India’s dining scene is having a lively March, with notable openings spanning Sicilian trattorias and Nikkei kitchens to neighbourhood beer halls and beach clubs. Here’s what’s worth knowing.
Mumbai sees the most action. Siciliana brings Southern Italian warmth to Palladium’s Lower Parel, with a menu by chef Sabyasachi Gorai centred on Neapolitan pizzas, coastal seafood and classic desserts. In Khar, Sweeney, co-founded by Malaika Arora, pairs Thai home cooking with European comfort food in a breezy, garden-set space. Versova gains two new additions: Coffee Capital, a speciality café focused on single-origin Indian Arabica and technique-forward brews, and PUBLIC Beer Hall, a no-reservations neighbourhood bar from the Bonobo team serving regional Indian drinking snacks. The Bastian group also debuts Bastian Beach Club at Juhu’s Sun-n-Sand Hotel, a sea-facing all-day venue with Peruvian-Japanese flavours and sundowner energy.
Delhi NCR offers a range of formats. The Cavity in GK II is a nine-seater weekend micro-bar offering a cocktail tasting menu built entirely around India’s GI-tagged ingredients. Second Born, a rooftop bar above bistro Staple, keeps things casual with sibling-ingredient cocktails and shareable bites. Number 16 in Khan Market offers contemporary Chinese small plates and conceptual cocktails with views over Lutyens’ Delhi. In Gurugram’s HQ27, Novy is a globally influenced bistro from the Arq team, where edamame momos meet Kolhapuri rasam and paella socarrat gets a nimbu mutton twist.
Hyderabad welcomes Yuzu at the Hilton Genome Valley, a Nikkei restaurant led by chef Palden Sherpa, combining Japanese technique with Peruvian and Thai influences across tiradito, robata grills and sashimi.
Goa brings character in abundance. Pincode by chef Kunal Kapur opens its Indian flagship in a restored Vagator bungalow, mapping regional Indian cuisine across a café, cocktail room and glasshouse restaurant. Stoned Pig, a 24-seater glass-walled bar within Slow Tide in Anjuna, channels the area’s hippie heritage through spirit-forward riffs on classics. Nova Sandwich Shop, also in Anjuna, builds each sandwich around overnight-fermented, made-to-order bread with in-house mozzarella and umami-led sauces.
Pune’s Meesah in Baner takes a globe-trotting approach, blending Filipino adobo, lachcha paratha, eggs Benedict and theatrical mezcal cocktails into an easygoing neighbourhood menu.
Jaipur gets two contrasting café openings on JLN Marg. Cafe Nola is a warm, all-day neighbourhood spot with a built-in podcast studio and a menu that moves from morning matcha to dinner. Jacob’s Brew House leans into maximalist nostalgia, a scooter-themed, vintage-filled space led by UAE Barista Champion Sonam Dorje Sherpa, where the coffee programme is as considered as the food.
Kolkata closes the list with Yokocho on Park Street, chef Auroni Mookerjee’s Japan-inspired alley restaurant drawing on Asian street food from khau gallis to Hong Kong dai pai dongs, with clever cocktails, a charcoal grill and origami cats on every table.
