December Esquire Hotlist: New Restaurants And Bars Across India

December in India has a strange effect on people: it compresses an entire year’s worth of plans into four frantic weeks. Suddenly every friend group wants that “one last dinner”.

And well, lucky for us, the restaurant and bar scene in India is nowhere close to slowing down.

This December, Mumbai is in its maximalist phase — illusionists, celestial chandeliers, thalis plated, and bars hidden inside bars hidden inside bars. Hyderabad is building on a god-tier scale again, flinging open 100,000-sq-ft mega-venues. Delhi, meanwhile, is deep in its transformation era — cocktails with passports, rooftop bars in central Delhi.

Bengaluru is vibing. Vinyl breweries, quarter bars inside full bars, pyramid dining experiences. Goa is glowing in its usual main-character sundowner light.

It’s the last stretch of the year and everyone’s cooking, brewing, shaking, and staging. Here’s everything worth eating, drinking, finding, booking, and stumbling into before 2025 calls time.

— Let’s begin.

MUMBAI

8ish

Rachel Goenka has gutted the old Sassy Spoon and rebuilt it as a grown-up, low-lit drinkers’ den with a maroon marble bar. The big draw is Jishnu A.J.’s cocktail programme — slightly nerdy, very dialled in. There’s a mace-and-peated-whisky number for the adventurous, a frozen White Negroni for the after-work crowd, and a whisky-based “Dangerously Unhinged” that does what the name promises. Food plays good support: kombu pumpkin pizza, polenta fries, buff sliders, tacos.

Soraia

Soraia takes over the old Bombay Club inside the RWITC and has instantly becomes one of the city’s prettiest dining rooms — all vine-draped pillars, glasshouse glow. The menu by chef Hitesh Shanbhag straddles Indian and European: jackfruit-berry pulao, a strong lamb rack, and tidy, polished desserts. But the real magnet is the bar. Fay Barretto has built a landscape-inspired cocktail journey rooted in ingredients she actually went and sourced across India — mountain pepper and wild honey from the hills, jackfruit custard from the coasts, sorghum and dagad phool from the ghats.

Penang Table

Kishore DF goes Malaysian this time, taking over Miss Margot’s old address and turning it into a 34,000 sq. ft. ode to Penang. Expect bamboo blinds, vintage window frames, hand-painted tiles and a menu that pulls from the country’s multi-community food culture. The food is an ambitious spread: roti canai, satay with pineapple sambal, dumplings in curry, char kway teow, nasi lemak, rendang — the works.

Idoru

Above Izumi sits this tiny, 28-seat fever dream of a bar — a mix of vinyl lounge and a sake salon. The programming swings from Lauryn Hill to Libyan disco, with music journalist Bhanuj Kappal at the helm. Sake is the backbone, guided by expert Maaya Takaoka through a neat nine-part tasting. The highballs — developed by Koki Ito — are the stars: yuzu-shiso sours, a salty frozen-lemon riff, even a Bombay duck–infused tequila nod to the city. The food is fast, snacky and fun: dashi mascarpone on flatbread, fish-and-chips tempura, a chicken liver monaka, a warm smoked-chicken mini don. Idoru is for people who care about music, but also for people who just want a fantastic drink and a night out.

Mezcalita Bar

Mezcalita brings its Churchgate energy to Bandra finally. Tacos on masa, flour or crispy shells; fat burritos; flautas drowning pleasantly in sauce; chilaquiles nachos; fideo seco; stuffed Poncho potatoes. The new cocktail list follows tequila from agave to bottle, with detours through black-rice horchata, charred bell peppers and peanut-butter-washed mezcal. Expect spicy coolers, sake spritzes, margarita towers, agua frescas and a maximalist mood to match the hummingbird murals and Trajinera archways.

Oju

Perched above Neuma in Colaba, this second outpost of Oju is dim, green, glassy, intimate, with a sharp Japanese-leaning menu. Chef Moh and chef Nitin keep the food firmly in Nobu-adjacent territory: hamachi ponzu, miso cod, tuna tataki, sushi, maki, grilled edamame and solid robata plates. But the cocktails are where the room shines. Designed with Countertop, and heavy on Nikkei flavours, the drinks stay clean, umami-forward and textured. Highballs headline — strawberry-lillet-cream-soda for the sweet-leaning crowd, celery–Don Julio–fennel sake for the weirdos (in a good way), toasty genmaicha whisky for the ones who sip slow. Then come the complex builds: a saketini with gari and rice water; a mezcal-pisco dark citrus number.

