9 Delhi restaurants to feast your way through from dusk till dawn

Forest Table, Delhi by Beyond Designs

Mood: Sunset with a monument

Forest Table hides in plain sight, on the roof of the Nehru Planetarium in the leafy Teen Murti Bhavan estate. Beyond Designs wraps it in glass and keeps every old tree in place, so the canopy does most of the decorating. Ask to sit outdoors, where dinner comes with a view of the 700-year-old Kushak Mahal.

Cafe Delhi Heights, Noida by Studio Rust

Mood: Window seat, laptop open

Every Delhiite has a favourite window seat, and Studio Rust gives Cafe Delhi Heights in Noida two. One looks out on metro trains sliding past, the other onto a canopy of old trees. In between, the café curves around its kitchen, lively at the door and calmer in the booths. “The layout naturally created opportunities for different moods,” says Sourish Rao.

Kanjivaram, Gurugram by Studio Pravee

Mood: A long lunch down south

Lunch at Kanjivaram feels like a long afternoon in a Chettinad home, which is a neat trick for a first-floor address in Gurugram. The trio behind Studio Pravee studied in South India, and it shows in the details they remember: a still water court between two wings, Kerala-style brackets and brass chandeliers shaped like lotus petals and boats. Come hungry and in no hurry.

Cellar & Cup, Gurugram by The Prop House

Mood: Coffee that runs into wine

Coffee in the morning, wine by evening and a board game if you stay on. The Prop House dresses Cellar & Cup like a restored Italian villa, in sage, terracotta and limestone borrowed from Florence’s cathedral. Pick your corner from striped booths by the coffee counter, stools at a corten bar shaped like clustered barrels or a raised lounge built for game nights.

Echoes 2.0, Delhi by UrbanMistrii

Mood: The big family dinner

Echoes 2.0 takes the stilt floor of a Rohini residential building, and UrbanMistrii uses the staircase that splits its 2,020 sq ft in two. One half has small corners under curtained ceilings, with railings like a neighbour’s balcony. The other has a proper dining room and an open bar, sized for the kind of 80th birthday that runs late. Walnut, exposed brick and patterned wallpaper do the rest.

Firenze Gelateria & Caffè, Delhi by That Design Studio

Mood: Sunday in Florence

Eating gelato in Florence is less a snack than a small ceremony, and Firenze in Defence Colony market treats it that way. That Design Studio keeps the ground floor crowded and cheerful, with the queue snaking past the pozzetti, lidded steel wells that hold the gelato. Climb up for an affogato in one of the snug corners, among mosaic floors, worn-looking plaster and brass.

Together, Delhi by Studiio Dangg

Mood: Listening-room hush

Behind an easy-to-miss door, Together trades Delhi’s noise for a record and a well-made drink. A black-and-white tiled foyer with a neon nod to Michael Jackson leads into Studiio Dangg’s take on a Tokyo listening bar, all smoked walnut and low travertine light. The 28 seats fill fast, and the DJ console in the middle is open to guests with good taste.

Strangr Dasht Gard, Delhi by Studiio Dangg

Mood: Late night, live set

In Urdu, a dasht-gard is someone who wanders the wilderness, and Strangr Dasht Gard’s Vasant Vihar outpost is built for drifting. Studiio Dangg peels the building back to raw brick, concrete and time-marked green walls, then warms it up with timber. Downstairs, a long concrete bench nudges strangers into conversation. Upstairs, take a stool at the mezzanine bar or claim the staircase on gig nights.

Selva, Delhi by Renesa Architecture Design Interiors Studio

Mood: Midnight in Mexico

Designed by Renesa Architecture Design Interiors Studio, Selva is an uncompromisingly dark rainforest den. The menu bridges Mexican hearth cooking with raw Nikkei-Peruvian flavours. It swaps traditional tortillas for seaweed in the Nori Tacos and also introduces dishes such as Tlayuda, Oaxaca’s crisp open-faced speciality. The must-have, however, is at the bar: Viper’s Venom. Made with over 30 ingredients, Viper’s Venom is a dirty martini-inspired cocktail that undergoes a multi-day clarification process to yield a crystal-clear pour.

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