Where India is eating now: The restaurants and cafés making noise

Of all these restaurants in India, one thing is true—they are about so much more than just food on the plate. It may be a new kind of Indian cuisine, a ‘globally oriented’ tapas menu, or a setting that is cinematic in every sense of the word; these are the restaurants that are hot right now.

Nisaba, Delhi

A romantic, contemporary Asian dining space that combines precision with warmth, Nisaba has swiftly become a go-to spot for those who understand and appreciate nuanced flavours and beautifully restrained design. The menu ranges from Eastern to Southeast Asian cuisine, with a focus on light Japanese sushi and sashimi, flavorful Asian bao, fragrant curries, and expertly composed small plates, along with understated yet expertly crafted cocktails. Among other dishes on the plate are the samosa served with Moradabadi dal, buknu masala, and everything chutney, a creative take on comfort food; beetroot and goat cheese dahi vada with green tomatoes and nutmeg miso rice, in which tart and earthy flavors are balanced; and a chilli tomato crab ghotala, which contains a fine mince with an emphasis on warmth rather than chili heat.

Akina, Mumbai

With its prime location in the centre of Worli, Akina offers a fresh and contemporary Asian perspective on the ever-changing Mumbai restaurant scene. While its ambience exudes a certain slickness, it also manages to inspire warmth and a certain innate sociability without any compromise on its elegance and sophistication. Its menu, which is heavily devoted to modern Japanese and Asian cuisine, offers rather fascinating dishes such as the avocado and asparagus nigiri with yuzu and togarashi, aburi salmon maki, and ebi tempura rolls, in addition to its famous dynamite roll, along with other comfort foods such as chicken katsu and edamame crunch maki rolls, making Akina an absolute must-visit destination for both sophisticated and exciting food in an exciting and expertly-designed space.

La Panthera at The Conservatory, Bengaluru

Bold, dramatic, and unrepentantly indulgent, La Panthera is as much about ambience as it is about excess. The cuisine itself is international in scope and ambition, indulging in fine ingredients, rich sauces, and layers of flavours. Highlights of the menu include the burrata served with fresh tomatoes and olive oil, the mushroom dishes loaded with truffle, the decadent prawn and lobster dishes finished in butter-drenched sauce, and the hearty meat courses consumed over a prolonged period of slow enjoyment. The desserts carry the theme further, throwing all weight behind dark chocolate-driven finishes and familiar comfort foods. It all comes together in a dining room that’s dark, textured, and plenty dramatic, which of course means it’s the kind of restaurant where the evening's main act will be the one taking place over the dinner plate.

Zane Café, Mumbai

With its minimalist, modern, and unquestionably cool approach, Zane Café has managed to create a niche fan base within the bustling café culture of Mumbai. The décor remains unpretentious, with a matching menu that maintains a focus on comforting ‘normal’ fare. The idea is to dish out perfectly brewed coffee, simple breakfast options, light breakfasts through soft scrambles on toast, homely sandwiches, and straight-up pastas that are not worked too hard. Even desserts are light on calories. Think uncomplicated cheesecakes, brownies, and bakes that are simply there to be devoured.

IKK Panjab, Delhi

Ikk Panjab is an ode to the present-day Punjab, and it is modern and nostalgic at the same time. The menu is a remake of home comforts such as dals, curries, kebabs, and bread, done with a modern twist but retaining the soul of those recipes. Some of their signatures include their Dal Ikk Panjab, which is painstakingly prepared and layered with flavours; their smoky tandoori gobi and paneer, prepared with a consciousness of their spices; and their galouti kebabs, a testament to old-world splurge. Fuller-bodied curries go hand in hand with roomali rotis, naans, and flaky bread, and the entire experience is comforting and upscale at the same time.

Ode, Mumbai

Quiet homage to life in Med, Ode is a tightly knit operation in Mumbai that worships home ingredients and home cooking. The restaurant’s deliberately unadorned menu is steeped in home-made pasta and dough pizzas, tapas bites, and seafood dishes that promote flavour without embellishments of its own accord. Think homogeneously smooth pasta tossed in olive oil and herbs and topped by seasonal veggies, burrata and veggies atop wood-fired pizzas, straightforward grilled seafood dishes, and small plates perfect for slow eating. Pair its light-and-airy spaces, laid-back service, and serene setting, and Ode is a restaurant perfectly conducive to leisurely weekend lunches and calm and quietly indulgent dinners.

Hotel Irada​​​​​​, Pune

The Irada Pool Club operates within a resort-like setting, achieving a harmonious blend of relaxed lounging and socialising for dining. The menu serves as a sharing food system, offering a combination of comfort food, grills, and Asian-fusion dishes. It includes items such as crispy tempura bites, Asian-fusion bites with a focus on flavours, barbecue grills, and Asian-fusion bowls. Irada Pool Club's food can also be paired with its refreshing cocktail menu, offering a balance of fresh ingredients for a relaxed afternoon experience that transitions to evening fun. It is the sort of restaurant where meals occur at a leisurely pace, allowing pool usage.

Foo, Mumbai

A traditional favourite that never fails to please, Foo is renowned for its dramatic Asian tastes combined with an energetic ambience. The menu includes an array of sushi, dim sum, baos, noodles, and substantial meals to be shared. Some popular favourites would be the truffle edamame, asparagus cream cheese rolls, crispy lotus stem, bursting baos, and hearty noodle bowls topped off with zesty sauces. Although the dim sum offers soft, indulgent delights, the regular meals promise to add heat, crunch, and an element of richness to the experience. Simple to go back to but even simpler to relish, Foo makes quite an appropriate spot for eating in an informal setting.

