Canton Royale

Housed in a nearly 200-year-old heritage building, the excellent main restaurant at Hotel Surya has colonial elegance; on warm evenings eat on the large lawn. It's one of Varanasi's best top-end choices, offering a great-value, global hodgepodge, from Mexican and Thai to Chinese and Continental. But really, it's the Indian that's excellent, including a wonderful thali (₹500 to ₹750).