The year in food: Vir Sanghvi lists the world’s best Indian restaurants

Travel to New York, Bangkok, Bengaluru, London and Mumbai - and get a personal recommendation on what to look out for, what to try, at each outfit.

First things first: This is a list that rather conveniently uses two different definitions when selecting the best Indian restaurants of the year.

I have included some of the best ones serving Indian food around the world. But when it comes to establishments in India, I have included restaurants that serve other cuisines too (on the grounds that if they are located here, they are Indian restaurants by definition?).

Here they are, in no particular order.

* Dhamaka, New York

Champaran meat.

Its sibling Semma now gets more attention, but this is the mothership. Chef Chintan Pandya cooks Indian food that is resolutely “not modern” but bursts with flavour. Pandya and his business partner Roni Mazumdar run a collection of restaurants that have transformed perceptions of Indian food in America.

Don’t miss: Pandya’s reimagining of Champaran meat. It comes to the table full of dark chilli flavours and hot gravy. It used to freak Americans out but is now a signature dish.

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* Gymkhana, London

Biryani made with muntjac, a small wild deer.

The most successful Indian restaurant in the UK, Karam Sethi’s flagship has long been a favourite of Indians, Brits and chefs from around the world. It now has two Michelin stars, making it the only Indian restaurant in London with this distinction.

Do try: The local game. The food at Gymkhana is classic Indian, but dishes such as a biryani made with muntjac, a small wild deer, have become legendary.

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* Gaggan, Bangkok

Gaggan, Bangkok.

No change here: Gaggan Anand is still the world’s best Indian chef, and his food is still as dazzlingly inventive.

If you’re lucky: He will be there in person and will talk guests through the meal; a performance worthy of Mick Jagger.

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* Tresind Studio, Dubai

Tresind Studio’s pickled pepper, buttermilk curry ice-cream.

Himanshu Saini was the youngest Indian chef to earn two Michelin stars, in 2023. If any restaurant in Dubai was ever to get three, his modern-Indian set-menu establishment would certainly be a contender.

Don’t miss: The pani puri. A Tresind Studio tradition is that Saini invents a new version to kick off every menu.

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* Bungalow, New York

Vikas Khanna and Jimmy Rizvi’s new establishment opened in March.

Need I say more? Vikas Khanna and Jimmy Rizvi’s new establishment (it opened in March) is among the city’s hardest to get into. It’s made The New York Times food critic drool. It proves that India’s best-known chef is even more impressive outside the TV studios than he is on the screen.

Don’t miss: The excitement in the dining room when Vikas is spotted. He goes to every table and enjoys talking to guests.

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* Lupa, Bengaluru

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Only Manu Chandra could have pulled this off. This is a vast restaurant with several different vibes. One can just relax over a beer and pizza. Large groups can drink cocktails and party. Or you can have a complicated gourmet meal of the sort that only Manu can cook. A triumph.

Do try: To get the restaurant to set up a table in the spectacular wine cellar. If it’s a special occasion, they may agree. It’s the ultimate romantic Bengaluru experience.

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* Avartana, Chennai

Avartana Trail of Payasams.

No Indian restaurant since Indian Accent has been so universally acclaimed. Avartana serves a modern take on South Indian food and has been so successful that branches have opened at ITC hotels in four other cities: Kolkata, Mumbai, Delhi and Colombo.

Do try: And customise your meal. Avartana offers a selection of tasting menus, but if you ask nicely, the chef will move dishes around to create a menu tailored to your tastes.

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* Papa’s, Mumbai

Papa’s chhena poda with caviar.

I don’t think Hussain Shahzad expected this small counter-seating-only restaurant, launched in February, to become the phenomenon it now is. But Shahzad is a uniquely gifted chef and the food here is intensely personal. It reflects his classical Western training adapted to Mumbai. The menu includes a lamb Wellington, and a char siu pork made into a kind of modak.

Don’t miss: The cocktails. It’s a strange thing to say about a restaurant run by a great chef, but the drinks, specially invented for Papa’s, are among the most memorable parts of the experience.

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* Farmlore, Bengaluru

Chef Johnson Ebenezer.

Forget all the farm-to-table hype. The food here is memorable because chef Johnson Ebenezer brings skill and imagination to his cuisine-neutral dishes. The restaurant would still be as good if he bought all his ingredients from a supplier. As it happens, he gets some of them from the farm on which the restaurant is located.

Do try: To sit at the counter. The restaurant has tables, but to get the full Farmlore experience, you should watch Johnson and his team create the dishes.

(To reach Vir Sanghvi with feedback, email vrsanghvi7@gmail.com)