Delhi Restaurants

Delhi has a wealth of fantastic restaurants to suit all budgets and palates. Alcohol is available at most places although budget eateries tend to lack the requisite liquor licence. The price of alcohol is variable, with high-end restaurants charging as much as triple the price of a mid-range eatery. Indian wine does exist, although it is still something of an acquired taste. Indian beer is excellent.

The restaurants below have been grouped into three pricing categories:
Expensive (over Rs3,000)
Moderate (Rs1,000 to Rs3,000)
Cheap (up to Rs1,000)
These prices are the cost of a meal for two with wine or beer (where sold), including taxes.

Bukhara
Bukhara is widely touted as the best place in Delhi for North-West Frontier cuisine; indeed this stellar restaurant has even earned a place on the World's 50 Best Restaurants list. Particularly good are its tandoor and dhal as well as the kastoori kebab. The ambience is suitably rustic, the clientele are decidedly more fashion conscious.

Maurya Sheraton Hotel & Towers, Sadar Patel Marg
Tel: (011) 2611 2233.
Website: www.itcwelcomgroup.in

Orient Express
The dining area for this fabulous restaurant, reputedly one of the best in Delhi, recreates a luxurious carriage from the legendary Orient Express train. The menu celebrates cuisines from all the countries through which the train passes, although the focus is predominantly on classical French. The service is excellent and you are invited to enjoy a drink before boarding the train or after your meal in the relaxed, attached bar area.

Taj Palace Hotel, Sardar Patel Marg, Diplomatic Enclave
Tel: (011) 2611 0202.
Website: www.tajhotels.com

The Spice Route
Designed to reflect the journey of spices from the Malabar Coast in Kerala through Sri Lanka, Malaysia and Indonesia to Thailand and Vietnam, this lavishly decorated restaurant is the place to come for south east Asian cuisine. The colourful decor celebrates the art and culture of the regions and provides the perfect accompaniment to the innovative cuisine.

The Imperial Hotel, Janpath
Tel: (011) 2334 1234.
Website: www.theimperialindia.com

Travertino
Elegant yet unassuming, this authentic Italian restaurant is the perfect place to come to clinch that business deal. The menu and presentation is suitably understated but the food is sublime; gnocchi with buffalo mozzarella and tuna ravioli are just a couple of the menu's star attractions. The deserts are equally impressive, there's an extensive wine list and the cheese selection includes a number of more unusual regional specialities.

The Oberoi Hotel, Dr Zakir Hussain Marg
Tel: (011) 2436 3030.
Website: www.oberoidelhi.com

Magique
The out-of-the-way location is part of Magique's charm; this is one of the few places in Delhi where dining outdoors is a pleasurable experience. This restaurant manages to be both cool and charming, where contemporary decor is accompanied by friendly service. The menu is Asian fusion and features some superb treats such as tandoori lemongrass chicken. Drinks are equally eclectic with wasabi martinis making an appearance. Open for dinner only.

The Garden Village, Gate No. 3, Garden of 5 Senses
Tel: (011) 3271 6767.
Website: www.magique.in

Indian Accent
For traditional Indian food with a twist head to Chef Manish Mehrotra's kitchen tucked away within the confines of the elegant Manor Hotel. Here you can sample tandoori Scottish salmon, blue cheese naan or pan friend pork belly with vindaloo masala. The menu is exciting and utterly unique and the taste sensations at times, mind-boggling.

The Manor Hotel, New Friends Colony
Tel: (011) 2692 5151.
Website: www.themanordelhli.com

Smokehouse Grill
With a stellar menu, excellent cocktails and (usually) good DJs, this modern restaurant and bar is a favourite with Delhi's fashionable crowd. The steaks are a speciality here but the extensive menu will satisfy even the pickiest of eaters and the deserts are divine. Enjoy dinner upstairs and then head down to the bar for late night drinking and dancing.

2 VIPPS Centre, LSC Masjid Moth, Greater Kailash II
Tel: (011) 4143 5530.
Website: www.smokehousegrill.in

Karim's
Established in 1913, Karim's is something of a Delhi institution. It serves robust (mostly non-veg) Mughal food in rudimentary but clean surroundings off a courtyard near Jama Masjid in Old Delhi. The tandoori chicken and tandoori burra (mutton) both come highly recommended, as do the juicy kebabs. The selection of traditional Indian breads, from stuffed naan to paper-thin romali roti provides the perfect accompaniment. During Ramadan the restaurant is only open after sunset.

16 Jama Masjid
Tel: (011) 2326 9880.
Website: www.karimhoteldelhi.com

Kwality
This iconic restaurant has been going strong for around 60 years, thanks to its consistently good, primarily North Indian food. Attracting a predominantly middle-class crowd, Kwality deserves kudos for its variety of dishes, from chunky meat curries to delicate paneer creations. There is a pleasing variety of veg and non-veg dishes to choose from.

7 Regal Building, Connaught Place
Tel: (011) 2374 2352.
Website: www.kwalitygroup.com

United Coffee House
With much of its 1940s interior still intact - including chandeliers and flocked wallpaper - the UCH is a charming place to recharge the batteries. Popular with travellers and locals alike, the long menu offers everything from Indian snacks and American-style grilled-cheese sandwiches to the odd Chinese dish.

15 E-Block, Connaught Place
Tel: (011) 2341 6075.