Dough & Joe

A pizza-and-coffee spot with a neighbourhood piazza vibe, Dough & Joe is Priyanka and Khushal Kotak’s ode to their son’s food obsessions. Slow-fermented pizzas sit next to small-batch pastas, including a Ghee Roast Ravioli and a Bombay Kheema pie that leans unapologetically local. The space is warm, vintage Italian in spirit, and the terrace comes with a Vespa like a movie prop.

Kaspers

Bandra’s latest bistro is a cultural mash: French chic, Basque energy, Italian generosity and American casual baked into one small, 1,000 sq. ft. room. Chef Will Aghajanian keeps the menu playful — bouillabaisse on toast, taleggio arancini, Kerala-style morcilla, buffalo tenderloin and rotating desserts. The vibe is easygoing, neighbourhoody, with a dash of whimsy thanks to cherub art and crayons on every table.

Zaro

Zaro brings four generations of recipes into a clean, quiet Bandra space that’s big on butter, ghee and old-school comfort. The savouries lean cosy — mushroom-leek pies, chicken pies, a golden cheese Korean bun that’s entirely too soft. Desserts skew classic with a luxe finish: Sacher torte, Ispahan-style entremets, praline patisserie, tres leches done with restraint.

Akina

Worli gets a big, glossy new arrival in Akina. The kitchen — Ganesh Pandit, Tenzing Sherpa and Ashwin Singh — keeps things punchy with Tuna Sol Kadi, Yuzu Gazpacho Spheres, Tuna Pizza, and a clean, confident Miso Black Cod. The cocktail room is an intimate detour, with Bensan Varghese’s menu mapped to the five Japanese elements. Istaka’s rattan ceilings and mother-of-pearl bar give the space that slick, pan-Asian polish you’ve seen before, but the food and drinks land.

The Nook

The Nook is Bandra’s idea of a soft landing — café by day, cocktail den by evening, and a “third space”. The design leans mid-century modern with a film-school warmth: earthy textures, clever lighting, and the relaxed confidence.

Call Me Sofia

Call Me Sofia is Olive Khar’s 20-seater aperitivo bar carved out behind its own entrance and its own kitchen. Sabina Singh bathes the space in lemon trees, blue tiles and soft curves, while Harish Chhimwal steers a low-ABV cocktail list built around Campari, Select and vermouths. The food is pure aperitivo comfort: Neapolitan montanaras, chorizo-stuffed bombolonis with burrata and caviar, fungi meatballs and a sun-dried tomato risotto that doesn’t apologise for being hearty.

Malgudi

Shankar Mahadevan’s Malgudi is a South Indian café-restaurant that treats heirloom recipes with respect. The star is the 100-year-old Mulbagal Dosa — crisp edges, soft centre, deceptively simple — served only here. The rest of the menu swings between classic and playful: a South-style Khow Suey, Anna-style lotus root chips, Bisi Bele Bibimbap, butter-pepper-garlic water chestnut. The space keeps things bright and unfussy with murals, warm wood and a Carnatic-meets-contemporary soundtrack. The coffee programme is serious, led by a dedicated filter-kaapi counter turning out jaggery lattes, cold brews, Kappichinos and more.

HYDERABAD

Babylon 2.0

Hyderabad has clearly stopped doing “small,” and Babylon 2.0 proves it. The Financial District’s newest giant is a 100,000-sq-ft all-in-one brewery, restaurant and nightlife destination. We’re talking towering arches, stone-heavy drama, water features, and ceilings that look like they were built for a Roman emperor with an affinity for techno music on weekends. Daytime serves the bright IPAs, stouts, seasonal pours, and a menu that offers Mediterranean mezze, wood-fired grills, pizzas, and breezy Indian plates. After dark, the place flips into a full-tilt club with multi-level dance floors, LED everything, and cocktails that are heavy on barrel-ageing. It’s over the top in the way Hyderabad seems to enjoy.

