Welcome to Five Top Tables, a column from Bloomberg Pursuits to guide your dining decisions in major cities around the world, including New York, London, Dubai, Paris, Milan and Manila.
New Delhi is both generous and demanding when it comes to eating out. On one hand, the crowded Indian city is stocked with choices. They include family-run eateries boasting the kind of centuries-old recipes that were once reserved for royalty, polished hotel dining rooms where an international mix of guests mingle and new restaurants redefining how modern India eats.
On the other hand, traffic snarls, long travel distances and rising prices have dulled the spontaneity that once guided diners around the capital city. It’s also a key gateway for global travelers and the home of major events ranging from the India AI Impact Summit to the India Art Fair. Choosing where to eat is often more than a casual decision, and a misstep can ruin an evening.
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New: Nisaba, Nizamuddin
Chef Manish Mehrotra is one of the most influential modernists in Indian cooking. He keeps that streak going at his newest place, which sits on the first floor of a heritage complex that celebrates Mughal history and architecture. It’s a fitting setting for food that looks forward but remains rooted in memory. And though it only opened in mid-January, it’s already got the confidence of an established restaurant.
A spacious lounge opens into the calm, 112-seat dining room. Mehrotra’s exhaustive menu draws deeply from Indian culinary history but displays contemporary execution. Mini samosas arrive dunked in thick lentil broth, rounded out with tamarind, mint and a fragrant dry-roast spice mix (550 Indian rupees, or $6). It’s a bracing, joyful opener.
Herbed burrata with crisp lotus root and Kashmiri chile jam balances sweet, savory and tangy, and none of the notes overpower the others (975 rupees). Mutton seekh kebab is soft and fatty, subtly accented by blue cheese crumbs and best eaten with freshly baked naan (1,225 rupees). Buttered buns make it easy to lap up the chile tomato crab that’s spicy and succulent rather than saucy (1,950 rupees).
But the standout is the clay-pot mutton, slow-cooked until the meat falls off the bone – a dish that Mehrotra grew up eating (1,525 rupees). Desserts, especially the baked rasmalai, or cottage cheese, with date-palm jaggery, provide a satisfying close (700 rupees). Skip the drinks – you’re here for the food. Humayun World Heritage Site Museum; nisabarestaurant.com
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Business Meal: The Spice Route, Connaught Place
The room here is almost as attention-getting as the food. Hand-painted murals adorn the walls, carved wooden pillars divide the space, and ceiling lamps throw a soft golden glow. It’s an atmosphere well-suited to unhurried business meals.
The Asian menu draws inspiration from kitchens from Bali to India’s southwestern Malabar coast. A cold tuna starter, set on creamy avocado tartare with a ginger-laced dressing, is one of the city’s better seafood openers (2,650 rupees). A duck “handbag” is playful but thoughtfully done: hoisin-roasted duck packed into a crisp pastry shaped like its namesake (1,600 rupees). House-made mushroom noodles have a flavorful Thai punch – you may want to ask the kitchen to hold back slightly on the sweetness (1,500 rupees).
Because the menu is so broad, it’s worth asking the staff for recommendations. For vegetarians, the Massaman-style Thai red curry is stocked with sweet-potato fritters, baby carrots and crushed peanuts (1,750 rupees). Meat lovers will be well-served by the slow-cooked New Zealand lamb shank in a finely spiced and rich Indonesian curry, best paired with steamed rice (3,750 rupees).
For dessert, mango-chia pudding mixes jaggery and fruit spheres for a gentle end to a substantial meal (700 rupees). The wine selection spans a dozen countries, including France, Italy and Argentina, headlined by the 2011 Bordeaux blend Chateau Latour Grand Cru Classé at 890,000 rupees (an eye-opening $9,820). The Imperial, Janpath Lane; theimperialindia.com/
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Value: Carnatic Cafe, Lodhi Colony
If you’re vegetarian or vegan, or simply want to sample Indian cooking beyond the usual curry shorthand, Carnatic Cafe remains one of New Delhi’s most reliable value picks. A popular branch of the mini-chain is set on one of the capital’s rare pedestrian-friendly stretches. The restaurant is resolutely no-frills, serving home-style food from Karnataka. Stone-top tables and wooden benches fill the room. Soft Carnatic music sets a distinctly South Indian tone. Breakfast is the easiest time to walk in; at lunch and dinner there might be a short wait.
