Eating and drinking out in India has rarely been this much fun. New openings keep arriving, and the list of places worth a visit grows longer every week. As the weather cools and festive plans take shape, here are nine spots to book next
Bambi is due to open on 20 October in Lodhi Market. Its social media has teased burgers, fries and bagels, and the early buzz suggests it will be one of the most talked-about arrivals on this list.
Dodicci is a new restaurant inside The Ashok Hotel that aims to feel like a stylish European home. The cooking leans Italian, with hand-rolled pastas and pizzas, and also includes Spanish croquettes and Poulet Roti. A list of house cocktails rounds out the evening.
Gaggan Anand's first restaurant in India opened in late August. The 42-seat room serves a 22-course tasting menu, with Rydo Anton running the kitchen and Zorawar Kalra as partner. Raga serves dinner only and is closed on Tuesdays. Reserve well in advance.
Goonj is a 75-seat bar and restaurant on Indiranagar's 100 Feet Road. Its kitchen reworks regional Indian dishes you don't often see on menus, such as Dal Bukhara and Bhutte Ka Kees. The cocktails take their cues from Indian ingredients.
Toast House bakes its sandwiches on shokupan, the pillowy Japanese milk bread. Choose from the Tamago Sando, Chicken Katsu Sando or Eggplant Sando, or go sweet with a fruit sando. The dark chocolate French toast is made with Manam chocolate.
Koko Samba sprawls across 42,000 square feet near Brigade Tech Gardens, combining a restaurant, a bar and a brewery under an African theme. The menu travels widely, taking in Rasam Rice, Mutton Rogan Josh, Crispy Corn, Hara Bhara Kebab and a dim sum platter.
The Australian chain picked Andheri West for its first Indian outlet, which opened in late September at Boolani Estate, off Link Road. Its menu plays on a good-versus-bad theme. It pairs the Seoul Smasher and Chipotle Stack with local creations such as the Paneer Thecha and the Mumbai Slyder.
Thought Coffee's founders, Kush Kachhara, Kshitij Patil and Jhanvi Shah, want a good cup to be quick and easy to get. The coffee uses single-origin AA Arabica, including rum-barrel-aged and wine-barrel-aged versions. The menu also lists matcha, croissants and smoothie bowls.
Trapdoor is a speakeasy tucked behind an old-style phone box in Versova, and guests need a password to get in. Inside, a six-course cocktail tasting in the omakase tradition blends Indian flavours with European techniques such as sous vide and centrifugal infusion.