Anirudh Suresan

What’s the greatest thing since sliced bread, you ask? Surely it was when John Montagu, Earl of Sandwich, decided to slap some meat between the aforementioned slices a few centuries ago, and create…you guessed it, a sandwich. Over the last couple of years, Delhi’s been seeing a new dawn of sandwich shops cropping up, and the denizens of the city have taken to it like, well, butter to a piece of crisp golden toast. Being a self-professed sandwich fiend, I’ve put together a guide on the best finds around town. Surprisingly, some of the older places pack as much (or more) of a punch as the newer, slicker shops.   

When the late Mughal emperor Shah Jahan shifted his capital from Agra to Delhi, it’s said that his daughter, Begum Jahanara, was the one responsible for planning and executing the market that stretches out in front of the royal residence, all the way from the Lahori Gate of the Red Fort to Fatehpuri Masjid at the other end. This distance of nearly 1.4 kilometres spans not just the length of Chandni Chowk, but also that of a few dynasties over the centuries, whose fates were intertwined with that of the city and its denizens.  How to navigate Chandni Chowk The neighbourhood was divided into kuche and galliyan, which were streets and lanes that were both commercial and residential in nature. Folks who practiced the same trade or profession were bunched together into these; the bangle-makers in Galli Chooriwallan, the exquisite kebabs were crafted over coals in Galli Kebabiyan, while Kucha Chelan was where you’d find the equivalents of the modern-day bureaucrats, literally the chelas to the throne! This part of the Walled City remains a one-stop shop for everything you can possibly conjure within the confines of your mind, and then some. Shops selling wedding couture jostle for streetfront space with some of the best chaat joints in the city, while the erstwhile haveli of noblewomen from the 1800s today houses one of the largest electronic markets in all of Asia. Much like the times of yore, Chandni Chowk has different streets which house different markets: Kucha Chaudhary Marke

It’s not new knowledge that the average Dilliwallah enjoys their tipple. In fact, there’s little doubt that Delhi’s average whiskey consumption keeps at least a couple of distilleries in Scotland up and running. And as a city of drinkers, the bar scene does not disappoint.  You’ll find the usual dive bar suspects dotted across the city, needing no publicity besides word of mouth to keep them going. These are very much the no-nonsense places you’ll tend to frequent after work – whether or not your purse strings are tight – with basic but delicious chakna and terribly mixed cocktails. You’ll also find the newer, slicker speakeasy-types that boast beautiful interiors, tight cocktail menus with rare ingredients, and fusion-esque bar snacks. Both kinds deserve a mention on this list – which rounds up some of the best places to catch a drink in Delhi.

There’s a strong case to be made for the fact that some of the finest food in the city’s served not in fine-dining restaurants and cafés that so often get the limelight, but rather, the countless ramshackle joints that dot the bylanes, which have been surviving for the last several decades on word of mouth alone.  Nothing drives the point home more than kebabs. The way kebabs are presented at a lot of the aforementioned fancy establishments has become increasingly ostentatious and fiddly. Bite-sized chunks, giant silver cloches, some going the whole unnecessary hog with a magic show complete with smoke and mirrors. It’s miles away from how the rich fare originated, and how Delhi, even today, eats its favourite post-dusk snack: whacked onto a paper plate with a sprinkle of ‘special’ masala, a dollop of butter, freshly chopped coriander, and more often than not, brought right up to the window of your car.  And while Lucknow maybe is the more famous place for kebabs, some say the legacy was perfected right here during the Delhi Sultanate era hundreds of years ago. Either way, Delhi knows its shit when it comes to this particular bit of meaty goodness. Here’s where you’ll find the best. 

