20 Best Restaurants in Delhi for Couples, Families & Food Lovers

Delhi’s restaurant scene spans the widest range of any city on these lists: Indian Accent on Lodhi Road is consistently ranked among India’s top three restaurants and Asia’s 50 Best lists, while Al Jawahar near Jama Masjid has been serving nihari and Mughlai food to the same families for generations. Karim’s nearby is 115 years old. The city handles both ends of that spectrum simultaneously and without contradiction. We mapped 20 verified restaurants in Delhi, sorted by what each one actually suits best.

A quick note before you dive in: Bukhara at the ITC Maurya in Chanakyapuri has been serving the same dal bukhara, prepared with the same recipe and the same wood-fired tandoor, since 1977. It has hosted more world leaders than most countries’ formal diplomatic residences. Both facts are accurate. Both contribute to why the booking requires advance planning.

If you’re based in Delhi, Stanza Living’s PG in Delhi options are spread across South Delhi, Noida and beyond.

With that out of the way, here’s the list, area by area.

Key Takeaways

• Indian Accent at The Modern in New Delhi is India’s highest-ranked restaurant on the Asia’s 50 Best list, with a modern Indian tasting menu that has no direct equivalent anywhere in the world.
• Bukhara at the ITC Maurya has been serving the same dal bukhara since 1977 and has hosted more world leaders than most diplomatic residences. The waiting list is real.
• The Spice Route at Hotel Imperial on Janpath has received a Michelin star and is the most internationally awarded Asian restaurant on this list.
• Karim’s near Jama Masjid has been open since 1913 and serves Mughlai cuisine that pre-dates India’s independence. The nihari and the korma are the specific dishes that have maintained the restaurant’s following across six generations of the same family.

Quick Overview

Fine Dining and International: Lodhi Road, Mehrauli, Aerocity, Janpath and The Claridges

1. Indian Accent

India’s most awarded restaurant and the most internationally recognised on this list. The modern Indian tasting menu at The Modern hotel takes Indian cooking traditions and reconstructs them through contemporary technique, producing dishes that reviewers across 15 years of the restaurant’s existence describe as both unfamiliar and deeply Indian simultaneously. Requires booking weeks in advance for weekend dinners. Priced at the top of this list for reasons that reviewers consistently describe as worth it.

• Location: The Modern Hotel, New Delhi
• Average Cost for Two: Rs 7000 to 12000
• Best For: Modern Indian fine dining and tasting menu
• Timings: 12:30 PM to 2:30 PM and 7:00 PM to 10:30 PM

2. Olive Bar and Kitchen

A Mediterranean and European cuisine restaurant in Mehrauli with a heritage building setting and outdoor terrace dining that makes it one of the more distinctively set restaurants in South Delhi. The fig and goat cheese salad and the wood-fired preparations are the most named items across reviews.

• Location: One Style Mile, Mehrauli, New Delhi
• Average Cost for Two: Rs 3500 to 5000
• Best For: Mediterranean cuisine and outdoor setting
• Timings: 12:30 PM to 3:30 PM and 7:30 PM to 11:30 PM

3. AnnaMaya FoodHall

A farm-to-table and global cuisine restaurant at the Andaz Aerocity that covers artisan breads, local produce-driven cooking and international formats across a food hall concept.

• Location: Andaz Hotel, Aerocity, New Delhi
• Average Cost for Two: Rs 2500 to 4000
• Best For: Farm-to-table and global cuisine
• Timings: 7:00 AM to 11:30 PM

4. Sevilla

A Spanish and Mediterranean fine dining restaurant at The Claridges hotel in Sujan Singh Park, one of the few restaurants in Delhi specifically dedicated to Spanish food with a kitchen that treats the regional Spanish cuisine seriously.

• Location: The Claridges, Sujan Singh Park, New Delhi
• Average Cost for Two: Rs 4000 to 6000
• Best For: Spanish and Mediterranean fine dining
• Timings: 12:30 PM to 3:30 PM and 7:30 PM to 11:30 PM

5. The Spice Route

The most internationally awarded Asian restaurant on this list, having received a Michelin star. Set in the Hotel Imperial on Janpath with hand-painted murals covering the walls and ceiling in a format that took years to complete. The Southeast Asian menu runs from Vietnamese to Keralan coastal with a considered sourcing program.

• Location: Hotel Imperial, Janpath, New Delhi
• Average Cost for Two: Rs 4000 to 6000
• Best For: Michelin-starred Asian cuisine
• Timings: 12:30 PM to 3:00 PM and 7:30 PM to 11:30 PM

10. Kiyan

A fine dining and international cuisine restaurant at the JW Marriott Aerocity that covers the international menu format with the kitchen resources a JW Marriott property provides.

