food is the specialty at this small family-owned rooftop restaurant, but don't expect the palate-burning dishes that Rajasthan is known for—the spice levels here are significantly toned down to suit Westerners. If you haven't yet tried quintessentially Rajasthani dishes dal bati churma (lentils, rolls, and sweetened wheat and butter paste) or ker saangri (desert vegetable), this is the place to do so. For a taste of something local, try the Marwari Thali, an assortment of regional vegetarian dishes served with rice and chapatis.

Set in a garden courtyard with pink sandstone walls, this cozy restaurant offers indoor and alfresco seating where you can relish thin-crust pizzas, a variety of pastas, lasagna, and other Italian fare (albeit adapted to local tastes). In the evening, the ambience is quite romantic with dim lighting and candlelit tables.

Most of the restaurants within the fort are vegetarian for historical reasons (mainly vegetarian Brahmin families lived in the fort), but a small section, where Rajput families live, have a few non-vegetarian restaurants—Little Tibet is one of them. It serves a mix of Tibetan (momos, vegetable and meat, great thukpa soups), Chinese, and Indian, with a few global items thrown in. The Indian non-vegetarian food is competently cooked if not hugely exciting; Tibetan fare is better. You can either eat at the main level or climb up to the rooftop, lit with fairy lights, and eat under the stars. It stays open later than most places inside the fort.

Sip a chilled beer or wine and enjoy spectacular views of Jodhpur city at this romantically lit restaurant high up within the royal Mehrangarh Fort. This touristy outdoor eatery is notable more for its ambience than the food, but if you're dining here, try the traditional Rajasthani food or standard tandoori favorites like mutton kebab and paneer tikka.

Just behind the fort, this restaurant has an unassuming exterior that you might not even recognize as a restaurant, but what it lacks in decor, it makes up for in homemade cooking—especially meat dishes in the very vegetarian town of Jaisalmer. Milan’s best dishes are the tandoori options: tandoori chicken and Jeera rice or vegetable curry is popular, as is the laal maas, a local favorite. Vegetable kebabs are popular with vegetarian and vegan diners.

Popular with locals for its thalis, this all-vegetarian restaurant is also one of the few places that opens early (10 am)—if you're in the mood for stuffed paranthas (whole-wheat flatbread) or idlis (South Indian steamed rice cakes). The house specialties are bundi laddu (sugary, deep-fried chickpea-flour balls) and the rasgulla (cottage cheese balls in a sugary syrup); other sweets include ras malai (sweet cheese dumplings smothered in cream), which melt in your mouth. The decor is bland, but the sweets make up for it. No alcohol is served.

This jungle-theme and mostly outdoor restaurant in the new section of the city won't offer you the best meal you've ever had, but the food---rich and hearty---is good, the beer is cold, and it's an ideal rest stop for a quick drink or lunch. On weekends, its cavelike bar, Rocktails, is a hopping place.

A favorite with backpackers, this quirky vegetarian restaurant in an old whitewashed-blue building near the Brahma Temple has chilled trance music in the background, and reasonably quick and attentive service. The lengthy menu has everything from pizzas, thalis, extensive breakfasts (fit for a king) with Italian espresso, grilled sandwiches, soups, many flavors of lassi (chocolate, rose, mixed fruit), pasta (a favorite is ravioli in sage sauce), Mexican favorites, and Israeli and Middle Eastern food like falafel, to crepes (vegetable, sweet, or salty) and apple pie. You can eat downstairs in a/c comfort or head to the rooftop and have a meal with a view.

An upgraded dhaba (roadside eatery), this unprepossessing spot located on the way to Amer Fort is a convenient stop after a heavy morning of fort viewing. Air-conditioned and kept spotlessly clean by its house-proud and attentive owners, it serves North Indian specials; favorites on its mostly vegetarian menu include palak paneer (spinach with soft white cheese), garlic naan, kadhi pakoda (yogurt curry with chickpea dumplings), achari aloo (spiced potatoes), vegetable curry (stuffed potato dumplings in gravy). Salads, sandwiches, and a handful of Chinese dishes are also available.

The majority of the restaurants in Jaisalmer are vegetarian, prompting travelers in search of meat-based dishes to flock to this quiet, charming rooftop restaurant at the Nachna Haveli hotel complex. The menu includes a variety of Indian food, as well as Chinese and Italian options and a large array of all-day breakfast plates, but the emphasis is on traditional Rajasthani dishes, Indian, and tandoor (Indian clay-oven roasts), especially chicken delicacies. It offers a special Nachna thali (vegetarian and nonvegetarian); other specialties include roast chicken with potatoes and a selection of gratins and sizzling platters. The restaurant sells beer, wine, and other alcohol at very affordable prices. Service can be slow when busy.

A modern and cosmopolitan vibe greets you when you enter this small café next to the Toorji Stepwell and Raas. It's a perfect spot to sit in air-conditioned comfort and have an afternoon break, and you can choose from cocktails, light meals, or an espresso.

If you like to people-watch, this small terrace restaurant with lovely lake views is the place to be—expect to see an eclectic mash-up of dreadlocked backpackers, ornately adorned desert dwellers singing and dancing, and plenty of local priests eager to perform pujas (Hindu ceremonies). The menu mixes Indian (stuffed parathas or a thali), Italian (pizza, lasagna, bruschettas) and Mexican (enchiladas), though the international dishes aren't quite what you are used to back home; the veg sizzlers, lasagna, and banana pancakes are particularly popular here.

Come in the early evening, when scores of tourists and locals gather in front of the restaurant on Pushkar Lake's eastern shore to watch the sun set.

Housed in a pink-walled bungalow off the busy M.I. Road, this restaurant-bar channels the spirit of British architect Samuel Swinton Jacob, who designed many of Jaipur's iconic buildings like Rambagh Palace and Albert Hall Museum. The food menu includes everything from Indian chaat to pan-Asian to Italian—there's something for everyone. The space is divided into two distinct units: The Yard, with a retractable glass roof and delicate pink furnishing, is awash with natural light while Albion has a speakeasy vibe with deep colors, vintage furniture, and chandeliers. The bar shakes up some interesting cocktails—the Sassy Jamun with gin, jamun (Malabar plum, type of stonefruit), and yuzu foam is a deliciously tart and spicy purple-colored concoction.

With several tea varieties, juices, and plenty of snacks---including samosas, pizza, and pav bhaji (vegetable curry with bread)—Tapri is Jaipur's modern café where friends, ladies who lunch, and visitors come to spend a few hours relaxing while overlooking Central Park. The tea is served with a timer to ensure yours is steeped perfectly to your liking; the ice tea (you can order a whole pitcher) is perfect for blazing hot days. There are also three other locations around the city.