Papa’s, Mumbai
Updated on: 07 Oct 2026, 8:35 am
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The seventh edition of India’s Top Restaurant Awards is here, along with the list of the fifty <a s in Bandra is third. Here’s how many entries every city had in this year’s list.
The Winners Of India’s Top 50 <a s 50 Best Restaurants 2026, after ranking 66th the year before. After such a big jump, the top spot in the national list was only natural.
The runners-up are Mumbai institutions of very different temperaments. The Table has been a Colaba favourite since 2011 with a globally influenced, farm-to-table menu. Papa’s, led by chef Hussain Shahzad, seats just 12 guests for a 12-course menu. Monthly reservations here tend to vanish almost as soon as they open.
Mumbai and Goa are co-champions this year with 13 restuarants each. You could still argue that Mumbai edges just a little bit ahead on prestige because two of its tables stand on the podium. Bengaluru’s six is… surprising, given how the city ranked in Eater’s list as one of the best places in the world for its food scene this year. But the biggest eyebrow-raiser is Delhi: Indian Accent has topped this ranking in earlier editions, at least three times, yet the capital now holds three places (four if you generously count Gurugram). Chennai and Kolkata, with four each (out of which two of Kolkata’s entries are by Sienna), are closing in on the top list. Jaipur, Gurugram and Karaikudi have one entry apiece.
Interestingly, Shillong is turning out to be the new food destination. Rynsan placed No. 32 and Nonna Mei No. 44; both are from this city. Rynsan serves modern interpretations of Meghalayan and wider Northeast cuisines inside a restored Assam-style bungalow, while Nonna Mei, from chef Niyati Rao, offers an Italian menu on Meghalayan ingredients. Rao’s Ekaa also appears on the list, at No. 34.
What To Eat At The Best Restaurants In India
At Naar, Kasauli, the best way to eat is through the tasting menu. Look out for the Tichoni broth, Maki Point-<a re looking beyond the familiar picks, check out the Lyon onion soup, coal-roasted vegetables with romesco and hazelnut, and sugar snap peas with avocado and mustard-leaf vinaigrette from the current menu.
Watermelon, feta, and black sesame salad at Papa’s, Mumbai
At Papa’s, Mumbai, dishes change with the tasting menu, so there isn’t a conventional à la carte list to work through. Still, a few creations have become closely associated with the restaurant: Bugs Bunny, made with rabbit and weaver-ant tare and served with jowar pita and amla kosho; the Kashmiri Wellington; the duck with Indrayani rice; and the lamb Wellington, slow-cooked for 14 hours.
At Farmlore, Bengaluru, go for the tasting menu instead of individual items. Some of the current courses worth taking the trip for are the Seataphor 4:26, pairing Rameshwaram prawns with sesame chutney and kelp froth, Meen 12:25, featuring red mullet, soppu saaru and farm-grown pumpkins, Nimadhi, with carrot sorbet, coriander, dill and moong dal, and Pachai & Manjal, made of charred greens, kal passi, lotus root and cured egg yolks. The menu changes with the farm and the season, so it’s best to ask for the chef’s specials and suggestions.
At Sienna Calcutta, the food uses traditional Bengali ingredients and explores the limits to which they can be taken. The Ros omelette, for example, comes with bone marrow jhol, golda chingri is paired with ghilu hollandaise, and the makha sandesh with komola kheer is among the restaurant’s current must-try dishes.
How the India Top 50 Restaurants and Bars are chosen
Condé Nast Traveller first curates a shortlist of more than 1,000 restaurants nationwide. Of course, restaurants can nominate themselves too. A 105-member jury of critics, writers, chefs, designers and other tastemakers then votes privately in two rounds to settle the final 50.
India Top 50 Restaurants 2026 Full List
Indian Accent, The Lodhi, New Delhi
Avartana, ITC Grand Chola, Chennai
Cavatina by Avinash Martins, Goa
The Restaurant, The Bangala, Karaikudi
Megu, The Leela Palace, New Delhi
Kappa Chakka Kandhari, Chennai
For the Record – Vinyl Bar, Goa
mumbai restaurants
goa restaurants
Bengaluru restaurants
