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Restaurants Traditionally, all the best restaurants in Delhi were to be found in the five-star international hotels. When smart Delhiwallahs wished to impress, they would head for one of these places where, in return for five-star prices, they would be guaranteed good food in swish surroundings with obsequious service. To an extent, this is still the case, although beyond the confines of the big hotels, the prosperity of Delhi’s enormous middle class has ensured that a huge number of excellent restaurants have sprung up where one can be assured of delicious food at a fraction of the price that is charged in the big hotel dining rooms. The question of alcohol is a thorny one in Delhi, where it remains notoriously difficult to secure a drink licence. Therefore many restaurants are unlicensed. Alcohol in Delhi is expensive and wine particularly so – a run-of-the-mill bottle of Pino Grigio could cost up to Rs1800 (approximately £27), before sales taxes – as it is subject to an import tax of more than 200%. Wine lists are almost universally disappointing. Many licensed restaurants do not offer wine, confining themselves to beer, cocktails and spirits. Indian wine does exist and is worth trying, if only for its novelty value. There is an Indian ‘champagne’ sold under the name ‘Marquise de Pompadour’, which, at Rs750 a bottle, is a reasonable way to put some sparkle into an evening. Indian beer, however, is excellent and invariably ice cold. There are also a large number of restaurants in Delhi that are wholly vegetarian. Indeed, the city is a culinary paradise for the non-meat-eater, as even the categorisation of eating houses – ‘veg’ and ‘non-veg’ – suggests a presumption in favour of vegetarianism. ‘Non-veg’ restaurants will all offer a wide variety of ‘veg’ dishes. We have selected 25 restaurants, which we have divided into five categories: Gastronomic, Business, Trendy, Budget and Personal Recommendations. The restaurants are listed alphabetically within these different categories, which serve as guidelines rather than absolute definitions of the establishments. All the restaurants included have air-conditioned dining rooms. Generally, restaurants are subject to a sales tax of 8% on meals and 20% on alcohol – in the five-star hotels there is an additional impost of 10%. This is called the ‘Hotel Expenditure Tax’. The prices quoted below are for a three-course meal per person and a bottle of Indian beer (usually 600ml) and include all taxes but not service charges. Gastronomic Baan Thai Baan Thai offers splendid Thai food – some of the best in Delhi – served in stylish surroundings. The ingredients are crisp and fresh and the sauces light yet pungent. Vegetarian and non vegetarian platters offer diners the traditional favourites, including spring rolls, mushroom cake, papaya salad, tofu, crisp vegetables, fish cakes, satay and prawn sticks. Patrons at this restaurant in The Oberoi hotel sit on the floor with their feet in a pit beneath the table. There are, however, conventional tables and chairs for the less supple. The Oberoi, New Delhi, Dr Zakir Hussain Marg, New Delhi Tel: (011) 436 3030. Fax: (011) 436 0484. E-mail: reservations@oberoidel.com Website: www.oberoihotels.com Price: Rs1600. Beer: Rs275. House of Ming House of Ming, located in the Taj Mahal Hotel, is one of Delhi’s finest restaurants serving genuine Chinese food – distinct from the (delicious) Indian interpretation of it. The dining room is spacious and the ambience delightful. Seafood dishes are a speciality well worth trying, despite their extra cost. 1 Mansingh Road, New Delhi Tel: (011) 302 6162. Fax: (011) 302 6070. E-mail: trn.delhi@tajhotels.com Website: www.tajhotels.com Price: Rs2000 (with seafood). Beer: Rs250. La Rochelle Part of The Oberoi hotel, La Rochelle is the best French restaurant in Delhi, with prices to match. The chef has constructed an authentically French menu that will excite the most jaded palate. Dishes include tart of escargot, roasted morel mushroom, pan-roast rack of lamb and pan-friend trout meuniere. It also boasts the most interesting wine list in Delhi, although diners should beware – a bottle of moderate 1999 claret costs Rs3000. The Oberoi, Dr Zakir Hussain Marg, New Delhi Tel: (011) 436 3030. Fax: (011) 436 0484. E-mail: reservations@oberoidel.com Website: www.oberoihotels.com Price: Rs2500. Beer: Rs275. Marsala Art The principal joy of the new Marsala Art in the Taj Palace Hotel is the ‘Instant Sketches’ menu, the soi disant ‘interactive’ Indian eating experience. Diners sit at a bar, behind which the chefs cook. There are three set menus to choose from – seafood, vegetarian and non-vegetarian – each comprising ten small dishes. Diner and chef can discuss the courses as these appear. The dining room is modern and unfussy, the food fabulous. The Taj Palace Hotel, 1 Sardar Patel Marg, Diplomatic Enclave, New Delhi Tel: (011) 611 0202. Fax: (011) 611 0808. E-mail: