The best chef-led restaurants in India

What is it: Helmed by chef Shri Bala and restaurateur Sahil Sambhi, this forays past the usual dosa-idli comfort zone and borrows home recipes from south Indian kitchens.

Why we love it: What really sets Nadoo apart from the south Indian pack is Chef Bala's personal mission to make vegetarian food anything but predictable. As a first step, she decided to eliminate paneer from the menu – forever. Set in Delhi's GK III, the space is all about terracotta-coloured earth walls, earthy concrete flooring, and brass and copper crockery.

Coming to the food: the menu is a mix of comforting, homestyle classics and just the right amount of twists and wit. The shroom pepper fry comes as a ghee roast-style appetiser, but then casually throws in a side of truffle sour cream, because why not? The Nadoo special butter garlic crab, a perfectly fried soft-shell crab, is indulgent and an absolute flavour bomb. Their iced filter coffee and dessert, too, are worth it: the bird's eye chilli chocolate may look like your standard churros-and-dip, but take a bite and there's a surprise waiting for you: it's idli churros paired with chocolate spiked with bird's eye chilli.

Address: Ground Floor, Property No. E-5, Masjid Moth L.S.C, Greater Kailash 3 (GK 3), New Delhi, Delhi 110048

Price: ₹4,000 for two

Timings: Lunch 12pm-5pm; dinner 7pm–12am.

What is it: At Masque, it's all about the ingredients. The 10-course tasting menu changes with the seasons, so what you eat today won't be what you eat a few months later. 

Why we love it: Every element on the plate is hyper-local, sourced from farmers, local producers or the team's own travels, making each course feel like a story of where it came from. The idea is taking familiar Indian flavours and transforming them into something entirely new. Its location in one of Mumbai's old industrial mill districts makes something raw and historic remain in its modern setting.

The 10-course tasting menu is available in both vegetarian and non-vegetarian options, with optional wine or cocktail pairings if you're in the mood to go all in. But the real wildcard is the Masque Lab – easily one of the most exciting food experiments in the country right now. Designed to flip the usual dining script, the 1,250 sq. ft. lab houses an intimate 10-seater space, where you can sign up for a unique dining experience every month, each one deep-diving into seasonal ingredients and new techniques.

Address: Masque, Unit G3, Shree Laxmi Woollen Mills, Shakti Mills Ln, off Doctor Elijah Moses Road, Mahalakshmi, Mumbai, Maharashtra 400018

Price: ₹13,000 for two

Timings: Mon-Sun. 7pm-11.30pm.

What is it: Named after the ancient Mesopotamian goddess of grain, this is renowned chef Manish Mehrotra in full creative flow.

Why we love it: The menu is tight, but it's also anything but basic. It reflects ingredients and cooking techniques from all over the country, reimagined with a modern touch. Just by virtue of being tucked inside the Humayun's Tomb Museum Complex, Nisaba sets itself apart before you even sit down. 

The mushroom chop with mushroom makhani and mushroom achaar is a vegetarian flavour bomb, with the achaar stealing the show. On the non-veg side, frankly, the side dishes are what round them off. The tandoori bacon prawns, for example, are paired with a green thecha yogurt that cuts through the proteins with just the right hit of heat and cool.

Time Out tip: You can't just walk in anytime. Their dinner window opens in two slots – the early dinner starts at 6.45pm and wraps up by 9.15pm, whereas the late dinner slot opens at 9.30pm and closes at midnight.

Address: Humayun World Heritage Site Museum, Nizamuddin, National Zoological Park, Sundar Nagar, New Delhi, Delhi 110013

Price: ₹5,000 for two

Timings: Lunch: 12pm-3.30pm. Dinner: 6.45pm-9.15pm, 9.30pm-12am.

What is it: Pincode draws inspiration from across the country, creating a mix of family recipes, forgotten culinary traditions, and hyperlocal flavours. 

Why we love it: There's far more happening here than just nostalgia on a plate. The menu at Pincode playfully swings between beloved Indian classics and inventive contemporary creations. A meal here kicks off with a clever amuse-bouche – a tiny cup layered with grapes and berry pickle, airy curd foam, and microgreens. Dishes like chaat hummus, dhokla chaat, and even falooda come with a contemporary twist. We tried Chef Kunal Kapur's standout recommendations – the pressure cooker chicken curry, buttery malai prawns, flavour-packed lamb seekh tawa masala, and an Old Delhi-style bread pudding – each of which deserve their own fan club. They’re just that bloody good.

Address: Shop 2, 2nd floor, Select Citywalk Mall, Saket District Centre, District Centre, Sector 6, Saket, New Delhi, Delhi 110017

Price: ₹3,000 for two (without alcohol)

Timings: Mon-Sun. 12pm-11pm.