While everybody with a pizza oven and a commercial licence has been trying to perfect the Neapolitan crust over the last few years in Delhi, Galaxy Pizza burst onto the scene a couple of years ago, with the promise of New York style pizzas, puffy garlic bread, and some truly wonderful dips to dunk your crust into.  It isn’t easy to become a go-to order for a newish pizzeria in Delhi, but Galaxy’s done it, what with the hordes of hungry eaters ready, even, to camp outside their dedicated slice shop in Basant Lok market for a massive slice of New York style pizza, or even their desserts at the brand new Galaxy Treats outlet in East of Kailash.  There’s a reason for this, obviously – their pies are ALWAYS hot from the oven, the richness of cheese balanced perfectly with spots of bubbly grease near the crust, plus the sweetness of the sauce (San Marzano tomatoes only) cutting through the saltiness of the meat. Needless to say, technique plays a big role – the dough undergoes cold fermentation for 36 hours, the tomatoes are mixed into the sauce and refrigerated, so they’re cooked only with the rest of the pizza in the oven, and the ingredients used are of extremely high quality, be it the burrata or the borderline addictive garlic chilli crisp.  Favourites here include the Angry Margherita or the Angry Bird, both renditions of familiar pizzas, with the addition of the garlic crisp chilli oil to jazz the pie up. And seriously, don’t skimp on the dips – they’re worth it, especially

The idea of a Naples native selling Neapolitan style pizzas in Gurugram sounds about as far-fetched as that of a Gurugram denizen selling samosa chaat in Naples. However, only one of those is actually the case. Enter Susanna Di Cosimo, who moved to India and, after running a tour agency here until the COVID-19 pandemic struck, decided that it was time to try her hand at recreating Naples’ most famous gastronomic export for the people of Delhi NCR.  I still remember when I’d first heard of Pizzeria Da Susy. I found myself at their first outlet in Baani Square, somewhere deep in Gurugram on a bitterly cold winter night, absolutely inhaling a margherita, fresh from the oven, that tasted like nothing short of ambrosia. The dough was thin and the border high, in classic Napoletana fashion, and soft enough to fold like a booklet (the Italians have a word for this, ‘portafoglio’). It was also a little messy, and there will come a time during your consumption of a slice when you will, inevitably, be slurping up cheese and tomato sauce. All simple ingredients, but God, they’re done so well. The dough is airy and delicious enough to eat by itself, the tomato sauce is par excellence, and the cheese does all the wonderful melty oozy things it’s supposed to.  In the few years since, Pizzeria Da Susy has expanded now to two new outlets, including their new main kitchen that’s on the first floor of Cross Point Mall, across the road from the popular DLF Galleria market. Walk in and you’re gr

It’s not the most common occurrence, but ever so often, there are markets in Delhi which come up solely based around one thriving shop. The Gallery on MG Road, for the longest time, was a rather sad outpost but for a couple of coffee chains on their last legs, a furnishing store or two, and some nondescript restaurants. All of that changed when Bomba made its way there three years ago.  Almost overnight, the blue-blooded Chattarpur crowd started making its way to The Gallery, in search of the pizzas and tacos that many swore to be among the best in town. You don’t even have to look that hard to find it – the wafting smells of fresh sourdough pizza and lamb birria were enough to ensure you’d find Bomba through the olfactory route, even before you laid eyes on it.  Walk in, and the walls are covered with dainty colourful murals, the tables are well spaced out and the staff are attentive and friendly. The menu has a plethora of options for both vegetarian and non-vegetarian pizzas and tacos, and you get to choose whether you’d like your pizza with a neapolitan style base or a square thin-crust base.  The Hottie 2.0 is probably among my favourite pizzas in town – nduja, pepperoni, jalapenos, parmesan and rocket, with a generous drizzle of their in-house hot honey. Get it in the Neapolitan crust, it just works better with the sourdough base. Among the vegetarian options, the G.O.A.T. remains my go-to, with goat’s cheese, caramelized onions, pine nuts, truffle honey and a sprinkle