palace.delhi@tajhotels.com or trn.delhi@tajhotels.com Website: www.tajhotels.com Price: Rs1300. Beer: Rs270. Business Bukhara Restaurant Located in the Maurya Sheraton, the Bukhara is widely touted as the best place for Mughal and North-West Frontier specialities in Delhi. The food is delicious and everything its reputation suggests – one particularly recommended dish is the kastoori kebab, while the delicious dal makes a splendid accompaniment to any meal. Diners sit on benches, at elegant low tables. The restaurant is crowded but the service remains attentive. Maurya Sheraton Hotel & Towers, Diplomatic Enclave, New Delhi Tel: (011) 611 2233. Fax: (011) 611 3333. Website: www.welcomgroup.com Price: Rs1500. Beer: Rs285. Dhaba Dhaba is a popular restaurant in Claridges Hotel, serving Mughal or Northern Indian specialities. The food is excellent and the restaurant less formal than some in the large hotels. The atmosphere is intended to be more rustic, suggesting a wayside tavern rather than a nawab’s dining room. Claridges Hotel, 12 Aurangzeb Road, New Delhi Tel: (011) 301 0211. Fax: (011) 301 0625. E-mail: claridges.hotel@gems.vsnl.in Price: Rs750. Beer: Rs165. Gaylord Gaylord serves Mughal and Northern Indian food in plush surroundings – armchairs, chandeliers and gilt mirrors – which give the place a slightly sombre feel, appealing to a predominantly male, middle-class and middle-aged clientele. The food is cooked in the traditional style, rich and filling – the nurg bharta is especially good. Gaylord lends itself to the business lunch. 16 Regal Building, Connaught Place, New Delhi Tel: (011) 336 0717 or 373 4677. Price: Rs550. Beer: Rs125. The Host A staid restaurant in Connaught Place, The Host serves Mughal and Chinese specialities to a clientele comprising Delhi businessmen and well-heeled tourists. The food is good if a little unexciting and, in the case of the Mughal dishes – bhuna murg, for example – rich and filling. F-8, Connaught Place, New Delhi Tel: (011) 331 6381 or 331 6576. Price: Rs550. Beer: Rs125. Spice Route The Spice Route is in The Imperial hotel and serves top-quality Thai and South Asian food, in a restaurant decorated with antique, gaudily painted wooden pillars and panels. Even if the food were not excellent – crisp, spicy and fresh – it would be worth eating here for the setting alone. The tangy oriental salads and the piquant vegetable stews are particularly recommended. The Imperial, Janpath, New Delhi Tel: (011) 334 1234. Fax: (011) 334 2255. E-mail: luxury@theimperialindia.com Website: www.theimperialindia.com Price: Rs1300. Beer: Rs220. Trendy Aka Saka A Chinese restaurant in Defence Colony Market, Aka Saka serves food that is typical of the Indian interpretation of the Chinese culinary idiom. In Indian hands, Chinese dishes tend to emerge hotter and spicier than would otherwise be the case. This restaurant is rather plusher than some of the others are, however, all are very popular. Aka Saka, Defence Colony Market, New Delhi Tel: (011) 469 1265 or 463 5394. Price: Rs350. Beer: Rs135. Moet's A well-known and popular restaurant in Defence Colony Market, Moet’s serves Indian and Chinese food in separate but adjacent restaurants. The Indian establishment serves Mughal and Kashmiri specialities and a range of vegetarian dishes, while the Chinese menu offers a wide range of standard favourites. The food – particularly the murg haryali kebab or the murg achari – is good and the smart, youngish clientele generates a buzz. 50 Defence Colony Market, New Delhi Tel: (011) 462 6814 or 463 5280. Price: Rs450. Beer: Rs160. The Village Bistro One of many restaurants in Haus Khaz Village, The Village Bistro serves Mughal specialities, along with some South Indian non-vegetarian dishes. The dining room is modern and split over several levels, which lends a feeling of intimacy and privacy to the tables. 12 Haus Khaz Village, New Delhi Tel: (011) 685 3857. Fax: (011) 652 2226. Price: Rs650. Beer: Rs175. Top of the Village A rooftop restaurant open to the skies in Haus Khaz Village, Top of the Village commands a magnificent view over the remains of Shah Feroz’s tomb and madrasa. At night, the ruins are floodlit and make a memorable backdrop to dinner. It is worth going there for the view alone, although the food – Mughal specialities, including particularly good paneer dishes – is more than acceptable. 