7 tasting menus reshaping vegetarian fine dining in India

A 14-course meal might still feel extravagant to most diners, yet tasting menus have steadily been redefining fine dining in India. First popularised by restaurants like Olive and Indian Accent in Mumbai and New Delhi, the format has especially flourished in the space of vegetarian fine dining in India. 

“Tasting menus became a marketable commodity when concepts of private dining rooms and elaborate menus came in around 2010. What added to their popularity was also the global trend of Japanese cuisine, with chefs plating up dishes to their liking,” says Anoothi Vishal, a New Delhi-based New Delhi-based food historian, author and editor. While the format originated from cost-effective three-course menus in Europe, in India it has evolved into a luxury experience. Some of the most exciting inventions and experiments in fine dining are now unfolding through vegetarian tasting menus in India. 

The rise of produce-led tasting menus

“In the last few years, India moved away from the hierarchy of vegetables. Today, there is far more consciousness and acceptance of hyper local greens and vegetables,” says Vishal. Communities with deep-rooted vegetarian food cultures  who once preferred eating at home, are now spending more on eating out and driving demand at vegetarian restaurants in India. Vishal adds, “Traditionally vegetarian communities like Jains or Marwaris have great food at home, coming from a deep culture of nuanced food and carefully put together flavours. So, when they go out, they want something more imaginative, maybe inspired by global trends or cuisines.” 

Vegetable-forward menus also demand more skill. It is harder to hide flaws, Vishal notes. “You can’t overspice or add strong flavours to vegetables,” she explains, pointing to why fine dining in India has found new energy in vegetarian tasting menus. 

Dr Kurush F. Dalal, archaeologist and culinary anthropologist, recalls eating a crisp horsegram cube at Sienna in Kolkata, an ingredient often labelled ‘poor people’s food’. “A tasting menu at a fine dining restaurant is a space for the chef to flex and show what they can do,” he says. It is also a means of introducing dishes that most clients might otherwise hesitate to try on an a-la-carte menu.”

Sourcing rare ingredients in vegetarian fine dining in India

Tasting menus work only when restaurants treat their vegetarian dishes with the same intent as the rest of the menu. “If it comes from the space of ‘also doing a vegetarian menu,’ it doesn’t do it justice,” says Dalal, citing Avatara in Mumbai as an example of one of the best fine dining restaurants in India. 

Chefs are also sourcing prized ingredients like gucchi mushrooms from Kashmir and bamboo shoots from Arunachal Pradesh. “People are willing to pay in India, especially the vegetarian clientele, who have very deep pockets,” Dalal notes. With tasting menus priced between ₹ 4,000 to ₹15,000, restaurants can afford to push their creative boundaries. 

1. Avatara, Mumbai 

Why it stands out: Vegetarian-only fine dining restaurant
Courses: 8 or 16 | ₹3,000–₹5,500++

Avatara is one of the few vegetarian restaurants in India offering multi-course tasting menus at a fine-dining level. Its current menu, called ‘The Transcending Journey,’ showcases palm heart ceviche, an eggless stroopwafel cornet of corn gilawat kebab, kernels and corn butter served with corn shorba for a warm–cold contrast, and benne idli with coconut malai pepper fry, finished with walnut butter and curry leaf oil. Another standout pairs young cashew cooked in Malvani rassa with charred snow peas, asparagus and Brussels sprouts, served alongside Malvani vade, reframing charred vegetables as textural, fibre-rich centrepieces.  

Link: avatararestaurant.com/mumbai| Reservations: +91 9152600123, +91 9152700123, [email protected].  
Location: Avatara Mumbai, Krishna Curve, Santacruz, Opposite Juhu Garden, Mumbai 

2. Indian Accent, New Delhi and Mumbai

Why it stands out: Reimagined Indian classics
Courses: 8 | ₹5,400++ 

Indian Accent helped introduce the concept of tasting menus to fine dining in India, and its vegetarian journey reimagines familiar flavours with quiet precision. There’s green jackfruit with congee and pickle, or achari paneer with Banarasi aloo. The sag paneer layered with seasonal greens is a signature dish at the restaurant. Desserts like malpua crepe suzette and tender coconut with dark chocolate close the arc, while the strawberry kala khatta, a palate cleanser, offers a burst of tang between courses.   “The vegetarian journey is particularly exciting because it reflects India’s relationship with plant-based cooking, a great way of celebrating the country’s culinary heritage,” says Chef Shantanu Mehrotra, Executive Chef, Indian Accent, who also pairs the dishes with nuanced wines, placing Indian Accent among the best fine dining restaurants in India. 

Link: www.indianaccent.com| Reservations: +91 9871117968, +91 1166175151, [email protected]

Location: Indian Accent, located at The Lodhi, Lodhi Road, New Delhi and at NMACC, Bandra-Kurla Complex, Mumbai 

3. Masque, Mumbai

Why it stands out: Ingredient-driven innovation
Courses:10 | ₹6,500++

At Masque, each dish marks a chapter in its nine-year story, rooted in local ingredients and experimental technique. There’s charred corn pani puri with bhutta miso, smoked quince with red chilli and buckwheat, and dal ravioli with green toor. The restaurant’s approach keeps the original taste intact while layering unexpected flavour combinations—melon with gongura rabri, or petha dessert reimagined with mango when strawberries aren’t in season. Masque has consistently become a benchmark for vegetarian tasting menus in India and one of the most progressive fine dining restaurants in the country.