It’s not everyday that you waltz into a bar, flip through the cocktail menu, only to be greeted by David Foster Wallace, Toni Morrison and Anthony Horowitz. But then again, the Library Bar at the Leela Palace isn’t an everyday bar. Fashioned along the lines of a gentleman’s bar from yore, complete with dim lighting, plush leather chairs, shiny teak tables and a marble bartop that spans the length of the space, you’d be forgiven for thinking you’ve gone back in time when you step in here –  this the kind of bar where mysterious men in suits discuss hush-hush deals, where you’d be likely to bump into a certain Mr. Bond sipping on a shaken vodka martini.  True to its name, there’s shelves lined with leatherbound first editions of rare books, a selection of cigars, teardrop chandeliers hanging down from the ceiling and one of the finest collections of liquors from around the world. Their new cocktail menu’s inspired by the works of literary greats, each drink paying homage to an iconic novel and intending to capture the spirit of the title (pun intended). This menu is proffered in the form of a bookmark sitting amid one of the many books whose titles lend their names to the list of cocktails! The drinks at The Library Bar There’s ‘Agony and Ecstasy’, named after the Irving Stone classic about the life of Michelangelo – tequila with a lychee distillate and cordial, balanced by fresh lime and a saffron-habanero tincture, served with a mango-chilli foam atop it, or ‘Infinite Jest’ a

In the bustling lanes of Greater Kailash 1’s M-Block market (arguably a more subdued bustle compared to sister market Greater Kailash 2 M-Block, which, there is no doubt, dominates Delhi, as far as markets go), Café Loco sits patiently in a lane.  Because it forewent the social media frenzy usually associated with trendy new cafés and bars, the café is mercifully quiet, and utterly devoid of loud, chirpy crowds. The walls are ochre, the lighting’s not too bright, and earth tones dominate what you see. It does feel very carefully subdued. Nibbles and trinkets on sale are all by local homegrown brands and small businesses. Another wall bears vinyl records, board games, and packs of cards – even a couple of polaroid cameras you’re allowed to use.  Café Loco, to its credit though – especially in an era where café owners are growing increasingly irate about laptop-wielding clientele who stay for hours and order only two cups of coffee – seems intentionally designed to encourage lingering. The menu supports that theory, in the sense that dishes require time for preparation, and aren’t slapped together in haste.  The khatappam benedicts, in particular, are tremendous. The base – uthappam batter fermented a bit longer, producing a sour taste – is finished off with a choice of toppings and a perfectly poached egg. I got the prawn balchao khatappam, and it was excellent. The pepper mutton tacos, served with a consomme to be dipped into, were fantastic as well, and the chicken satay wit

Back in the day, it was Leo’s Pizzeria that – arguably – gave Delhi its proper introduction to perfectly done Neapolitan-style pizza. It was revelatory stuff – fermented sourdough crust, perfectly balanced tomato sauce, fresh mozzarella, top-notch cured meats. It’s been almost a decade since, and though all their outlets are still full to the brim, they’ve turned their attention to a sister concern: the mighty New York slice.  The pizzeria occupies a large corner of Hauz Khas G-Block market. Despite the bright neon signs and glazed tiles, the place is admittedly slightly too bougie to embody the real grab-and-go philosophy of New York pizza, but hey, this is a newish concept to Delhi. There are several 18-inch pies placed under a large glass counter, each cut into giant slices. The menu’s mercifully concise – seven kinds of pizza on offer – four vegetarian and three non-vegetarian. The sausage and bacon pizza’s particularly excellent, with generous toppings of italian fennel sausage and perfectly crisp bacon atop a cheese slice. The pepperoni was slightly drier than I’d like. The stracciatella, however, was a revelation: creamy goo atop blistered mozzarella and tomato sauce, making for a fantastic bite. The slices are double baked, and in true NY style, come with a thicker crust that retains its shape when you fold it, topped with shredded, low-moisture mozzarella.  Go beyond the slices, and the menu has little more to offer, with some sides of chicken wings, garlic knots and

