best restaurants in nainital (2026)
honest nainital restaurant guide with real prices. mall road is tourist-priced, the tibetan market is not. momos rs 30, thalis from rs 370.
tldr: zooby’s kitchen on mall road is the consensus pick for a real dinner at roughly rs 850 to rs 1,200 for two. cafe lakeside is the view, around rs 800 for two. sonam fast food in the tibetan market is the value play, with momos listed near rs 30 a plate. machan is the most overrated name in town. skip mall road breakfast and walk to the bhotia lanes instead.
nainital’s eating problem is geography. almost every restaurant with a name is squeezed onto one strip of mall road running along naini lake, which means every one of them is renting the single most expensive commercial frontage in kumaon and passing that on to you. the result is a stretch where a plate of noodles and a paneer gravy can quietly become a rs 1,600 bill, and where the reviews on the famous places sag in the middle - good views, heavy portions, mediocre cooking.
the useful move in nainital is to stop treating mall road as the food scene. the tibetan market at mallital, also called bhotia market, is forty metres off the main strip and runs on an entirely different price scale. the kumaoni food is not on mall road either; it is in a handful of specific restaurants that reviewers keep naming and that most tourists walk past.
on prices: every rupee figure here comes from recent published listings, menus and reviewer reports, mostly zomato, tripadvisor and justdial. hill-station prices move, they have very likely crept up since those listings went live, and they spike hard in peak season - may and june, and the christmas to new year window. treat the numbers as the right order of magnitude, not a quote. also note that zomato’s cost-for-two averages exclude taxes and service charges, so add roughly 5 to 18 percent to anything you see below.
one more thing, stated plainly: nobody from this site has eaten at these places. every verdict below is a composite of published reviews, listings and reviewer reports, not a personal visit. if you want a first-person account of eating in the hills, read the rishikesh budget food guide instead. if you are building a wider uttarakhand trip, the kainchi dham guide covers the temple most nainital visitors drive out to, and best hotels in nainital handles where to sleep.
the awards
- best overall: zooby’s kitchen, mall road - the strongest review consensus in town, and the one place reviewers call “awesome north indian at mall road” rather than “fine for the view”.
- best value: sonam fast food, tibetan market - momo plates listed around rs 30 and dry veg chowmein near rs 80. formal rating is weak at 3.2 on a five-point scale from 27 reviews, but the lanes are busy for a reason.
- best lake view: cafe lakeside, mall road - 4.7 on a five-point scale from 195 reviews, lake visible from the table, indoor and outdoor seating, around rs 800 for two.
- best kumaoni food: shiva vegetarian restaurant - the name that comes up specifically for a kumaoni thali rather than a generic north indian card.
- best bakery: sakley’s, mall road - running since 1953, a genuine swiss-style bakery in a town full of fake ones. blueberry cheesecake, banoffee pie, chocolate eclairs.
- best cheap thali: cafe de mall, mall road - a special thali reported at rs 370 and a cost for two around rs 400, which on this strip is close to charity.
- best sweets: mamu’s naini sweets - bal mithai and singori, the two things kumaon actually invented.
- most overrated: machan restaurant, mall road - a famous name trading on a lake view. reviewers say “okayish”, “did not live up to the hype”, prices on the higher side, tables crammed too close. one reviewer also reports being refused entry over sandals.
- biggest nostalgia trap: embassy, mall road - decades of history, old-world decor, and a 3.7 on a five-point scale across 355 reviews. go for the room, not the kitchen.
the full list
| # | place | locality | best for | cost for two | rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | zooby’s kitchen | mall road | north indian, sizzlers | rs 850-1,200 | 8.5/10 |
| 2 | cafe lakeside | mall road, lakeside | lake view, breakfast | rs 800 | 8.5/10 |
| 3 | sonam fast food | tibetan (bhotia) market | momos, thukpa | rs 150-250 | 8/10 |
| 4 | giannis pure veg | mall road, lakeside | veg thali, south indian | rs 650 | 8/10 |
| 5 | shiva vegetarian restaurant | mallital | kumaoni thali | rs 500-600 | 8/10 |
| 6 | sakley’s | mall road | cakes, pastries, breakfast | rs 600-1,500 | 8/10 |
| 7 | brittneys cafe | near the lake | italian, quiet corner | rs 700-900 | 8/10 |
| 8 | chandani chowk | mall road | kumaoni dishes, multi-cuisine | rs 600 | 7.5/10 |
| 9 | nirvana organic kitchen | nainital | kumaoni thali, ragi pizza | rs 600-800 | 7.5/10 |
| 10 | machan restaurant | mall road | lake view, big portions | rs 700-1,600 | 7/10 |
| 11 | cafe de mall | mall road | cheap thali | rs 400 | 7/10 |
| 12 | purohit | mall road | pure veg thali over the lake | rs 400-600 | 6.5/10 |
| 13 | embassy | mall road | nostalgia | rs 600-800 | 6.5/10 |
all ratings are composites of published reviews across tripadvisor, zomato, justdial and travel write-ups, converted to a ten-point scale. they are not personal scores. where a listing publishes a place-specific cost for two, that is the figure used. where none exists - brittneys, shiva, nirvana organic kitchen - the cell shows the published mall road band for that type of place, which runs rs 300 to rs 600 for two at simple veg and thali spots and rs 700 to rs 900 at mid-range multi-cuisine ones.
zooby’s kitchen
what to order: butter chicken and the sizzlers are what reviewers name most. it runs an indian and international card, so the safe order is north indian mains plus rotis rather than the continental section.
