9 Best Restaurants in Delhi, India

Count on this award-winning, popular joint for delicious pizza and pasta—most of Delhi does—but if you're looking for something more substantial, mains like pan-seared lamb chops are also excellent, so make sure to ask about the daily specials. With classy interiors and attentive service, the setting is suited to a wine-soaked lunch or cozy dinner for two.

One of Delhi's prettiest, hippest cafés, Latitude 28 is the place to go if you want to relax over a thoughtful meal, cold beer, or specialty tea. Celebrity chef Ritu Dalmia has put together a playful mix of comfort food from around the world and quirky takes on regional staples from around India.

This is one of the few places in Delhi where you can sample the cuisine of India’s west coast, famous for its lush and bold flavors, heavy on coconut-milk curries. Well-lit, spacious, and designed for a laid-back evening, with wicker chairs, winding staircase, arches, balconies, and terrace windows, the leafy outdoor space here is particularly charming on winter afternoons.

Seasonal ingredients and unexpected flavor combinations update and transform Indian classics, making the Park Hotel's flagship restaurant a real standout. Regional classics with a twist, such as the coconut-milk-based Malabar prawns, are consistently delicious menu mainstays.

Low-hanging lamps and delicate latticed screens set the refined mood at this upscale Indian restaurant where the extensive menu excels in its Mughlai offerings. All the lamb options are excellent, as is the okra and anything with lentils (dal).

An easily accessible South Delhi outpost of the iconic Old Delhi Moti Mahal, this old-fashioned family restaurant serves Punjabi and North Indian comfort food in an old-school dining room--style setting. Loyal customers continue to flock here for the tandoori kebabs and prompt service.

In a tony shopping mall, with dimly lit interiors, this popular restaurant draws large groups with its innovative twists on hearty Punjabi classics. For a wide sampling, order a range of chicken, mutton, fish, and vegetarian small plates.

Delhi's original Mangalorean restaurant—specializing in seafood from the western coast between Goa and Kerala—is outstanding for seafood served in prim, softly lit dining rooms with good service. Choose your sauce, then decide between fish, prawns, or crab, and mop up your food with appam or neer dosa, soft South Indian rice breads.

Delhi's insomniacs love this super-bright, tiny 24-hour coffee shop with blinding-yellow striped wallpaper, vintage French-colonial posters, and distressed-yellow tables. The extensive menu features everything from tandoori to Thai, along with several vegetarian choices and a decent bar menu.