Must-see restaurants in South India

  • Peshawri

    Mumbai (Bombay)

    Make this Northwest Frontier restaurant, outside the international airport, your first or last stop in Mumbai. It's a carbon copy of Delhi's famous…

  • Kashi Art Cafe

    Kochi (Cochin)

    Fort Cochin's original (and best) art cafe, this fashionable, natural-light-filled space has a Zen vibe, a creeping vertical garden and stylish wood…

  • Bohri Kitchen

    Mumbai (Bombay)

    Served up in a family home, this weekend-only pop-up dining experience was cooked up by former Google employee Munaf Kapadia. It showcases both the…

  • Bombay Canteen

    Mumbai (Bombay)

    Bombay Canteen is one of Mumbai's hottest restaurants, courtesy of former New York chef and Top Chef Masters winner Floyd Cardoz, and executive chef…

  • Malaka Spice

    Pune

    Maharashtra's shining culinary moment is a fury of Southeast Asian fantasticness; trying to choose one dish among the delectable stir-fries, noodles and…

  • Kinara Dhaba Village

    Maharashtra

    A bit of a dhaba Disneyland, but therein lies the fun. About 5km east of Lonavla, near Karla and Bhaja caves, is this fun-for-all restaurant/entertainment…

  • Grapevine

    Maharashtra

    Way too hip for Mahabaleshwar, this classy restaurant/wine bar is unmissable. Chef/owner Raio's culinary pedigree includes Taj Hotels and his creative…

  • Malabar Junction

    Kochi (Cochin)

    Set in an open-sided pavilion or at candlelit poolside tables, this outstanding restaurant at Malabar House is (almost) Bollywood-star glam. The ambitious…

  • Dakshinayan

    Mumbai (Bombay)

    With rangoli (elaborate designs) on the walls, servers in lungis, and sari-clad women lunching (chappals – sandals – off under the table), Dakshinayan…

  • Savya Rasa

    Pune

    This modern, fiercely regional South Indian restaurant champions the best of India's bottom half and isn't afraid to tell you if you are ordering the…

  • Black Sheep Bistro

    Panaji

    Among the best of Panaji's burgeoning boutique restaurants, Black Sheep’s impressive pale-yellow facade gives way to a sexy dark-wood bar and loungy…

  • Viva Panjim

    Panaji

    Well-known to tourists, this little side-street eatery, in an old Portuguese house and with a few tables out on the laneway, delivers tasty Goan classics…

  • Thalassa

    North Goa

    North Goa's most famous Greek restaurant was forced out of its long-running Vagator location in 2018 but has found a new waterfront home at Teso in Siolim…

  • Bean Me Up

    North Goa

    Bean Me Up is vegan, but even nonveg travellers will be blown away by the taste, variety and filling plates on offer in this relaxed garden restaurant…

  • Food Street

    Bengaluru (Bangalore)

    For a local eating experience, head to VV Puram, aka Food Street, with its strip of hole-in-the-wall eateries cooking up classic street-food dishes from…

  • Kitchen Garden by Suzette

    Mumbai (Bombay)

    From the same French trio that brought us Suzette comes this superb organic cafe, a haven of health and homesick-remedying salads, sandwiches, cold-press…

  • Villa Maya

    Thiruvananthapuram (Trivandrum)

    Villa Maya is more an experience than a mere restaurant. Dining is either in the magnificent 18th-century Dutch-built mansion or in private curtained…

  • Bait

    Kovalam

    Designed as an upmarket alfresco beach shack, the fabulous seafood restaurant at the Taj Green Cove fronts the sea, with waves and palms on one side and…

  • Divtya Budhlya Wada

    Nashik

    If you're looking for a spicy kick in the gut, this local hotspot is the place to come for authentic Maharashtrian food that'll make your nose run. Under…

  • Shimon

    Arambol (Harmal)

    Just back from the beach, and understandably popular with Israeli backpackers, Shimon is the place to fill up on exceptional falafel or sabich (crisp…

