Esquire India's November 2026 Hotlist showcases India's newest culinary gems, from Mumbai's Pizzeria Americano to Delhi's Upside. With innovative dishes, unique concepts, and celebrated chefs, these restaurants redefine dining experiences across cities. Explore vibrant flavors, creative menus, and stunning interiors that promise unforgettable moments for food enthusiasts and culture seekers alike.
Every November, India's diaries fill up with wedding invites and festive plans and many of India's newest restaurants are built for just that. Be it the 2500+ square-feet big book-themed cafe, The Library in Mumbai, or a four-story big eatery at The Frame in Delhi, we have gathered the best of them city by city, with the dishes to order and the chefs worth knowing. Read on.
If Americano was your favourite hang-out spot, rejoice! Chef Alex Sanchez, the name behind Americano, has opened a pizza bar with restaurateur Mallyeka Watsa in Fort. A 25-foot stainless steel bar runs through the room, so grab a stool and watch the dough get tossed and stretched. Upstairs, a spiral staircase leads to a relaxed dining level. The dough has gone through many rounds of testing, and it shows on pies like the char siu chicken, the shroomami and the cubano, a pizza take on the sandwich. For dessert and a little drink on the side, try Cherries Jubilee soft serve or a sizzling brownie.
Bibliophiles, this one is for you. The Library at the Nita Mukesh Ambani Cultural Centre (NMACC) holds around 4,500 books on cooking, travel, science, history and culture, all in a 2500 square-foot space designed by Ashiesh Shah. A fireplace and podium set the stage for readings and launches, while snug reading corners and a curved bar sit toward the back. A coffee bar and patisserie on the side takes care of your sugar cravings. Restaurateur Aditi Dugar helped shape the menu of Asian and European plates; try cheese chilli crackers, the herb rice bowl and the avocado salad bowl and berry mille-feuille.
Mumbai now has a place where you can sink into your favourite records without anyone talking over the bassline. NAMI is a 25-seater vinyl listening bar that borrows Japanese listening-bar culture. The cocktails come from Singapore's Sago House, which has featured on both Asia's 50 Best Bars and The World's 50 Best Bars lists. The kitchen follows the Itameshi approach, which blends Italian technique with Japanese flavour. Order the Pasta Fritto, the Chashu Crocchette and the Tofu Mousse, while your favourite record plays in the background.
Think of Makaan as a Gujarati family lunch where nobody lets your plate go empty. Karan Shah, from the Swati Snacks legacy, teamed up with London restaurateur Samyukta Nair of Jamavar fame to open this 58-cover spot, complete with terracotta tones and bandhani touches. The menu offers seasonal produce and home-style Gujarati favourites. Order the Surti locho, panki, fada khichdi and vatana muthiya with pudina roti. Cool down with pudina chaas or sugarcane juice, then close with shrikhand or a kesar pista soft serve.
Kebab Korner, the InterContinental institution fondly called KK, has stepped into a new chapter after 55 years of service. Atelier House Hospitality, the team behind SoBo 20 in the same hotel, is running the show under the name The Bareekk Experience. Diehards can still order the dal makhni, simmered for 24 hours, and the mutton seekh kebabs. Newer additions to the menu include lobster pepper masala, saunfiya salmon tikka and a cold shakarkandi chaat. Finish with the reimagined motichoor laddoo and a thandai.
Vegetarians in Mumbai, your moment has arrived. Bella is a new all-day restaurant with a fully vegetarian menu that never makes you feel like you drew the short straw. The interiors take their cues from Europe, while the kitchen offers Continental, Asian and modern Indian dishes. Start with the Smoked Makhani Burrata or the Gochujang Mac & Cheese Bites, then move on to the Tandoori Pineapple Steak, Quinoa Hara Bhara Kebab, Edamame Khichdi or Silken Tofu Bhurji. A cocktail and coffee programme covers the rest of your day.
Huzur, from the team behind Lebanese restaurant Zima, is now bringing family recipes from co-owner Zareen Baig's kitchen to Bandra West. Talk about having the softest of kebabs in a courtyard with a fountain, with big urns carrying lines of Urdu prose and a corner tea window for takeaway chai and qahwah. Try the Bihari boti kebabs with crisp puris, overnight nihari, haleem and a spicy mutton shinwari kadhai.
Ya:La means "let's go" in Arabic, which is exactly what you will say to your date once you spot the olive trees. This Levantine restaurant at The Ritz-Carlton Pune shifts mood from leisurely lunches to warmly lit evenings. The outdoor section has communal tables around a fountain, while the interiors mix clay tones with brass accents. The menu reinterprets familiar flavours, so try the pistachio muhammara, black garlic moutabel and smoked duck Turkish pide.
Siciliana has landed in Pune, and it brings the sunny side of Southern Italy with it. Expect Ionian blues and citrus shades throughout, with little coastal touches that make you forget how far the sea is. Chef Sabyasachi Gorai's menu is built around Sicilian classics and seafood such as the calamari involtini, the gambas alla plancha and the rosemary-roasted chicken. The drinks list includes a tiramisu martini and a Sicilian mimosa. Close with the berry panna cotta.