12 Haus Khaz Village, New Delhi Tel: (011) 685 2227 or 685 3857. Fax: (011) 652 2226. Website: www.fhraindia.com/restaurant/delhi/bistro Price: Rs550. Beer: Rs175. Veg Gulati Veg Gulati serves northern Indian vegetarian specialities, such as the delicious paneer tikka, tandoori gobhi and tandoori aloo. It is a popular, family restaurant where patrons will be served quickly and with a smile. Next door is the sister establishment that serves non-vegetarian food as well. 8 Pandara Road Market, New Delhi Tel: (011) 338 8830 or 338 8863. Price: Rs400. Unlicensed. Budget China Fare A tiny, prettily decorated and unfussy restaurant in Khan Market, China Fare is popular among the expatriate community. It serves delicious Chinese food, cooked in the Indian style (hot and spicy) at reasonable prices. The service is friendly too. 27a Khan Market, New Delhi Tel: (011) 461 8602. Price: Rs450. Unlicensed. Karim’s Established in 1913, Karim’s is something of a Delhi institution. It serves Mughal food in rudimentary but clean surroundings off a courtyard that is close behind Jama Masjid in Old Delhi. The tandoori chicken here is highly recommended. The bird, surprisingly, arrives whole and spread-eagled but is mouth-wateringly good. Hotel Bombay Orient, 16 Jama Masjid, New Delhi Tel: (011) 326 9880 or 326 4981. E-mail: khpl@del3.vsnl.net.in Price: Rs300. Unlicensed. Machaan Part of the Taj Mahal Hotel, Machaan is a 24-hour café that offers a variety of styles of Oriental and European food, including Thai, Vietnamese and Italian, on a constantly changing basis. It is a reasonable place to eat quickly and well – the food is served from a buffet. The restaurant has recently been refurbished. Taj Mahal Hotel, 1 Mansingh Road, New Delhi Tel: (011) 302 6162. Fax: (011) 302 6070. E-mail: trn.delhi@tajhotels.com Price: Rs700. Beer: Rs250. Sagar Ratna Sagar Ratna is located in the Lodhi Hotel and serves southern Indian vegetarian food. The dhosas, idlis and uphapams, light yet filling, make a delicious alternative to the omnipresent Mughal food. The restaurant is spacious, which is fortunate, as it is very popular, and the service swift and polite. The sister establishment in Defence Colony Market is rather more rough and ready but equally as good. Lodhi Hotel, Lala Lajpai Rai Marg, New Delhi Tel: (011) 436 4442. Price: Rs200. Unlicensed. Swagath A new restaurant in Defence Colony Market, Swagath serves Chinese, Mughal and southern Indian food in calm, stylish premises spread over four floors. It specialises in seafood, including various fish gassis, fish sawantalis and fish malbaris. In season crab and lobster is available. 14, Defence Colony Market, New Delhi. Tel: (011) 465 4537 or 4538. Price: Rs500 (with seafood). Unlicensed (although a licence had, at the time of writing, been applied for.) Turtles Cafe Turtles is a café above The Full Circle bookshop in Khan Market. It is a good place for one to read over a cup of coffee or to take a light snack lunch – a pasta bake or quiche. The café serves cakes and scones too and is popular with expatriates of all ages. The Full Circle Bookshop, 5b Khan Market, New Delhi Tel: (011) 465 5641. Price: Rs150. Unlicensed. Personal Recommendations Flavours of Italy One of the better known Italian restaurants in Delhi, Flavors of Italy offers reasonably authentic Italian food – pizza and pasta – at reasonable prices. A good place to visit when the thought of yet more Indian food becomes too much, Flavors of Italy is a relaxed, café-like restaurant. 52c Moolchand Flyover Complex, opposite Moolchand Hospital, Defence Colony, New Delhi Tel: (011) 464 5644. Price: Rs400. Unlicensed. The Imperial A perfect start to the day is breakfast in the garden of The Imperial hotel. From a table on the terrace, guests look over the lush lawns and borders of the hotel’s celebrated gardens and can admire the tall palm trees along the drive. The buffet provides everything one could possibly desire at breakfast time, from cornflakes to idlis, via bacon and eggs. Imperial Hotel, 1, Janpath, New Delhi Tel: (011) 334 1234. Fax: (011) 334 2255. E-mail: luxury@theimperialindia.com Website: www.theimperialindia.com Price: Rs400 (including drinks). Lazeez Affaire In the heart of the Diplomatic Enclave, Lazeez Affaire is an elegant, upmarket restaurant, which attracts a smart, well-heeled clientele. The menu is imaginative and the food carefully cooked – the kakori kebab, the murg hyderabadi and the stuffed tomato are particularly recommended. Diners may either sit on the floor in traditional Indian style, or at tables. 6/48 Shopping Centre, Malcha Marg, Chanakypuri, New Delhi Tel: (011) 611 4380. Price: Rs800. Beer: Rs160. Pizza Express There comes a point when even the most hardened enthusiast of Indian cooking cannot look another rogan josh or murg tikka in the eye. This is the time to repair to Pizza Express on Connaught Place. In swish, modern surroundings the food, which is inexpensive, will be comfortingly familiar. D-10 Inner Circle, Connaught Place, New Delhi Tel: (011) 373 9306 or 331 5680. Price: Rs400. Beer: Rs170. Vaishali Located in the modern Siddharth Hotel, Vaishali serves an excellent buffet lunch, offering vegetarian and non-vegetarian northern Indian dishes. The paneer butter marsala is mouth-wateringly good. Diners should not be put off by the uninspiring surroundings, as this represents good value and should not disappoint. Siddharth Hotel, 3, Rajenda Place, New Delhi. Tel: (011) 576 2501. Fax: (011) 578 1016. Price: Rs500. Beer: Rs230. |
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