  • Sadhana

    Nashik

    This rustic institution on the edge of town serves Nashik's best breakfast of champions, misal pav – an unusual Maharashtrian dish prepared with bean…

  • Mavalli Tiffin Rooms

    Bengaluru (Bangalore)

    A legendary name in South Indian comfort food, this eatery has had Bengaluru eating out of its hand since 1924. Head to the dining room upstairs, queue…

  • Dreaming Tree

    Tiruvannamalai

    Super-chilled Dreaming Tree dishes out huge portions of exquisite, health-focused veg fare, prepped with mostly organic ingredients, on a breezy thatched…

  • Olive Bar & Kitchen

    Bengaluru (Bangalore)

    A whitewashed villa straight from the coast of Santorini, Olive Beach has a menu that evokes wistful memories of sunny Mediterranean getaways. Things…

  • Hotel Venite

    Panaji

    With its cute rickety balcony tables overhanging the cobbled street, Venite has long been among the most atmospheric of Panaji’s Goan restaurants. The…

  • SO – The Sky Kitchen

    Hyderabad

    Jubilee Hills rooftop restaurant, with candles and loungey playlists, which makes a highly atmospheric eating spot. The superb menu has been crafted…

  • Breakfast Story

    Maharashtra

    This stylish all-day breakfast-only hotspot in a residential building 7km southwest of the centre is worth a diversion. English, American and Belgian…

  • Trishna

    Mumbai (Bombay)

    Behind a modest entrance on a quiet Kala Ghoda lane is this often-lauded, intimate South Indian seafood restaurant. It’s not a trendy place – the decor is…

  • Khyber

    Mumbai (Bombay)

    The much-acclaimed Khyber has a Northwest Frontier–themed design that incorporates murals depicting turbaned Mughal royalty, lots of exposed brickwork and…

  • SodaBottleOpenerWala

    Bengaluru (Bangalore)

    This terrific new place, with its brilliant comfort-food menu of Persian soups and Parsi specials like salli boti (mutton served with matchstick potatoes)…

  • Hotel Ram Ashraya

    Mumbai (Bombay)

    In the Tamil enclave of King’s Circle, 80-year-old Ram Ashraya is beloved by southern families for its spectacular dosas, idli (spongy, round, fermented…

  • Full Moon Cafe

    Havelock Island (Swaraj Dweep)

    Run by an Irish-Indian couple, this mellow thatched-roof restaurant shares a sandy floored site with Dive India and does fabulous seafood, salads, pastas,…

  • Café Chocolatti

    North Goa

    The lovely garden tearoom at Café Chocolatti may be on the main Fort Aguada Rd, but it’s a peaceful retreat where chocolate brownies, waffles and banoffee…

  • Karavalli

    Bengaluru (Bangalore)

    Superior seafood restaurant with a wonderfully atmospheric interior that takes in a traditional thatched roof, vintage woodwork and beaten brassware –…

  • Malaka Spice

    Nashik

    This excellent branch of Pune's best restaurant is hands-down the most scenic spot to dine in Nashik wine country, with postcard-perfect views across…

  • Shree Thakkar Bhojanalay

    Mumbai (Bombay)

    With a cult following and festive lavender tables to boot, this thali mainstay – one of the oldest in the city – puts on the full-court flavour with its…

  • Jaali Cafe

    South Goa

    The menu at this lovely garden cafe is something special, with a delicious range of tapas-style Middle Eastern and Mediterranean plates – choose two or…

  • Minerva Coffee Shop

    Telangana & Andhra Pradesh

    Great North and South Indian veg cuisine in bright, spotless AC premises. Meals (thalis) are only available from 11.30am to 3.30pm but top-notch dosa,…

  • Villa Blanche Bistro

    North Goa

    This lovely, German-run, chilled garden cafe draws diners to the back lanes of Assagao. Salads, sandwiches, filled bagels and cakes are specialities, but…

  • Shah Ghouse Cafe

    Hyderabad

    During Ramadan, Hyderabadis line up for Shah Ghouse's famous haleem (a thick soup of pounded spiced wheat, with goat, chicken or beef, and lentils) and at…

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