282 Best Restaurants in India

Delhi's most rarefied Italian restaurant is known for its playful, sensuous dishes, relying heavily on black olives, Parmesan cheese, and fresh local produce, and for its excellent service. The small wood-panel rooms are inviting; in winter you can dine on a terra-cotta patio in the fabulous garden.

Fronting Morjim Beach, this restaurant features a chic taupe-and-white color scheme and comfy sofas under canopies. The menu is an enticing array of seafood, continental fare, pastas, and steaks. With DJ sets and innovative cocktails, Saz is an ideal spot for sundowner shots and a memorable evening by the sea. 

Popular with locals and foreigners alike, this casual spot serves butter-laden dishes inspired by the cuisine of North India's Punjab region. It is a great place to take an air-conditioned break from the intense shopping of 18th June Road. Plus, it has a garden terrace out back—a cozy spot to hang out.

Although a fine-dining restaurant, Sorrento has an easygoing vibe that will instantly transport you to a trattoria in Italy. It offers an extensive menu of antipasti, handmade pastas, pizzas, and succulently grilled meats, and may just be the top choice for your Italian craving in Delhi. The charming al fresco seating overlooking the spacious lawn is ideal for enjoying balmy evenings or sunny lunches.

Established in 1932, and now managed by the third generation of the Lobo family, this large, airy, no-frills restaurant on hectic Calangute Beach catches the exuberant sea breeze. The seafood is excellent, with a good selection of Goan and Western dishes, so it's no surprise that this place is almost always busy.

This gorgeous restaurant at The Imperial New Delhi offers Southeast Asian dining at its finest, with authentic Thai and coastal Indian dishes. The opulent decor represents the journey from Kerala to Thailand, with elaborate hand-painted murals from South India to a beautiful Thai-style pagoda in the alfresco area.

This seaside restaurant, a bit above Baga's many beach shacks, serves an astonishing variety of dishes in a casual setting that draws big crowds due to its location at the mouth of the river. It hosts very popular karaoke nights; if you're keen to watch or participate, it's worth calling ahead to see when they're on.

The pizzas here are as memorable as the locale—the restaurant is located within an out-of-service steam engine; hop aboard and settle into an interior booth (a must in hot months) or dine on the Victorian-era platform. It's located on the grounds of the Rambagh Palace hotel, part of the Taj Hotel empire, and buzzes at night with locals and in-the-know travelers.

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.

Overlooking Lake Pichola, this restaurant benefits from a constant breeze, and sitting on the terrace feels as if you've joined the aristocracy and have unlimited leisure---plus live instrumental music adds to the romance in the evenings. Order from a fixed-price menu or à la carte options; favorites include the safed maas (mutton in cashew-nut gravy), butter chicken, papad mangodi ki sabzi (papad and lentil dumpling in tomato gravy), and kung pao chicken. Come at night to have a cocktail and watch the sunset.

India's French influence might be strongest in sunny Pondicherry, on the east coast, but with two Frenchmen at the helm, this tiny crepe joint can provide a taste of it right here in Mumbai (branches have blossomed across Mumbai, including in Bandra and Powai). Try the Méditerranée, with grilled chicken, olive tapenade, mozzarella, and tomatoes, or the Italie, with arugula, a tomato coulis, mozzarella, and oregano, or build your own crepe from an extensive list of ingredients.

Delhi's original Mangalorean restaurant—specializing in seafood from the western coast between Goa and Kerala—is outstanding for seafood served in prim, softly lit dining rooms with good service. Choose your sauce, then decide between fish, prawns, or crab, and mop up your food with appam or neer dosa, soft South Indian rice breads.

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.

This all-day restaurant located in the Spice Village resort serves some of the best food in the area, including not-to-miss Kerala specialties. You can choose to eat inside the thatched main building, decorated with a colorful selection of cattle masks, on a veranda overlooking the pool, or in the garden.

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.

Located on the top floor of Parallel Hotel, this happening lounge bar and restaurant offers sweeping views of the cityscape and the surrounding Aravallis. Try one of their signature cocktails along with a selection of Mediterranean-inspired bar bites, dim sums, and sushi; there's also an extensive pizza, pasta, and risotto menu. After a long day of sightseeing, this is the perfect place for a sunset drink and finger food or dinner, although the music does get progressively louder through the evening.