What is it: Pondicherry's first chef-led restaurant that stands out among the are

Why we love it: Chez Artizan is the kind of place people stumble upon and then passionately recommend to everyone they know heading to Pondy. The menu’s diverse, from seafood-forward plates to creamy risottos, artisanal burgers, soups, salads, cold-pressed juices, and even house-made kombucha, but it doesn't leave you feeling confused. They make everything from scratch – sauces, broths, ferments, breads, even the salads and salsa are made from vegetables grown in their own garden.

Address: 256, Mission St, MG Road Area, Puducherry 605001

Price: ₹2,000 for two

Timings: Mon-Sun. 12pm-11pm.

What is it: This 16-seater space in a quiet village in Himachal Pradesh truly is a destination dining experience.

Why we love it: During his time at Masque, Prateek Sadhu built a reputation for bringing lesser-known Indian ingredients to the table and pairing them with intricate technique. A Culinary Institute of America alumnus with stints at Alinea, Noma and The French Laundry, Chef Sadhu helped put Masque on the global map, and he brings the same finesse to his brainchild NAAR. Here, everything moves with the rhythm of the mountains and its seasons – as the seasons outside change, so do the plates, with each course reflecting the Himalayas' six distinct seasons. Fun fact: both Masque and NAAR made it to Asia's 50 Best Restaurants list 2025.

Address: Amaya, VPO, Kasauli, Himachal Pradesh, Darwa, Baddi, Himachal Pradesh 173236

Price for two: Tasting menu around ₹6,800; pairings – wine ₹6,500, cocktails ₹4,500, non-alcoholic ₹3,000.

Timings: Lunch: 12.30pm-3pm; dinner: 6.30pm-11pm.

What is it: Helmed by legendary ‘Iron Chef’ Masaharu Morimoto, Wasabi by Morimoto is perched inside Mumbai's iconic Taj Mahal Palace. 

Why we love it: To reach this Japanese restaurant, guests take an elevator into a dramatic dining room with a glowing cherry blossom installation and sweeping views of the Gateway of India and the Arabian Sea. In theory, that should be half the sell. But at Wasabi by Morimoto, the menu strikes a perfect balance between its signatures and seasonal omakase experiences. The restaurant literally flies in authentic ingredients weekly from Japan, and every dish here is made using traditional techniques. What lands on your plate still carries the polished flair you'd expect.

The classics here have cemented their legendary status over time. The whitefish carpaccio, the black cod miso and the black cod nitsuke are must-haves. But if you want to dig deeper into seafood, order the delicate Chilean sea bass daiginjo, the indulgent panko truffle lobster, or the wild unagi shirayaki, each plated with meticulous attention to balance and texture.

Address: The Taj Mahal Palace, Mumbai, Apollo Bandar, Colaba, Mumbai, Maharashtra 400001

Price: ₹11,000 for two

Timings: 12.30pm–2.45pm; 7pm–11.45pm

What is it: Founded by Kaushik Raju and helmed by chef patron Johnson Ebenezer, this dining experience is rooted in sustainability, seasonality, and a respect for India's culinary heritage. 

Why we love it: Almost everything served on your plate is ethically grown, locally sourced, or harvested straight from the surrounding land, making each course feel intimately connected to the earth it came from. What truly sets Farmlore apart, though, is its commitment to old-world cooking techniques. Meals are prepared over a mango wood-fired stove, which adds a subtle smokiness and warmth that modern kitchens simply can't replicate. The tasting menu constantly evolves with the seasons, but at its heart, it's ingredient-led cooking that pays tribute to ancestral techniques while still feeling contemporary.

Address: Survey No 67, Mohan, Raju Layout, Bagalur, Sathnur Village, Bengaluru, Karnataka 562149

Price: Five-course tasting menu: ₹4,000 per ticket; 10-course tasting menu: ₹6,500.

Timings: Mon-Sun. 12.30pm-2.30pm, 6.30pm-10pm.

What is it: The first Diva opened in Delhi in 2000 as the face of authentic Italian cooking, long before burrata became the brunch currency and every café was ‘artisanal.’ 

Why we love it: Under Dalmia's leadership, the restaurant became known for its handmade pastas, grilled seafood, Negronis and wines, and its vibrant produce and clean flavours. It’s all too easy to forget the richness of Italian cooking in Delhi where we’re used to mass-produced pizzas and mayonnaise-laced ‘pasta’. This spot has history, heart, and an old-school charm that a branding agency cannot manufacture. What we love most is that it still feels personal, with an atmosphere that still maybe feels like a restaurant your family would have taken you to in the 2010s, even after 25 years. In fact, in my humble opinion, Diva is exactly what great chef-led restaurants should be – confident in its intimacy, and also consistent in its delivery. 

Address: M-8A, M Block Market, Greater Kailash II, New Delhi, Delhi 110048

Price: ₹3,500 for two (without alcohol)

Timings: Mon-Sun. 12.30pm-11.30pm.