• Location: JW Marriott, Aerocity, New Delhi
• Average Cost for Two: Rs 3000 to 5000
• Best For: Fine dining and international cuisine
• Timings: 12:30 PM to 3:30 PM and 7:30 PM to 11:30 PM

Chanakyapuri: The ITC Maurya and The Leela Palace

Chanakyapuri has two of Delhi’s most iconic restaurant properties within a short distance: the ITC Maurya hosting both Bukhara and Dum Pukht, and The Leela Palace hosting Megu.

6. Bukhara

Open since 1977 with the same menu, the same dal bukhara prepared overnight in the same wood-fired tandoor, and the same bib aprons at the table rather than formal cutlery. It has hosted Bill Clinton, Vladimir Putin, Tony Blair and most foreign dignitaries who visit Delhi. The raan and the dal are the orders. The booking requires planning.

• Location: ITC Maurya, Diplomatic Enclave, Chanakyapuri, New Delhi
• Average Cost for Two: Rs 5000 to 8000
• Best For: Legendary North Indian tandoor and special occasions
• Timings: 12:30 PM to 2:45 PM and 7:30 PM to 11:45 PM

7. Dum Pukht

The Awadhi fine dining restaurant at the ITC Maurya, with a menu built around the dum cooking tradition of Lucknow: slow-cooked, sealed-pot preparations that treat time as an ingredient. The biryani and the nihari are the canonical orders.

• Location: ITC Maurya, Diplomatic Enclave, Chanakyapuri, New Delhi
• Average Cost for Two: Rs 5000 to 8000
• Best For: Royal Awadhi fine dining
• Timings: 12:30 PM to 2:45 PM and 7:30 PM to 11:45 PM

8. Megu

A Japanese fine dining and sushi restaurant at The Leela Palace in Chanakyapuri with a menu that covers the Japanese repertoire from sashimi to robatayaki with kitchen resources appropriate to the property.

• Location: The Leela Palace, Chanakyapuri, New Delhi
• Average Cost for Two: Rs 4000 to 6000
• Best For: Japanese fine dining and sushi
• Timings: 12:30 PM to 3:00 PM and 7:30 PM to 11:30 PM

9. Tamra Restaurant

The luxury buffet and global cuisine restaurant at the Shangri-La Connaught Place, with live cooking stations and a range that covers Indian, Asian and continental.

• Location: Shangri-La, Connaught Place, New Delhi
• Average Cost for Two: Rs 3500 to 5000
• Best For: Luxury buffet and global cuisine
• Timings: 7:00 AM to 11:00 PM

11. Dakshin

The South Indian regional cuisine restaurant at the ITC Maurya, covering the full range of South Indian cooking traditions with the kitchen resources the property allows.

• Location: ITC Maurya, Saket, New Delhi
• Average Cost for Two: Rs 3000 to 5000
• Best For: Authentic South Indian regional fine dining
• Timings: 12:30 PM to 3:00 PM and 7:30 PM to 11:00 PM

Malviya Nagar, GK2 and Pandara Road: Mid-Range and Institution Dining

12. Bhawan

A regional Indian cuisine restaurant in Malviya Nagar that covers dishes from across India’s different regional traditions, similar in concept to the Comorin approach in Gurgaon.

• Location: Malviya Nagar, New Delhi
• Average Cost for Two: Rs 2000 to 3500
• Best For: Regional Indian cuisine
• Timings: 12:30 PM to 3:30 PM and 7:30 PM to 11:30 PM

13. Carnatic Cafe

The Karnataka cuisine restaurant in Greater Kailash 2, serving authentic Mangalorean and Karnataka food with the filter coffee and the tiffin items that are the specific draws.

• Location: Greater Kailash 2, New Delhi
• Average Cost for Two: Rs 700 to 1200
• Best For: Authentic Karnataka cuisine
• Timings: 9:00 AM to 10:00 PM

14. Saravana Bhavan

The Connaught Place branch of the global South Indian vegetarian chain, with consistent quality across the idli, dosa and thali formats that has made the chain one of India’s most trusted South Indian names.

• Location: Connaught Place, New Delhi
• Average Cost for Two: Rs 500 to 900
• Best For: South Indian vegetarian meals
• Timings: 8:00 AM to 11:00 PM

15. Gulati

The Pandara Road institution for butter chicken and North Indian food that has been drawing the after-Lodhi Road Gardens crowd for decades. The butter chicken and the dal makhani are the canonical orders alongside the naans.

• Location: Pandara Road, New Delhi
• Average Cost for Two: Rs 1200 to 2000
• Best For: Butter chicken and North Indian
• Timings: 12:00 PM to 3:30 PM and 7:00 PM to 12:00 AM

16. Havemore

A Pandara Road Punjabi cuisine restaurant sitting alongside Gulati and drawing its own loyal crowd for a slightly different take on the same North Indian food tradition.