Popular with rich Mumbai housewives—who pack the place for lunch during the week—this Italian restaurant helmed by Chef Ritu Dalmia serves gourmet food in a relaxed, tasteful setting. On the top-floor veranda of Good Earth (a designer furniture store), the Tasting Room shares its hosts' penchant for subtle Indian minimalism in bright jewel tones.

This restaurant inside the local Taj is as good a place to sample the distinct flavor of Indo-Chinese—which blends powerful Indian spices and delicate Chinese preparation—as you're likely to find outside of Mumbai proper. The menu features an excellent array of teas (try the Darjeeling) and cocktails (the sweet but subtle mojito is especially nice), and unlike most of the rest of the pack in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, the atmosphere here is quiet and refined.

This quirky two-story café, off Princess Street and near the harbor, has teapots and kettles decorating every available space, including some dangling from the ceiling; some tables are made from wooden tea chests. There’s a fair selection of both Indian and continental food—roast chicken and potatoes, prawn moilee (in a coconut curry), vegetable stew—but the café is best known for its sandwiches and freshly baked cakes and for being a terrific spot for sipping away on a cup of tea for an hour or more.

This immensely popular place is Kerala’s first Thai restaurant—so don’t be surprised if the waiter explains each dish to you—and it has plentiful seafood as well as Vietnamese and Chinese dishes. The dining room is done up in warm woods, with silver and rich red accents on the ceiling and chairs, plus colorful murals and beveled glass windows that give you a glimpse of the Arabian Sea.

This excellent beachside Pan-Asian restaurant located at the Leela serves up freshly caught fish supplied by the local fishermen. The huge variety of dishes ranges from wok-tossed meats and curries to fried rice, noodles, and soups. Vegetarian options, as well as wine and beer, are available.

Serving rich North Indian and Rajasthani food, as well as some Chinese, quite a few continental dishes, and a choice of desserts which you don't find at other Jaisalmer restaurants, this rooftop restaurant is an old favorite with travelers even if the food is not outstanding. The tented roof top has a kitschy though charming look, with good views of the fort from the smaller open terrace area. Try the tandoori thali, a combo platter of various chicken and vegetable items baked in a tandoor oven.

Trio can get packed with prebooked tour groups, so check whether you need a reservation for dinner during the peak season.

Although most of the items on Trishna's seafood menu are of respectable quality, you'd be remiss not to order the much-vaunted butter garlic crab---even if that was all this legendary Kala Ghoda restaurant served, it'd be full year-round. The succulent crab is available in myriad treatments—with Indian and Western spices, green hariyali masala, black (spicier) Hyderabadi masala—and Trishna maintains the quality that's made it a favorite with tourists for more than 30 years.

A few wooden tables, colorful artwork, and hanging lamps in this large café provide a vibrant setting for savoring some of the best coffee in the city, whipped up with coffee beans sourced from the state of Karnataka. They serve all-day breakfast and freshly baked cakes, as well as heartier items like pastas and burgers.

The name of the Lake Pichola Hotel's restaurant means "upstairs" in the local dialect, and that's exactly what it is—a rooftop spot beside the pool, with spectacular views of the City Palace complex and lake, especially charming and romantic when they are lighted up after dark (it can be hot at lunchtime). There's typical Rajasthani seating on high beds and against bolsters, too. Run by the same family that runs 1559 AD, this is a favorite among locals and tourists, who come for the good-quality (though not outstanding) food at reasonable prices. The menu features Italian, Mexican, and Chinese dishes alongside the Indian food. The restaurant also has a well-stocked bar.

This contemporary Indian restaurant at Taj Mahal New Delhi churns out traditional dishes presented with a classic fine-dining spin. The white-tablecloth setting is cozy, but luxurious, serviced by attentive staff.

At this Indian fine-dining restaurant at Taj Ganges, you can dine on Benarasi delicacies, thalis, and other North Indian fare with vegetarian and meat dishes. Traditional Benarasi weaves are evident in the upholstery and interiors, while live sitar renditions add a more traditional touch to the dining experience. Guests can also request for the kids menu with simpler flavors and comfort foods.

Overlooking a lake and a swimming pool, this restaurant serves global and Indian comfort cuisine. Classic dishes like butter chicken, lobster thermidor, and chicken Kiev are recommended here.