Start with the “thatte” idli, a large, fluffy steamed rice cake topped with peanut chutney and a slick of butter (195 rupees). Pair it with milky filter coffee or with the nutmeg-accented black coffee (135 rupees). The rava idli is equally dependable, served with lentil soup or sambar, a light bean-and-carrot curry and three coconut chutneys (200 rupees).
The bisi bele bath is heartier, a gently soupy lentil-rice dish that arrives with a fried wafer, a whole fried chile and boondi, or fried chickpea balls (250 rupees). Ragi chapatis smeared with hot garlic-red chili sauce (275 rupees), and paddu (205 rupees) – crisp lentil and semolina rounds with onion and coriander – are easy to snack on.
The dosa list is extensive. (For the uninitiated, they’re thin, crisp, fermented rice-and-lentil crepes.) The Malleshwaram 18th Cross, named after a Bangalore street, is layered with “gunpowder” – a coarse blend of lentils, dried chiles, cumin and curry leaves (245 rupees). To finish, mango ice cream with palm jaggery and roasted sesame evokes the mellow sweetness of Hong Kong-style desserts (190 rupees). 82-85 Meharchand Market, Lodhi Road; instagram.com/
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No Reservations: Klap, Khan Market
This all-day, multicuisine spot in one of New Delhi’s most polished shopping districts is built for walk-ins. Spread across two decks with seating for 86, it’s modern and lively, popular with both families and couples. By day, large windows flood the space with natural light. At night, small table lamps appear, and the music edges up but doesn’t overwhelm conversation.
Kick off with the shakarakandi chaat, a salad comprising sweet potato, crispy kale, dragon fruit and pomegranate with tangy tamarind (445 rupees). On the deep dim sum list, the scallion dumplings are especially good, lifted by the restaurant’s house-made chile oils and sauces (545 rupees). Meat eaters will relish the lamb kebab patties on flaky puff pastry with a hint of mint (695 rupees) and the minced chicken cooked with red peppers and basil, served on brown rice crackers (625 rupees).
There are plenty of Asian entrees, including fragrant river sole in ginger-garlic and soy sauce (945 rupees) that pairs neatly with jasmine rice (295 rupees). Still, wafer-thin artichoke pizza, with jalapeños, pesto and sun-dried tomatoes is a bestseller (845 rupees), while mushroom pesto risotto is a reliable order (745 rupees). Finish with a scoop of house-churned gelato in a chocolate shell, simply dressed with dried coconut and salted caramel (two shells for 195 rupees). 2 & 3 Middle Lane, Khan Market; instagram.com/klapdelhi
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DINE: Orient Express, Chanakyapuri
Few dining rooms in New Delhi commit to atmosphere quite like Orient Express. The experience begins as you step into a railcar-style coach modeled on the legendary European train. The carriage seats about three dozen, with additional tables outside, so the room feels intimate but not crowded. To complement the warm ambiance, pushed by soft lighting, plush banquettes and polished wood, a pianist plays feel-good melodies likeWhat a Wonderful World.
The menu, served by waiters in white peak-lapel blazers and gloves, is resolutely old-school European, with starters like lobster bisque as an ideal luxurious opening course. Camembert souffle is light and airy – pure comfort.
Cognac-flambéed lobster with Dijon and shiitake mushrooms has been a signature dish since the restaurant opened in 1983 and is arguably one of the city’s most dependable luxury dishes. Imported lamb chops arrive succulent and well-seasoned, while thinly sliced chicken, served with rosemary sauce, is grilled with restraint.
For desserts, the warm chocolate pudding oozes at the center, though the Biscoff cheesecake is the sleeper hit. The wine list is broad and international, and if you hesitate over it, staff often send over a glass of bubbles. Service is polished and only reinforces the sense of occasion.
“A train carriage located inside the Taj Palace Hotel is the location … the food is outstanding, and the atmosphere very cozy,” says a DINE user. “It’s on the pricey side, but definitely worth a visit.” There are a la carte options, but the set menu offers the best value: a four-course meal for two will cost you about 19,998 rupees. Taj Palace, Sardar Patel Marg; tajhotels.com/en-in/hotels/