Theta Theta Telugu

From Sampath Tummala — the man who got Hyderabad comfortable eating Telugu food outside their own kitchens — this new spot brings chef Vignesh Ramachandran’s tight technique and produce-first sensibility to dishes everyone here grew up with. The sourcing alone is impressive: Bhimavaram brinjal, Krishna backwater murrel, Godavari prawns, Guntur Teja chilli, Kurnool rice, Telangana Potla sheep. The cooking stays familiar but sharper — Mudapappu Hummus, ghee-soaked Upma reimagined like polenta, carrot-coconut iguru turned into a layered salad, Corn Ribs dusted with Guntur chilli. Seafood sings here too, from chintapandu ghee prawns (a tamarind-and-curry-leaf riff on gambas) to soft-shell crab and a Telugu-style seafood boil. Mains stay rooted — ragi and mutton sangati, munnakaya mamsam, tawa kheema rice, naatukodi koora. Think of T3 as new-age Telugu cooking, one that is forward but also grounded.

DELHI NCR

Tranzit, Khan Market

Khan Market is incomplete without a new restaurant opening there every three months. Tranzit is a two-floor, mood-shifting space that opens wide during the day — collapsible windows, terrace seating, long brunches — and tightens into a buzzy evening room once the DJs take over. Chef Gurmehar Sethi’s menu is global without the usual clichés: burrata with pomelo, sesame tofu in a peanut-chilli dressing, a Japanese truffle toastie on Hokkaido milk bread, truffle pasta, coconut-chilli-lime noodles, and a Cantonese chilli-butter stone bowl. The bar, shaped by Gagan Sharma, has a clever brief: cocktails inspired by modes of transport. Upstairs, an omakase-style cocktail counter lets you sit right where the drinks are being built. Sleek, light, and very Lutyens after dark, Tranzit is the new after-dark destination in Delhi.

Upstairs by Indian Accent

Indian Accent has a new upstairs neighbour — itself. The Lodhi outpost now houses an intimate late-night cocktail bar built around Varun Sharma’s extremely considered drinks programme. The approach is classic templates reworked with Indian ingredients: mezcal folded into sol kadhi, an oolong-chai Manhattan, a martini trolley with just-enough Indian inflections. Chef Hitesh Lohat keeps the food tight and seasonal with a theme-based menu that currently celebrates Delhi markets — Old Delhi fried chicken, shokupan kabab sando, timur-spiked pork belly. The room glows under candlelight and Sabyasachi upholstery, with live jazz most evenings from vocalist Alyse Pascoe. For now, access is limited to regulars and invited guests.

Nara Thai, Gurgaon

Nara Thai, the Bangkok-born, and a restaurant this is adored in Mumbai, has finally made its debut in Gurugram under Aditya Birla New Age Hospitality. Founded in 2003 by Narawadee Srikarnchana (Yuki) and Sirisopa Chulasewok (Jean), this thai dining institution spans 35 restaurants across Asia and Middle East, with its flagship even earning a Michelin Guide recognition.

The Gurgaon outpost boasts rattan accents, blue and white palettes, soft lighting, and cane walls. The place has seating for over 80, including a private dining room. What's even more interesting is that all the sauces, pastes and core ingredients are flown in from Nara Bangkok, and the culinary team in India undergoes intensive training with Nara's Bangkok masters. When it comes to the food, the menu boasts dishes like the classic Tom Yum Soup, Som Tam, Pad Thai, and Massaman Curry. The place doesn't serve any alcohol, but guests can enjoy non-alcoholic refreshers along with house-crafted boba teas.

Trouble Trouble, GK II

Trouble Trouble replaces Fig & Maple with a warmer, moodier personality — rust-toned velvets, wood panelling, playful dog portraits, and the same breezy rooftop that made Fig a brunch favourite. Radhika Khandelwal’s menu leans on what Delhi loves these days: chorizo beignets, salmon crudo, Thai red curry prawn toast, a Brazilian churrascaria grill with pork chops and chimichurri chicken, pizzas, tacos, miso-butter veggies, a very solid rendang bowl. Kunal Chandra’s cocktails keep it cheeky — Something Spicy, I Love Citrus, No Ice Please — alongside clarified drinks and a Lao Gan Margarita served straight out of a Lao Gan Ma jar.