Latin American cuisine’s been fairly late to the cuisine party (competition) in Delhi. A tardy entry decades after the love for Asian and European food’s risen and fallen and risen again. But that’s all changed now, hasn’t it? We are now familiar with dishes beyond tacos. We know what a ceviche is and we may even be able to stomach the raw fish.  Surfing the crest of this wave is Latoya at Eldeco Centre. The brainchild of  entrepreneur Saket Agarwal, Latoya brings together flavours from across Argentina, Mexico, Peru and Brazil among others, seamlessly perfected for the Indian palate, urging the diner to move beyond the familiar and step out of their comfort zone.  Walk in and you’re immediately at ease. The wavy fabric ceiling, the earthy tones all around, the potted plants – everything is designed to make the place feel easy-breezy. The menu’s diverse, ranging from light salads to hearty grills and decadent desserts, with an equally impressive list of cocktails from the bar to pair with your food.  The summer menu, in particular, explores recipes from the coasts of the Caribbean, with seasonal ingredients that are light, refreshing and serve as the perfect foil for the summer heat. Mangoes, melons and avocados are a common theme.  The mango, avocado and cucumber salad – involving a luscious mango cumin dressing – is a divine beginning to any meal. So is the seabass, kokum and melon ceviche, where the freshness of the sea bass and the sweet summer melons is balanced with the

At the very end of Chanakyapuri's limits, on San Martin Marg, there stands a small market which is host to one of the best kebab spots in the city, perched next to the walls of the Bapu Dham colony. While it may seem as nondescript a place as any for the uninitiated, Alkakori Alkauser’s nothing short of an institution for ones in the know.  Legend has it that the place, back when it came up in the 1980s, was among the first kebab stalls outside of old Delhi. Championed by members of Delhi society like the late Sadia Dehlvi, Alkauser quickly rose to fame in the circles which were particular about their food, and it’s stayed there, quite firmly perched at the top, ever since.  What you want to order is a plate of their mutton kakori kebabs, half a plate of their galoutis, accompanied by a pair of crisp varqi paranthas and, like with all Mughlai meals best enjoyed in cars, a bottle of Thums Up. The kakoris are spiced to perfection and impossibly soft, so much so that it's a miracle they manage to stick to the skewers without dropping to a fiery death in the coals below. The puck-shaped galoutis are just the right amount of crisp outside, and deliciously soft inside. The varqi parantha (a name I've always found delightful) provides the perfect foil to these decadent kebabs, flaky and golden. While the galouti was conjured in the kitchens of the Nawab of Awadh, I assure you it tastes just as royal in your parked car on a shady lane in Chanakyapruri. The place does have some clean

The humblest denizen of the poshest market in the city, Azam’s is a perpetual pull for Khan Market regulars. The unaware, too, are led here by the smell of the kebabs wafting in the air and the orderly lines of people waiting patiently for their turn to place an order with the gentleman manning the shop.  Set towards one end of the central lane of Khan, forget any vying for attention. There’s no glitzy neon board, no seating, no tables, no place to wash your hands, and no UPI payments to boot! On offer, however, are some of the most delicious kebabs in the entirety of Khan, cooked on coals or in the tandoor, served piping hot, either accompanied by a roomali roti or wrapped in one. If you’re a carb fiend, ask them to replace the roomali roti with a varqi parantha.  The kebabs to get are the mutton seekh, the mutton kakori, or the galouti, each spiced delicately and served with two kinds of chutneys, including a watery spicy mint chutney and a yoghurt-based tangy one, with the customary side of thinly sliced onions. For the vegetarians, they do a fantastic achari chaap roll and a paneer tikka that would seal your status as a regular. So the next time you’re passing by, traipsing out of book browsing at the various bookstores of Khan or finishing up a bout of shopping, enjoy some excellent rolls here.

Deep in the recesses of Matia Mahal of Old Delhi’s Jama Masjid, in a city which used to be the bastion of the Mughal empire, you’ll still find shops and stalls and establishments selling delicacies made from recipes that can be traced back to the royal kitchens of the Red Fort.  The humble seekh kebab, today a widespread street eat in any neighbourhood of Delhi, is perfected by the shop known as Babu Bhai Kebab Wale. Babu Bhai is a one man show – he sits near the ground, fanning some smouldering coals to keep the heat going, and only massages the meat onto the skewers when you place your order. While the seekh kebab is generally known for being a little coarse in its texture (the kakori being the smooth one) the kebab served at Babu Bhai’s has the silky texture and mouthfeel of the kakori coupled with the spiced meat of the seekh.  Per usual, the kebabs are served with thinly sliced onions and a splash of chutney, and a drizzle of butter on top. If you’re keen for a roomali roti to go with them, they’ll be produced from behind the grill with a flourish.