• Location: Pandara Road, New Delhi
• Average Cost for Two: Rs 1000 to 1800
• Best For: Punjabi cuisine
• Timings: 12:00 PM to 3:30 PM and 7:00 PM to 12:00 AM

17. Andhra Bhavan Canteen

A government canteen at the Andhra Pradesh government’s Delhi office near India Gate that serves Andhra meals on banana leaves to members of the public. The sambar, the fry dishes and the rice meals are priced for a government canteen, not a restaurant. This is one of the cheapest and most authentic Andhra meals available in Delhi. Our cost of living in Delhi guide is worth reading if you’re deciding whether to settle in the city.

• Location: Near India Gate, New Delhi
• Average Cost for Two: Rs 200 to 400
• Best For: Andhra meals and budget dining
• Timings: 12:00 PM to 3:00 PM and 7:30 PM to 9:30 PM (weekdays)

18. Delhi O Delhi

A North Indian buffet restaurant on Lodhi Road that covers the standard North Indian buffet format with a wide spread of curries, kebabs and breads at a mid-range price.

• Location: Lodhi Road, New Delhi
• Average Cost for Two: Rs 1200 to 2000
• Best For: North Indian buffet and family dining
• Timings: 12:00 PM to 3:30 PM and 7:00 PM to 11:30 PM

Jama Masjid: The Heritage Mughlai Belt

The streets around Jama Masjid contain some of the oldest restaurants in India, serving the Mughlai food tradition that arrived with the Mughals and has been continuously prepared in this area for centuries.

19. Karim’s

Open since 1913, founded by the descendant of a cook in the Mughal royal kitchen, and still serving the same nihari, korma and seekh kebabs that built the original reputation. Six generations of the same family have run this restaurant. The cooking method and the spice mixes have not changed in ways that compromise the original character. Worth reading our cafes in Delhi guide for the full picture of Delhi’s dining landscape.

• Location: Near Jama Masjid, Old Delhi
• Average Cost for Two: Rs 600 to 1000
• Best For: Mughlai cuisine and kebabs since 1913
• Timings: 9:00 AM to 1:00 AM

20. Al Jawahar

One of the restaurants most frequently recommended alongside Karim’s for the Jama Masjid Mughlai tradition, with nihari that has a separate and dedicated following from the Karim’s crowd. Both restaurants are worth visiting; both serve the same general tradition with their own specific variations.

• Location: Near Jama Masjid, Old Delhi
• Average Cost for Two: Rs 600 to 1000
• Best For: Nihari and Mughlai dishes
• Timings: 11:00 AM to 11:30 PM

Conclusion

Delhi’s restaurant scene doesn’t need a conclusion that summarises it. Indian Accent is the most awarded. Karim’s is the oldest. Andhra Bhavan Canteen is the cheapest and one of the most honest. They coexist in the same city without any contradiction. A PG in South Delhi gives you proximity to the Lodhi Road fine dining belt, the Pandara Road institutions and the GK market options. Pick the restaurant that fits the moment, and go.

FAQs

Q. Which are the best restaurants in Delhi right now?

Indian Accent on Lodhi Road is India’s most awarded restaurant. Bukhara at the ITC Maurya has been serving the same recipe since 1977. The Spice Route at Hotel Imperial has a Michelin star. All three require advance booking.

Q. What is the oldest restaurant in Delhi on this list?

Karim’s near Jama Masjid has been open since 1913, making it over 110 years old. Al Jawahar in the same area is also a heritage restaurant with several decades of continuous operation.

Q. Which Delhi restaurants are best for a special occasion?

Indian Accent for the most memorable meal, Bukhara or Dum Pukht at the ITC Maurya for royal Indian cuisine, and Sevilla at The Claridges for Spanish fine dining are the four most named for special occasion dinners.

Q. Where can I find the cheapest authentic meal in Delhi?

Andhra Bhavan Canteen near India Gate serves Andhra meals at government canteen prices (Rs 200 to 400 for two). Karim’s and Al Jawahar near Jama Masjid are at Rs 600 to 1000 for two for genuine Mughlai food.

Q. Which Delhi restaurants are best for South Indian food?

Dakshin at the ITC Maurya is the premium South Indian option. Saravana Bhavan at Connaught Place is the most reliable mid-range chain. Carnatic Cafe in GK2 is the most recommended for Karnataka-specific cuisine.

Q. Which is the most internationally awarded restaurant in Delhi?

Indian Accent has been ranked among Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants and is consistently India’s highest-ranked restaurant on the global dining lists. The Spice Route at Hotel Imperial has received a Michelin star.