After a crippling pandemic that included several lockdowns and curbs, things are gradually looking up for restaurants. From the finest of restaurants to casual chic food joints, new eating joints are opening in every nook and corner of the country. We have handpicked new restaurants in India that have impressed us with the menu and more — and we just can’t wait to explore these places. Most importantly, remember to follow the safety regulations when you are heading to these restaurants!

Opa Kipos, Mumbai

 

 

 

 

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The 180-seater upscale restaurant and bar with whitewashed walls and quintessential Greek-inspired accents is the newest entrant to Mumbai’s dining scene. Get ready to feast on an exciting menu comprising dips, cold plates, salads, sharing platters, Greek-style pizzas and fruity cocktails. Several vegetarian dishes have been added, keeping in mind Indian palates.
Top draws: Chicken Gyros (open-flamed charcoal chicken, tzatziki and Romero chilli mint salad in pita pockets); Prawn Saganaki (tomato sauce, feta cheese and roasted peppers) and Opa Baklava Sundae.

Saga, New Delhi

 

 

 

 

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With Michelin Chef Atul Kochhar and restaurateur Vishal Anand on board, Saga is a stylish, progressive Indian cuisine restaurant by day, a high-energy bar post 10 pm, and a space for live gigs on weekends. Each dish on the menu has a story to tell with deep roots in Indian food culture and hospitality. Signature dishes include the Sea Tangle and Darjeeling tea leaf (a seaweed-based recipe), Khari Paneer Tikka, Ayam Tikka, Khade Masale ki Boti, and Crab Milagu, to name a few.

Top draws: Dal Moradabadi is not your regular dal but comes in a pie crust loaded with butter. Another top favourite is Roasted Mangalorean Lamb Rack with Turnip Masala.

The Tangra Project, New Delhi

 

 

 

 

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For Probashi Bangalees (Bengalis living outside West Bengal), this 3,300 square feet restaurant by Chef Vikramjit Roy at DLF Avenue in Saket, New Delhi, is much more than just mach and mishti. You can feast on a delectable menu with as many as 200 dishes, which are segmented based on regions that have inspired the food in Kolkata. Take for instance, exciting heirloom dishes ‘From Burrah Sahib’s Bawarcheekhana’, small plates from ‘From My Mum’s kitchen’, ‘New Market’s Kathi Mera Sathi’, ‘Bao Baazar’, ‘Kowloon to Kalikatta dumplings’ and many more.

Top draws: Kolkata’s famous cabin-style (erstwhile Central Kolkata eateries) chicken chop from ‘Cooking Chops’ section; Gondhoraj fish dumplings and spicy steamed Chengdu chicken wontons from ‘Dumpling’s section; Jorasanko Irish veg stew.

Soda Bottle Openerwala, Kolkata

 

 

 

 

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The quintessential Bombay Irani cafe and bar opens at South City Mall in Kolkata with its quirky and vibrant offerings. The 135-seater outlet is wrapped up in nostalgia and old-world charm with accessories like antique mugs, tiffin boxes, telephones, and, of course, photo frames of Parsi families sourced from Mutton Street in Mumbai. The menu boasts around 90 dishes curated by Chef Irfan Pabaney comprising traditional Parsi cuisine and Bombay street food like Vada Pav, Bhel Puri and Kanda Bhaji. The bakery section offers freshly made pavs, breads, ginger biscuits, mawa cakes, naan khatai and shrewsbury biscuits.

Top draws: Try the Bhendi Bazaar sheekh paratha that comes with flaky Indian bread, mutton sheekh served with onions; Dhansak cooked with vegetables and lentils.

Farmlore, Bengaluru

Located in a lush 37-acre farm dotted with mango trees, this experimental restaurant is a new entrant in Bengaluru, offering a locavore dining experience. Chef Johnson Ebenezer, who is in charge of the kitchen and was previously executive chef at Michelin-star restaurant Nadodi in Malaysia, showcases a 10-course degustation menu for dinner and a five-course menu for lunch. The menu is cuisine-agnostic, which uses seasonal ingredients, drawing inspiration from fermentation techniques and regional flavours of the neighbouring southern states. From Malabar oysters, gulkand-butter-bun and Bannur-bun-broth (Bannur lamb is famous for its fatty texture) to horsegram and mapillai samba (a slow-cooked khichdi made with a plump-grained rice from Andhra Pradesh), the menu changes every day based on the fresh produce from the farm.

Top draws: Mallika mango cheesecake is a curry leaf ice-cream with jaggery syrup.

Have you eaten in any of these restaurants yet? Tell us about your experience in the comment section below.