Delhi, India — Food and Dining
Restaurants in Delhi, India
Restaurants
Expensive
Bukhara
Bukhara is widely touted as the best place in Delhi for North-West Frontier cuisine; indeed this stellar restaurant has even earned a place on the World's 50 Best Restaurants list. Particularly good are its tandoor and dhal as well as the kastoori kebab. The ambience is suitably rustic, the clientele are decidedly more fashion conscious.
Maurya Sheraton Hotel & Towers, Sadar Patel Marg
Tel: (011) 2611 2233.
Website: www.itcwelcomgroup.in
Orient Express
The dining area for this fabulous restaurant, reputedly one of the best in Delhi, recreates a luxurious carriage from the legendary Orient Express train. The menu celebrates cuisines from all the countries through which the train passes, although the focus is predominantly on classical French. The service is excellent and you are invited to enjoy a drink before boarding the train or after your meal in the relaxed, attached bar area.
Taj Palace Hotel, Sardar Patel Marg, Diplomatic Enclave
Tel: (011) 2611 0202.
Website: www.tajhotels.com
The Spice Route
Designed to reflect the journey of spices from the Malabar Coast in Kerala through Sri Lanka, Malaysia and Indonesia to Thailand and Vietnam, this lavishly decorated restaurant is the place to come for south east Asian cuisine. The colorful decor celebrates the art and culture of the regions and provides the perfect accompaniment to the innovative cuisine.
The Imperial Hotel, Janpath
Tel: (011) 2334 1234.
Website: www.theimperialindia.com
Travertino
Elegant yet unassuming, this authentic Italian restaurant is the perfect place to come to clinch that business deal. The menu and presentation is suitably understated but the food is sublime; gnocchi with buffalo mozzarella and tuna ravioli are just a couple of the menu's star attractions. The deserts are equally impressive, there's an extensive wine list and the cheese selection includes a number of more unusual regional specialties.
The Oberoi Hotel, Dr Zakir Hussain Marg
Tel: (011) 2436 3030.
Website: www.oberoidelhi.com
Moderate
Magique
The out-of-the-way location is part of Magique's charm; this is one of the few places in Delhi where dining outdoors is a pleasurable experience. This restaurant manages to be both cool and charming, where contemporary decor is accompanied by friendly service. The menu is Asian fusion and features some superb treats such as tandoori lemongrass chicken. Drinks are equally eclectic with wasabi martinis making an appearance. Open for dinner only.
The Garden Village, Gate No. 3, Garden of 5 Senses
Tel: (011) 3271 6767.
Website: www.magique.in
Indian Accent
For traditional Indian food with a twist head to Chef Manish Mehrotra's kitchen tucked away within the confines of the elegant Manor Hotel. Here you can sample tandoori Scottish salmon, blue cheese naan or pan friend pork belly with vindaloo masala. The menu is exciting and utterly unique and the taste sensations at times, mind-boggling.
The Manor Hotel, New Friends Colony
Tel: (011) 2692 5151.
Website: www.themanordelhli.com
Smokehouse Grill
With a stellar menu, excellent cocktails and (usually) good DJs, this modern restaurant and bar is a favorite with Delhi's fashionable crowd. The steaks are a specialty here but the extensive menu will satisfy even the pickiest of eaters and the deserts are divine. Enjoy dinner upstairs and then head down to the bar for late night drinking and dancing.
2 VIPPS Center, LSC Masjid Moth, Greater Kailash II
Tel: (011) 4143 5530.
Website: www.smokehousegrill.in
Cheap
Karim's
Established in 1913, Karim's is something of a Delhi institution. It serves robust (mostly non-veg) Mughal food in rudimentary but clean surroundings off a courtyard near Jama Masjid in Old Delhi. The tandoori chicken and tandoori burra (mutton) both come highly recommended, as do the juicy kebabs. The selection of traditional Indian breads, from stuffed naan to paper-thin romali roti provides the perfect accompaniment. During Ramadan the restaurant is only open after sunset.
16 Jama Masjid
Tel: (011) 2326 9880.
Website: www.karimhoteldelhi.com
Kwality
This iconic restaurant has been going strong for around 60 years, thanks to its consistently good, primarily North Indian food. Attracting a predominantly middle-class crowd, Kwality deserves kudos for its variety of dishes, from chunky meat curries to delicate paneer creations. There is a pleasing variety of veg and non-veg dishes to choose from.
7 Regal Building, Connaught Place
Tel: (011) 2374 2352.
Website: www.kwalitygroup.com
United Coffee House
With much of its 1940s interior still intact - including chandeliers and flocked wallpaper - the UCH is a charming place to recharge the batteries. Popular with travelers and locals alike, the long menu offers everything from Indian snacks and American-style grilled-cheese sandwiches to the odd Chinese dish.
15 E-Block, Connaught Place
Tel: (011) 2341 6075.
Nightlife
Delhi's bar scene has grown rapidly in recent years. Apart from 5-star hotels, Delhi's drinking dens can be found concentrated around Connaught Place or in the prosperous southern suburbs. Many Delhi bars also double up as restaurants and nightclubs.
Fancier bars stock a myriad of domestic and foreign alcohol but the taxes can leave a nasty hangover (alcoholic/non-alcoholic 20%/12.5%). Espresso bars are becoming increasingly popular - the two most prolific chains are Barista and Cafe Coffee Day.
Bars
1911
One of the swankiest hotel bars in Delhi is 1911 in the Imperial Hotel. Named after the year when Delhi was proclaimed the capital of British India, this is neo-colonial drinking at its best.
Imperial Hotel, Janpath
Tel: (011) 2334 1234.
Website: www.theimperialindia.com
Q'BA
A snazzy joint in Connaught Place, this two-floor bar offering a decent cocktail list attracts a smart crowd. Featuring leather chairs, dim lighting, two breezy roof terraces, deep purple, black and brown hues, it is worth lingering in with friends. It also sometimes features live music.
42 E-Block, Connaught Place
Tel: (011) 4151 2888.
Website: www.qba.co.in
Clubs
@Live Bar
You'll need lots of energy for this centrally-located watering hole where can choose what songs you want the live Malaysian band to play. The nightspot serves a mix of beverages from decent local wine to sangria and Irish beer.
K-12, Outer Circle, Connaught Place
Tel: (011) 4356 0008.
Lizard Lounge
Hip hop, rock, and Bollywood tunes take turns on the decks at this small nightspot in Delhi's trendy southern suburb.
E-5, South Extension II
Tel: (011) 4164 2924.
Shalom
In Greater Kailash is the trendy Shalom which sports an inventive drinks menu alongside its tasty Lebanese food menu. This laid-back watering hole also features eclectic music.
N-18, N-Block Market
Tel: (011) 4163 2282.
Website: www.shalomexperience.com
Live Music
Haze
The only bar offering live jazz and blues music in Delhi, this place has a laid back atmosphere and friendly staff. Pictures of jazz greats line the wall while the DJ and staff definitely know the classics. Happy hour is between 1530-1900.
8 Basant Lok, Visant Vihar
Tel: (011) 4166 9088.
The Living Room Café and Kitchen
This late-night drinking lair is a relative newcomer but is fast attracting a loyal crowd of musicians, expats and tourists. Chill out to a musical medley, ranging from reggae and raga to soft rock and soul. Its three floors heave at the weekends with energetic dancers and live music but you can always escape the sweaty masses by battling your way to the fourth-floor terrace for a breath of the city's sultry night air.
31 Hauz Khas Village
Tel: (011) 4608 0533.