what reviewers say: 4.5 on a five-point scale across 368 tripadvisor reviews, and 4.4 across a much larger justdial sample of roughly 4,475 ratings. one review headline sums up the appeal - “awesome north indian at mall road”, which on this strip is a genuinely rare sentence.
honest caveat: price listings disagree sharply. zomato puts it near rs 1,200 for two, justdial closer to rs 850. the difference is almost entirely whether you order a sizzler. it is also squarely on mall road, so expect peak-season waits.
cafe lakeside
what to order: omelettes, sandwiches, coffee. this is a breakfast and afternoon place rather than a dinner destination.
what reviewers say: the highest-rated of the view places at 4.7 on a five-point scale from 195 reviews. the specific praise is that the naini lake view is visible from the table rather than from an awkward corner, and that there is both indoor and outdoor seating, which matters in rain.
honest caveat: it is flagged in the top price tier on tripadvisor even though zomato lists it near rs 800 for two, which suggests bills run higher than the average once drinks are in. you are paying for the window.
sonam fast food
what to order: mutton momos, listed around rs 30 a plate, and dry veg chowmein around rs 80. thukpa, a thick tibetan noodle soup, is the cold-evening order.
what reviewers say: this is the cheap-eats name in nainital and the one place in town that is a complete contrast to mall road - narrow market lanes, always busy, momos steamed in front of you. tamang and gullu tibetan restaurant in the same lanes get similar notes.
honest caveat: its formal tripadvisor score is poor, 3.2 on a five-point scale from just 27 reviews, so the enthusiasm is mostly from blogs and local write-ups rather than a large review base. one off-season visitor to the market shops specifically said the momos were average and pricier than expected. it is a cheap, busy, unglamorous stall, not a destination.
giannis pure veg and shiva vegetarian restaurant
what to order: at giannis, the north indian and south indian sections; it also runs chinese, which is usually the weakest part of any hill-station menu. at shiva, the kumaoni thali specifically.
what reviewers say: both sit at 4.3 on a five-point scale - giannis from a solid 393 reviews, shiva from 85. giannis gets credit for being on the mall road lakeside at around rs 650 for two, which is below the strip average.
honest caveat: pure-veg multi-cuisine in nainital means a very long menu cooked by a small kitchen. order within the cuisine the place is actually known for.
sakley’s
what to order: blueberry cheesecake, banoffee pie, chocolate eclairs. for a sit-down, the continental breakfast.
what reviewers say: 4.1 on a five-point scale from around 706 reviews, and the pedigree is real - trading since 1953, wooden furniture, unhurried service. one recommendation worth following is to go early, 7 to 8 am, when the pastries are fresh out.
honest caveat: the price reporting is all over the place, from rs 300 to rs 500 per head in some listings up to around rs 1,500 for two in others. assume the higher end if you sit down and order properly. it is an old bakery with old-bakery service speed.
machan restaurant
what to order: if you go, the heavy north indian gravies. dal makhani and paneer lababdar are what reviewers name.
what reviewers say: the split is the story. 4.1 on a five-point scale from 555 reviews and a top-ten rank in town, with some reviewers calling prices reasonable for a famous hill station with good lake views. others say it did not live up to the hype, dishes were “okayish”, portions heavy but prices on the higher side, and tables crammed too close together.
honest caveat: this is the most overrated name in nainital. the benchmark bill to keep in mind is the local family of four who reported rs 1,600 for noodles, one paneer gravy, two pizzas and drinks. one reviewer also reports a family member being refused entry for wearing sandals for a medical reason, so some mall road places do enforce dress codes.
the cheap end of mall road
cafe de mall is the honest budget option on the strip: a 3.6 dining rating, north indian, roughly rs 400 for two, and a reported special thali at rs 370 that one diner called value for money. interiors are basic.
purohit is a pure-veg place overlooking the lake, sister restaurant to embassy next door, and is the best-value veg thali on mall road by local benchmarks - though its 3.6 on a five-point scale from 148 reviews tells you the ceiling is low.
embassy has been feeding people here for decades and sells that, hard. 3.7 on a five-point scale from 355 reviews, reasonable prices by most accounts, old-world decor. it is an atmosphere purchase.
tips
- mall road is the most expensive square metre of commercial space in kumaon and the menus reflect it. the tibetan market at mallital is a two-minute walk off it and runs at a third of the price. make that walk at least once a day.
- peak season is may to june and the christmas to new year window. expect waits at every named place, menu items quietly unavailable, and prices at the top of every range quoted above. january and february are cheap and quiet by comparison.
- most core restaurants and the tibetan market stay open year round - nainital has a real domestic winter trade and the bhotia market is busiest in winter selling woollens. the market runs roughly 9 am to 9 pm daily. this is not manali; you will not find half the town shuttered.
- kitchens close early. plan dinner for 8 to 8.30 pm rather than 10 pm, especially off-season and especially anywhere above the lake.
- carry cash. mall road restaurants take cards and upi, the tibetan market stalls largely do not.
- zomato and justdial cost-for-two figures exclude taxes and charges. add 5 to 18 percent to every number in this guide before you budget.
- for kumaoni food you have to ask for it by name - aloo ke gutke, gahat ki dal, bhatt ki churkani, madua roti. most mall road menus bury it under north indian and chinese, or do not carry it at all.
- some mall road restaurants enforce dress codes, including footwear. if that is a problem, call ahead.
- mall road gets vehicle restrictions during peak hours and the lake-facing stretch is best walked. factor fifteen minutes between mallital and tallital ends when you pick a dinner spot.