Link: masquerestaurant.com| Reservations: +91 9819069222, [email protected].

Location: Masque, Mahalakshmi, Mumbai 

4. Pendulo, New Delhi

Why it stands out: Synergy of Indian–Mexican flavours
Courses:12 | ₹5,000++

Pendulo builds a bridge between Indian and Mexican culinary traditions, anchored in the countries’ shared love for corn, chillies, fermentation techniques, and layered spice. It is a specific crossover that makes it stand out in the realm of fine dining in India. 

Their vegetarian menu moves from smoked yams and jackfruit barbacoa to dishes like the Bhava chilli, layered with passion fruit salsa, aloo chokha and mushroom taco. There’s charred kid corn with Indian lime and tajin, dhungaar avocado agua chile ceviche with star anise sirka onions, and a playful batata vada taquito that hides Mumbai-style potato inside a tortilla. Their finale, a dark chocolate mousse (eggless) with horchata-phirni crema and habanero chilli, shows why Pendulo stands apart among vegetarian tasting menus in India. 

Link: pendulo.restaurant| Reservation: 8800346565
Location: Pendulo, 1st floor, Ambawatta One,Mehrauli, New Delhi

5. Oota Bangalore, Bengaluru

Why it stands out: A culinary map of Karnataka
Courses:10 | ₹6,000++ 

Oota maps Karnataka on a plate, presenting flavours from Mangalore, Mysore, Coorg, Davangere, Chitradurga, and Bengaluru through a fine dining lens. The menu includes gassi with sannas, gojju with neer dosa, and Yenne Badnekai with Kolada roti, all made from local produce and grounded in  traditional recipes. It also introduces diners to lesser-known elements like kashayas and tambullis (herbal coolers), and kismuri (salad), along with an intricate use of regional spice blends or pudis. By weaving influences from Kodava, Bunt, Konkani, and Navyath cuisines, Oota has quietly become one of the most culturally rooted vegetarian fine dining experiences in India. 

Link: oota.in| Reservation: 7259041143
Location: Oota Bangalore, 7th floor, No. 331, 5B Road, Whitefield, Bengaluru 

6. Tres, New Delhi

Why it stands out: Playful pairings and textures
Courses:7 | ₹5,000–₹10,000++

Tres approaches vegetarian fine dining with playful textures and precise pairing. Stuffed morel in butternut squash with white truffle oil, airy goat cheese bavaroise paired with a fragrant Crimson Rose gin cocktail, and Josper-grilled asparagus with caramelised chilli yoghurt and puffed black rice are dishes that reveal a light, confident hand. The kale ricotta cappelletti in silky miso butter with crispy kale balances indulgence with restraint, while the English cucumber with fennel sorbet celebrates the overlooked freshness of fennel. It’s an experience that feels quietly European yet rooted in the rhythms of local, seasonal produce.

Link: stores.lbf.co.in| Reservation: 8448699586, [email protected]
Location: No 23, Block 13, Lodhi Colony, New Delhi(pre-bookings only)

7. Papa’s, Mumbai

Why it stands out: Single-ingredient focus
Courses: 10 | ₹7,000++ 

At Papa’s, each course is anchored in a single vegetable—a structure that draws out its flavour, texture, and cultural history before transforming it into something unexpected. There’s cashew and quince laddoo, samosa in pickled apple patti with feta and spearmint, and  thayir sadam reinterpreted with beetroot, chèvre, and a crisp fried shiso leaf. A biryani-paella hybrid made with Brussels sprouts and Indrayani rice finishes with a golden, crispy socarrat. 

Seasonal shifts keep the menu dynamic: tendli with peppery coconut broth in the monsoon, charred red carrots with kasundi-inspired sauce in winter, and sweet Jaipur peas when the weather turns cool. “The real challenge, and the joy, lies in creating the same sense of indulgence, depth, and progression you would expect from any world-class tasting menu,” says executive chef Hussain Shahzad. It is this intent that places Papa’s among the best fine dining restaurants in India. 

Link: papasbombay.com| Reservation: Reservations for the next month open on the 1st of the previous month via District by Zomato at 11 am.
Location: Papa’s, Ranwar Village, Bandra (West), Mumbai 

The future of vegetarian fine dining India

Are tasting-only menus the future of eating out in India? “Papa’s is proof. They’ve not had a single service that’s not been booked out within a day,” says Dalal. Vishal, however, sees upscale yet casual spaces like Comorin (in Gurugram and Mumbai) thriving alongside thalis and sadhyas rooted in community traditions. 

According to Vishal, “Diners are seeking moreish flavours which are more wholesome, instead of dishes needy for attention. People worldwide are looking for authenticity, not constructed food. Upscale casual concepts, which are more inclusive and equally imaginative, are doing well. So luxury fine dining works when it’s more rooted and culturally attuned to a community or region.”  

Thalis, Dalal notes, are essentially multi-course meals served at once.  Serve the dishes of a thali one at a time, does it become a tasting menu? “Yes,” says Dalal. “Technically, a 24-course vegetarian meal in Andhra Pradesh or Kerala [counts as] one. The concept is to have so much variety that people don’t go for second helpings.”