There’s a certain charm that lends itself to the concept of retrofuturism: think Back to the Future, DMC DeLoreans, Denis Villeneuve’s Dune; of music genres that you can’t pinpoint but still enjoy; of interiors that feel like doomsday bunkers, but the warm, cosy kinds. Now imagine if said bunker also offered drinks, and wham! Welcome to AaBbCc.  Located smack dab in the middle of Delhi’s Basant Lok market, AaBbCc has cemented its place in the list of cooler bars in the city. On the ground level, an entire wall displays the 80-odd ingredients that go into their drinks, each stored in well-lit individual jars. Sort of a whacko periodic table. Next to it lies the innovation lab, where they come up with recipes for new drinks, complete with beakers, test tubes, and other Willy Wonka-esque equipment.  A short set of stairs later and you’re at the main bar, where you’re greeted by a 21-foot long bar and some tables, all bathed in soft yellow light. The bar chairs, especially, deserve special mention for being incredibly comfortable. The top floor hosts the Amp Room, which turns into a music lounge every now and then.  The cocktail menu is divided into three distinct sections: Yesterday, Today, and Tomorrow. Yesterday reimagines a bunch of classic cocktails: the Bellini, Godfather, LIIT, and Sex on the Beach, but with a slight twist to set them apart. Today is where they begin to tease that innovation lab of theirs, with drinks like the Tea-Pache (oolong-infused vodka with three-day

Perched high above the hubbub of Greater Kailash II market sits No Vacancy, a relatively new kid on the block. They are, in their own words, ‘Not a secret. Not a speakeasy. Just a bar above the market, hidden in plain sight.’  The space itself is house party-esque. Outside, the lettering carrying their name is coolly chiaroscuro, with light casting shadow on some of the other letters. Inside, a long well-lit bar with a ledge for seating that stretches from one end of the wall to another, with tables at small distances. The open balcony at one end and the large mirror at the other make rooftop bar seem much larger than it is.  Signature cocktails at No Vacancy are unique, and presented in ways you won’t see elsewhere in the city. Take the Shark Attack, which comes with a glass of clear tequila and ice, paired with a tiny shark filled with wine and berry cordial. Empty the latter into the former and you have a scene straight out of Jaws in your table. No, I’m not exaggerating – the staff add to the drama by drumming their hands on the counter as the shark is dropped in.  Other drinks go big on weird flavours. The Wild Escape is earthy, chocolatey, but packs an umami punch that’s said to be inspired by shrooms. The Strawberry Cheesecake is a crowd favourite, with mezcal, vermouth and gin coming together with celery balancing them out, topped with a strawberry foam that does, in fact, feel like a strawberry cheesecake in a drink. Nostalgia seekers can order the Bournvita, which i

The Chettinad Heritage and Cultural Festival will return for its fifth edition from September 18 to 22, 2026, bringing five days of conversations, concerts, meals and storytelling to Karaikudi, the capital city of Chettinad. The annual festival, held in an effort to spotlight the region's extraordinary culture, food and architecture, will offer an immersion into ‘life as it used to be,’ bringing together historians, architects, musicians, dancers, textile scholars and chefs. You can expect talks by eminent public personalities including Dr Shashi Tharoor and author Manu Pillai, concerts of classical Carnatic music, and a Bharatnatyam recital inside a century-old ancestral home. There will also be scheduled tours – led by architect and historian Madhusudhanan Kalaichelvan – of temples including Avudaiyar Kovil, Vijayala Choleeswaram and the Ayyanar temples of Aranthangi and Naarthamalai, alongside exhibitions of Chettinad sarees and jewellery. A variety of heritage properties, including The Bangala, will serve as accommodation partners. Delhi already had a taste of what's on offer: The Bangala recently did a pop-up at Draavin Canteen in Gurugram, serving up an Elai Sappadu with 21 dishes unique to the region on a banana leaf. Vegetarian standouts included the capsicum peanut mandi, vathal kuzhambu rice, okra more kozhambu and pineapple rasam, with jackfruit biryani the toast of the evening; carnivores, meanwhile, tucked into chicken kozhambu, crab masala, prawn mango curry and

