best fine dining restaurants in delhi (2026) - tasting menus with real prices

tldr: indian accent at the lodhi is delhi’s most famous tasting menu, at about rs 5,400 veg and rs 5,500 non-veg a head plus taxes. one couple’s bill for two, with three cocktails, was rs 15,840. go for the kanyakumari crab, which the creator rated 10/10, and skip expectations about the chaat course. varq at the taj mahal hotel does a five-course chef’s signature menu that was rs 5,000 when filmed. it is the most generous of the lot: one creator called it “the fullest I have ever been” after a tasting menu. bukhara and dum pukht, both at itc maurya, aren’t tasting-menu restaurants but are the two classics: bukhara for the dal and eating with your hands, dum pukht for slow-cooked awadhi food. both list at about rs 8,000 for two.

fine dining in delhi means two different things, and it helps to pick before you book. there are tasting menus, set courses where the kitchen decides, which are what indian accent and varq are known for. and there are the hotel classics, a la carte rooms that have served the same food for decades, like bukhara and dum pukht. tasting menus are a fixed price you can plan around. at the classics, the bill depends on how much you order.

the first practical thing: every price here is before tax. these restaurants quote “plus taxes”, and hotel restaurants usually add 18% gst. rs 5,500 plus taxes is about rs 6,490 a head before a single drink.

the second: drinks change the bill more than food does. indian accent’s wine pairing lists at about rs 5,400 a head, nearly the cost of the menu itself, and even bottled water at varq was rs 350 plus taxes.

on sources: every restaurant below was filmed by a food creator between 2022 and 2024. two creators filmed varq, two filmed indian accent, and one filmed bukhara and dum pukht as well. current menu prices come from the restaurants’ listings and the taj’s own menu, and are marked as such. none of these visits look hosted. they look like paying customers, and one of the two verdicts on indian accent was critical. nobody from this site has eaten here yet, so there are no scores of our own, just what the creators ate, what they rated it and what they paid.

for a la carte options nearby see best restaurants in south delhi and best mughlai restaurants in delhi.

the awards

• best tasting menu: indian accent, the lodhi - the kanyakumari crab got a 10/10, the daulat ki chaat a 9
• best value tasting menu: varq, taj mahal hotel - five courses that ate like ten, rs 5,000 when filmed
• best single dish on camera: the kanyakumari crab at indian accent - “outstanding, 10 out of 10”
• most theatrical: varq - a mango sorbet steamed with liquid nitrogen, jalebi under silver leaf
• best for eating with your hands: bukhara, itc maurya - no forks, no spoons, by design
• best awadhi food: dum pukht, itc maurya - slow-cooked lucknowi dishes
• most divisive: indian accent - one creator gave it 8/10, another said it may not deserve its ranking

the full list

prices are before 18% gst and drinks. the videos are from 2022-2024, so check the current menu before you book.

the top three, in detail

1. indian accent - the lodhi, lodhi road

indian accent is the restaurant most often named as delhi’s, and sometimes india’s, best. it has branches in new york and london, and it appears on international lists such as la liste. the tasting menu lists at rs 5,400 veg and rs 5,500 non-veg plus taxes, with a wine pairing at about rs 5,400 more.

one couple of reviewers went for their 21st anniversary and rated every course. the standouts were the kanyakumari crab (10/10), the meethi achar pork ribs, “tender af” (9), the pumpkin halwa soft serve (9), daulat ki chaat (9) and the opening shorba (9). the low points were the chaat trio of pav bhaji, dhokla and smoked papad, which “all felt more like mini versions that your local fancy caterer will make” (6), and the duck kulcha (4). their bill for two with three cocktails was rs 15,840, and they tipped because “there is no service charge on the bill.” overall: “8 out of 10”, with hospitality “top notch”.

the second reviewer was harder on it, calling the paneer, at rs 1,300, “not justified”, trying the rs 700 daulat ki chaat, and closing the video suggesting it may not live up to its ranking.

the catch: it is a once-a-year meal, and even the fan said so: “tasting menus are a one-time experience for me.” book ahead; listings give the reservations line as +91 11 6617 5151.

2. varq - taj mahal hotel, mansingh road

varq has been the taj mahal hotel’s modern indian restaurant since 2008. it has an a la carte menu and three tasting menus at different prices. both creators who filmed it chose the five-course chef’s signature menu at rs 5,000 and both said the same thing: each “course” is several dishes. one called it “the fullest I have ever been at the end of a fine dining course or tasting menu”, and the other said that each course “is like gigantic”.

one of the filmed meals went like this. first came the varqui crab, the signature: kerala-style crab with coconut under a paper-thin filo layer, topped with a tandoori prawn. it is about rs 1,830 a la carte on the taj’s current menu. then a jasmine and gin prawn tikka with pineapple and plum sauces, a chicken potli masala broth, and a mango sorbet steamed with liquid nitrogen to reset the palate. the main course was a full spread: paneer two ways, a lemon-leaf naan, dal, potatoes and kashmiri mushrooms. desserts were a hot jalebi under silver leaf, a pouch of baked condensed milk and an orange-quinoa sweet. the service was the thing both creators remembered. one of them called it “even more incredible service than [the food].”

the catch: extras add up. himalayan bottled water was rs 350 plus taxes, and the rs 5,000 price is from 2022-23. mastercard’s priceless programme lists a varq experience at us$100 plus taxes for 2026, which suggests the menu now costs more. book ahead, and eat a light lunch.

3. bukhara - itc maurya, chanakyapuri

bukhara is the classic. the reviewer who filmed it pointed out that the menu and the room have barely changed in decades: low tables, a dhaba-style setting inside a five-star hotel, and no forks or spoons, because you eat with your hands. there is a wall of famous diners, and the restaurant claims a record for india’s biggest naan. the dish to order is the dal, the black dal the restaurant is known for, which the reviewer said had “a fantastic taste”. listings put dinner at about rs 8,000 for two.

the catch: it is not a tasting menu. it is heavy tandoor food and a la carte, so the bill depends on how much meat you order. come hungry and order less than you think.

the rest of the list

• dum pukht, itc maurya, chanakyapuri - bukhara’s sister restaurant in the same hotel, cooking slow-sealed awadhi food of the kind you would otherwise travel to lucknow for. the same reviewer joked that the menu reads “like a wedding card”. la liste ranked it fifth in india at the time of filming, and third-party guides report 79 points for 2026. listings put it at about rs 8,000 for two.

tips

• add 18% before you compare. every price here is plus taxes. rs 5,500 is about rs 6,490 at the table.
• check the bill for service charge. indian accent’s had none when filmed. elsewhere, a service charge cannot be added by default, and you can ask for it to be removed.
• drinks double the bill. a wine pairing at indian accent costs about as much as the food. one cocktail each is the cheap way to do it.
• eat light before varq. the five-course menu is closer to ten courses.
• pick by format. a tasting menu is a fixed price and a long evening (indian accent, varq). the itc classics are a la carte and faster (bukhara, dum pukht).
• book ahead and confirm the price. these videos are from 2022-2024, and fine-dining menus here change prices at least once a year.

• best mughlai restaurants in delhi - the non-hotel version of dum pukht’s food
• best 5-star buffets in delhi - itc maurya and the taj at buffet prices
• best restaurants in south delhi - more around lodhi road and khan market
• best speakeasy bars in delhi - for after dinner
• best restaurants in delhi - the citywide list
• best hotels in south delhi - stay near the lodhi, the taj and itc maurya