One Door Down, Gurgaon

Gurgaon loves a high-energy bar, and One Door Down slides right in. It’s warm, plush, mood-lit, with a breezy outdoor section that shifts from café calm to evening buzz. Music shapes the rhythm — Sufi with a Twist, Latin Thursdays, NuDisco Fridays, Afro House Saturdays, all-white brunches on Sundays. Chefs Megha Kohli, Noah Barnes and Ruchira Hoon build a menu that borrows from the Med and Indian comfort: burrata with tamarind dressing, harissa fish, tres leches.

The Flying Trunk, CP

A rooftop bar with an infinity pool in the middle of Connaught Place wasn’t on anyone’s bingo card, but here we are. The Flying Trunk sits atop Novotel New Delhi City Centre with 360° views and a menu that riffs on Asian street markets — Chandni Chowk to Lahore, Xi’an to Kyoto. The drinks are the real pull: Tokyo Old Fashioned, yuzu-kaffir lime highballs, Clarified Chai Spritz, pandan gin with smoked honey. I mean, I’d go just for the views.

Silq, Malcha Marg

Silq is a restaurant that moves like a story. Set in Chanakyapuri’s diplomatic enclave, it channels the Silk Route through saffron-lit interiors, ceremonial touches, and a menu that respects the traditions it touches: Persian, Mughal, Levantine, Mediterranean. Expect Silq Nehari scented with kewra and caramelised onions, stuffed guchchi from the tandoor, kataifi-wrapped prawns, and a dum biryani that arrives sealed in a handi. The cocktails follow the same narrative route — a clarified Rasmalai drink, a kanji-inspired beet-and-guava number, and a supari-and-rose whisky topped with gold.

BANGALORE

Arena, Indiranagar

Arena lands in Indiranagar with pyramid-inspired architecture and a “Many Worlds. One Destination.” philosophy — essentially, four levels with four personalities. Terraces with breezy drinks, a polished brewhouse below, then a high-energy central zone, and finally Daffys for comfort food hits. The menu hops globally: Guacamole Tarts, Char Siu Pork Belly, Truffle Ricotta Cannelloni, Smoked Chilli Chicken, Honey Almond Pie.

Daysie + Quarter House

Daysie has always been Bengaluru’s casual, reliably good all-day bar, and its RR Nagar outpost now hides a fun twist: Quarter House, a bar-within-a-bar inspired by classic Indian quarter joints. It stays mellow through the day and turns into a no-frills, high-energy drinking den after dark.

33&BREW

It’s a taproom and a listening bar, all in one. 33&BREW throws you into India’s first vinyl microbrewery. Inside, there is exposed brick, mahogany, brass, and a 200-plus vinyl archive. Brewer Stephen Nelsen pours crisp ales, IPAs, and bold seasonals; Chef Sabyasachi Gorai plates Hokkaido Bun Keema, Goan prawn arancini, Rose Kunafe tarts. Even the cocktails — The Beerhead Sour, Needle Scratch — nod to vinyl. It’s atmospheric, warm, and extremely Bangalore.

GOA

Istorea by the Sea

Istorea by the Sea has quickly become North Goa’s go-to sundowner spot. The setting is clean and earthy, with textured stone, warm woods, soft sand-toned palettes, letting the sunset steal the show. The menu is all goat’s cheese salad with oak ash, crispy lotus stem, kimchi bao, recheado pomfret, king fish grilled over embers, chicken-chorizo risotto. The cocktails — Smoky White Orange Old Fashioned, Coco Lune, Petal & Pearl — hit harder as the sky shifts colours in Goa. Post-sundown, the energy morphs into a culture-led space with Afro, house, and techno acts.

CHENNAI

Nasi and Mee

Nasi and Mee levels up in Phoenix Marketcity with its flagship outpost — bigger, sleeker, and home to Chennai’s first live sushi station. The main menu stays true to what the brand built its name on — Singaporean and Malaysian staples, comforting ramen bowls, and now-fresh sushi.