Delhi's favourite Sidecar, one of the city's best-known cocktail bars, has launched its sixth signature menu, Kalakaar – and it’s undoubtedly an ode to the people behind the bar and the craft that goes into every cocktail. It’s a menu about the people who rarely get top billing, but whose work is what makes the show worth watching. The thought behind the menu reminds me of one of my favourite comfort watches: Ben Stiller’s The Secret Life of Walter Mitty: a tale of an ordinary man with a mundane job who daydreams of a more exciting life, who learns that the greatest people aren’t necessarily those chasing adventure, but the ones quietly carrying on with their work, unnoticed.  In Sidecar’s launch of the Kalakaar menu, you see the same thing play out. Kalakaar roughly translates to a person who carries out a craft, and each of the 12 new cocktails is named after a distinct art technique, collectively paying homage to the people shaking, stirring and concocting them behind the bar. As owner Minakshi Singh puts it, ‘The hands that create these drinks are the true heroes, the ones behind the bar.’ You get a sense of what that means when Yangdup Lama, co-owner and bartender extraordinaire, makes Sidecar’s eponymous cocktail for us at the menu launch. The ingredients and equipment are the same ones anyone behind the bar could use, but somehow, nobody else could quite make it taste like his. There’s magic in those hands, which make even an ordinary cocktail taste nuanced and layered

When life gives you lemons, pray they’re at least the Amalfi variety. At CinCin’s Gurgaon outpost, you don’t have to travel to the Italian coast to get your fix. The Italian restaurant has brought its Lemon Festa to Golf Course Road and Bandra West, a nearly two-month-long menu dedicated to the large, fragrant citrus fruits of Italy’s Amalfi Coast. Much has been written and eulogised in the annals of history about these spindle shaped citrus fruits from the southwestern coasts of Italy, sunshine yellow in colour and large enough to fit the entirety of the palm of your hand, fabled for their sweetness and their aroma. At CinCin, which has been a Mumbai fixture for nearly a decade and recently opened on Golf Course Road in Gurugram, you get to try them yourself. Inside CinCin's Lemon Festa in Gurugram & Mumbai And they’ve committed to the bit: step inside and you’re greeted by lemon decorations, a themed menu and even a bright yellow Morris Minor. All that’s missing, really, is a view of the azure Mediterranean from the windows. One of my biggest pet peeves with modern dining is the disappearance of feel good factors like the bread basket, and CinCin doesn’t disappoint in this regard. You kick things off with a basket of toasty focaccia, ciabatta and breadsticks that magically appears on your table as soon as you’re seated. Order the Crostini Limone, where toasted slices of sourdough are topped with creamy ricotta, preserved amalfi lemon and drizzled with honey chilli, and foll

I bet very few of you’ve heard of the Thingyan Festival.  I hadn’t either, until I walked into Burma Burma this week. The Burmese New Year celebration, usually marked by the joyous splashing of water in the streets to signal the old being washed away by the new, takes place in mid-April across Burma. It’s not just a water festival, though – it’s equally about sharing a table with friends and neighbours, and good food’s a non-negotiable.  Burma Burma, across ALL Indian outlets, is doing a limited edition Thingyan festive menu to mark this glorious celebration. ALL outlets, from May 1 until the end of the month. There’s plenty to look forward to – both in terms of comforting fare as well as food that’s going to expand your palate considerably.  What to expect The idea of Thingyan, at its heart, is one of celebration as a community. Hospitality’s taken very seriously in Burmese culture, and Burma Burma, despite being a chain restaurant, absolutely nails this bit. You start with a traditional handwash, where a large betel leaf is dipped in sandalwood-infused water and brushed across your palms. Service is quick, warm, and affable.  Folks who know that Burma Burma’s a vegetarian establishment won’t be disappointed to learn that the entire menu’s vegetarian. The restaurant plays into the heavy use of fresh vegetable produce used in traditional Burmese cooking, and trust me when I say this as a true-blue carnivore: you won’t miss the meat.  The menu’s pretty varied. Starters involve