PAUL, Bengaluru

For the full French café encounter, the Bengaluru-based PAUL serves a fascinating Parisian getaway characterised by sophisticated decor and a culinary system that centres entirely around the in-house bakery that serves as the heart and soul of the establishment. Croissants and chocolate pastries are side by side with sourdough and freshly baked baguettes for the sweeter tooth, and for the more savoury, the choices are basic quiches, salads, and pastas that are more comfort food than mainstays of French cuisine, of course. The pastries are strictly along the traditional route—think éclairs and fruit tarts—and are best taken with a properly brewed cup of coffee.

La Loca Maria, Mumbai

La Loca Maria is also renowned for its Latin playfulness, and its sophisticated incarnation with La Trufa Negra – Season III is a black winter truffle extravaganza. The cuisine is carefully designed to showcase the main ingredient with options such as Cacio e Pepe Tartufo with homemade garganelli, lasagna of truffled mushrooms, and a meticulous truffled steak tartare, followed by grilled Indian salmon with black truffle velouté and a show-stopping truffled roast chicken, culminating with a mocha almond financier.

Açaí by the Bay, Mumbai

Popular with health buffs, Açaí by the Bay offers a lineup of healthy dishes together with a relaxed beachside ambience. They feature colourful acai bowls topped with sweet fruits and a crunch of granola, and also offer juices and salads. Their light meals and breakfast servings make the place perfect for a slow morning or a quiet break during an afternoon stroll along the beach.

Masaya, Goa

Masaya captures the free-spiritedness of Goa with a cuisine that holds varying flavours from across the world, and offers these with the laid-back ease of Goan cuisine. Masaya's must-try dishes include the lively starter options that include tuna tataki and roasted vegetable croquettes, and more indulgent and regional options that include seafood paella and coconut-curry fish, as well as some fresh and grilled seafood that comes straight from the shore. "Easy and refreshing cocktails that complement the warm and unassuming ambience," read reviews of the place that also recommend Masaya as 'the perfect place for a leisurely feast'.

Soria, Mumbai

Soria is a sleek and modern restaurant that satisfies those who prefer eating modern international cuisine in a fashionable way. They offer sophisticated small plates like truffle arancini, beetroot carpaccio, and grilled scallop, and perfectly balanced entrees like miso-glazed seabass, wagyu beef medallions, and roasted vegetable risotto. Soria also offers unique drinks to go along with their foods, making it a great place to hold lengthy chit-chats. Soria also houses a number of private dining rooms, making it a great place to hold birthday or anniversary celebrations.

No Vacancy, Delhi

Very energetic and not a venue for the faint of heart, No Vacancy is a marriage of food and partying in an experience that isn’t merely a dining affair, thanks to very vibrant and sharable bar foods in the form of nachos, truffle fries, chicken wings, and sliders, in addition to small dishes that pack a punch in terms of flavours in dishes such as prawns and baos in chilli and garlic.

Cove, Kolkata 

Cove brings to the culinary scene of Kolkata a tranquil and elegant dining experience, providing a refreshing escape from the hustle and bustle of the bustling city. The menu includes carefully selected dishes such as seared scallops with citrus beurre blanc, truffle mushroom risotto, lamb chops with rosemary juice, and exquisite seafood ceviche. The menu is complemented by salads, bakery products, and decadent desserts such as chocolate fondant and panna cotta.

Qavalli, Delhi

Qavalli is the modern interpretation of India's rich musical and food heritage, blending nostalgia with contemporariness. Its menu comprises fragrant Dum Biryani, slow-cooked Murg Malaiwala, tender Sheekh Kebabs, rich Shahi Tukda, and Gulab Jamun Cheesecake. Each course is a creation to evoke tradition with a modern twist in taste, served amidst an immersive, theatrical yet decidedly celebratory space.

Dali, Delhi

With an eclectic, art-infused ambience, Dali is an eclectic, art-infused restaurant that assembles world flavours into one artistic space. It offers world inspirations through Asian dishes, including miso black cod, Thai red curry chicken, and others, while small plates and comfort-based food, including sliders, wagyu, and arancini, as well as desserts, are not left out, all of which are infused with world inspiration. Special drinks are also paired alongside the intense world of flavour at Dali.

Kamei Cosmo, Delhi

Kamei Cosmo is a modern restaurant that serves a contemporary dining experience with strong, globally-inspired flavours. The restaurant serves globally-inspired meals in a modern and cleverly designed manner, including dishes such as miso-glazed seabass, mushroom risotto with truffle infusion, and beef cutlets made from wagyu beef. Elegant small plates, including tuna tartare, prawn tempura, and chicken bites, are best paired with their expertly designed cocktails.

Latoya, Delhi

Stylish and modern, Latoya appeals to the city's fashionable dining audience. The menu focuses on modern global cuisine: comfort food such as truffle mac and cheese, roasted lamb medallions, and miso-glazed salmon, along with shared plates including crispy calamari and beetroot carpaccio. Elegant mains are accompanied by a thoughtfully curated cocktail programme that makes Latoya perfect for a sleek, sophisticated night out.

Destination dining restaurants to regular favourites, these restaurants and cafes are a reflection of how Indians are now eating, and it is global, design-driven, and very experience-oriented. Bookmark these spaces now, as they set the tone for the culinary debate this season.

Lead image: Pexels

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