Upside is a contemporary Asian tapas restaurant that treats fire as its main ingredient. The kitchen is centred around live-fire cooking and robata grills. The menu travels from citrus and heat to smoky, umami-rich plates. Share the kanpachi tiradito with charred avocado, the edamame hummus finished with yukari-wasabi furikake and the tuna sashimi with jalapeno and leek salsa. The robata chicken with chilli butter and spicy sesame sauce is the one to fight over.
Dhan Mill Compound has a new pet-friendly daytime hangout. Nama by ARQ pairs craft coffee and cafe plates with Indian touches: think polenta fries with wasabi mayo, plantain chips with Gujarati-style yellow chutney and a mutton pacheri pasta. Sip the injipuli cola, a fizzy riff on the classic Kerala condiment, and finish with olive oil ice cream served with chips. The room feels like a cosy pantry, and ARQ Atelier, under the same roof, offers its own take on mithai. Workshops on pasta and mithai are planned for later.
BIANCHI is the new social house from Dhruv Chawla, the founder behind Barbits & Pals and Kikli. The menu wanders across Turkish, Mediterranean, Asian, modern European and Indian flavours, all built for sharing. Chef Gokhan, an eighth-generation Ottoman cuisine chef and a gold medal winner for pizza in Indonesia, runs the kitchen, so the pizza is worth a look. Behind the bar, Jeet Rana and Chirag craft the cocktails, with themed nights and experiential tables keeping evenings lively.
The Frame stacks four floors of dining in Meherchand Market into one ultimate culinary destination. Chef Adhyan Prasher, along with Aryaman Bhardwaj and Nishit Chadha, built the place around French technique, Italian tradition, art-led interiors and a curated wine list. The ground floor handles quick walk-ins, while the upper floors turn formal, peaking in a seasonal 10 to 12-course tasting menu. Try the Duck Apple Mustard, the Mushroom Steak made with lion's mane mushrooms or the Beetroot Ravioli, then end with the Almond & Cherry dessert.
Noodle lovers, clear your calendar for Madame Xi. This newly opened noodle house gives noodle bowls their own section on the menu, with handmade noodles and comforting broths at the centre. The inspiration comes from Shanghai's old noodle houses and the street kitchens of Bangkok, Hanoi and other Southeast Asian cities. You assemble your own bowl: noodles first, followed by a sauce base and protein. Add baos, dim sum, potstickers or sushi to the table for sharing. Save space for the jasmine tea creme brulee or steamed toffee date cake, because dessert here deserves a proper spot in the order.
Thai restaurant Fireback has reopened for the season, and it now has a new sidekick hiding right behind it. Barback comes from EHV International, the group behind Indian Accent and Hosa, and takes its mood from Bangkok's Chinatown. Burgundy and gold shades set the scene by the river, with textured touches that make the room feel snug. Order the chilli oil dumplings, spicy Mala lamb noodles and street wok-fried rice. On the drinks side, the tom yum gimlet, pandan negroni and guava chilli margarita are truly worth it.
Assagao has a fresh spot for slow mornings that stretch into evening drinks. Jenny's Coffee House sits in the garden of an old Portuguese bungalow, surrounded by plants, eclectic art and furniture. The coffee list includes microlot blends, rare beans from estates around the world, pour-overs and ceremonial grade matcha. There is also an AI influencer who chats about coffee and Goa. Order the Turkish eggs with Alleppey chilli butter, the chicken cafreal with poi or a tomato and stracciatella pizza, and keep space for the burnt chocolate tart.
Cooke Town gives Bengaluru's Anglo-Indian food a proper stage. The all-day restaurant at the Renaissance Bengaluru Race Course Hotel takes its name from one of the city's neighbourhoods, and the menu was developed with Bridget White-Kumar, a culinary historian and author who knows this cuisine inside out. Executive Chef Ho Chi Ming runs the kitchen. Expect traditional recipes and lesser-known family preparations shaped by colonial influences and Indian ingredients. A few regional and international dishes round out the menu for friends who like variety.
Lavelle Road is getting a very big new neighbour. Chins Bar, Coffee & Kitchen is a 400-seater spread across three floors, with coffee on the ground level, dining above it and a bar on the third floor. The all-day format means you can start with a morning coffee, stay for dinner and carry on with drinks and music. The menu jumps from sushi and dim sum to Indian grills, coastal dishes, pizzas and pastas. Try the Ponzu Butter Dimsum, Mushroom Katsu Bao and Thai Chilli Prawns, then bring someone willing to share the Chicken Sukka.
Chifa, the name for Chinese-Peruvian cooking, now has a Bangalore address in Marathahalli. The restaurant has three spaces to pick from: The Valley for an intimate evening, The Crossing for group plans and The Canopy for dining outdoors with a view over the city. Order the lomo saltado, a Peruvian stir-fry served with rice and fries, along with arroz chaufa, wantán frito and tallarín saltado. At the bar, the signature Barrio Chino mixes whiskey, Martini Bianco, elderflower, fresh apple and olive brine, a bold combination that makes it the cocktail to try first.