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Discover 5 new eateries across India from a heritage street-food restaurant in Goa to a hidden cocktail bar in Delhi and innovative dessert destination in Varanasi.
Whether it is a fine-dining take on chaat, a rotating chef’s table and art gallery, a community café centred on specialty coffee, or a heritage dessert destination, these new venues offer experiences that blend culture, flavour, and thoughtful design.
India’s dining landscape is constantly evolving, with restaurants and bars experimenting with new formats, storytelling, and immersive experiences. From heritage homes that reimagine nostalgic street food to hidden cocktail bars inspired by Tokyo’s listening cafés, the latest openings across Goa, Mumbai, Pune, Delhi, and Varanasi reflect a fresh wave of creativity in hospitality. These spaces go beyond serving food and drinks, they curate atmosphere, design, and conversation.
Vaarta
In a restored 160-year-old Goan home tucked away in Sangolda, founded by Neha Mehta, a new restaurant is quietly changing the way Indian street food is experienced. Vaarta, a fine-dining yet deeply approachable concept, opens its doors with a simple but powerful idea: food is never just about flavour, it’s about memory, conversation, and belonging.
Unlike conventional street food destinations, Vaarta is not a chaat counter or a nostalgia-themed café. It is a thoughtfully curated dining experience that gives Indian street food the time, dignity, and emotion it deserves, set within a heritage Goan home that already carries stories of its own.
What makes Vaarta first-of-its-kind in Goa is the way interactive nostalgia is woven into the experience. Guests are welcomed by a live puchka counter, where each puchka is assembled fresh. Diners can choose from fillings such as Aloo Masala, Aloo Dum, Dahi Aloo, and Churmur, followed by house-made flavoured waters from sharp Jaljira and tangy Tetul to sweet Saunth and cooling Pudina recreating the anticipation of a bustling street-side ritual, now reimagined in an intimate heritage setting.
Adding to the experience is a “Make Your Own Barf Ka Gola” cart, brought directly to the table. Guests can personalise flavours, textures, and spice levels, transforming a familiar childhood treat into a shared and interactive moment.
Price for Two: INR 2000 + taxes
Timings: 12:00 pm – 10:00 pm
Location: House 280, Livrament Vaddo Casa Livrament, Sangolda, Goa
BARE
BARE is a new hybrid hospitality space that has opened at Raheja Altimus, Worli. Conceptualised by Pooja Raheja of Eat Drink Design, BARE brings together multiple experiences within one thoughtfully designed space.
The venue combines a culinary-forward cocktail bar, an intimate 11-seater Chef’s Table, a rotating art gallery, and an espresso bar by Boojee Café, each element designed to exist in quiet dialogue with the other.
Conceived as a collaborative space shaped by subtle details, BARE evolves every three months with guest chefs, refreshed menus, new cocktails, and rotating art exhibitions.
The launch menu is led by Chef Aman Singhal, complemented by a dessert programme curated by Prateek Bhaktiani. The bar programme focuses on minimal-intervention cocktails refined to their essence. Meanwhile, the gallery façade is curated in collaboration with A&H Colab, founded by Amrita Kilachand and Hina Oomer Ahmed, showcasing a rotating selection of contemporary art and design.
ButterBrews Aundh
ButterBrews has expanded its footprint with the opening of ButterBrews Aundh, a larger-format café designed for everyday visits.
Built over months of planning, experimentation, and tasting, the new space features a thoughtfully designed layout, a premium all-day menu, and a strong focus on specialty coffee, an element that remains central to the ButterBrews experience.
The menu is structured as a premium all-day offering centred on fresh ingredients. Guests can choose from breakfast options, healthy bowls, and wholesome meals, along with thoughtfully integrated vegan choices.
Coffee remains the highlight at ButterBrews Aundh, with 100 percent Arabica beans used across the menu. Along with their house beans, the café collaborates with Tulum Coffee Roasters and Ground Zero Coffee Roasters as guest roasters for manually brewed coffee.
Fresh bakes and desserts are prepared in ButterBrews’ own bakehouse, with the Basque cheesecake and cinnamon rolls among the standout favourites.
Together
A quiet door, an unassuming alley, and a resident cat gliding through the space, these small details set the tone for Together, a hidden bar redefining how Delhi experiences nightlife.
Inspired by Tokyo’s legendary kissa listening cafés, Together is built around the idea of discovery, indulgence, and quiet connection.
Entering the bar feels like stepping into another world. Designed by Manav Dangg of Studio Dangg, the interiors combine warm wood, textured mirrors, and cobbled walls with soft red lighting that casts a glow over intimate corners. There are no grand entrances or neon signs, the act of finding Together is part of the experience.
The cocktail menu unfolds like a record, moving from low-alcohol and non-alcoholic drinks to fuller expressions. Light creations such as Rum Whisper, Golden Hour, and Rosé Martini sit alongside experimental blends crafted with ingredients like yuzu, basil, miso butter-washed scotch, grape brine, wasabi-washed rum, mango, and clarified coconut milk.
Classic cocktails including Dirty Martini, Sidecar, and Old Fashioned add familiar notes to the menu.
The food menu is designed for sharing, featuring dips, small plates, and crisp tempuras. Dishes include edamame hummus, Bangkok guacamole, miso tahini, vegetable tempura, cornflake-crusted onion rings, chicken karaage, prawn tempura, gomae salad, gyoza, and sandos in both vegetarian and non-vegetarian variations.
The Hazelnut Factory (THF)
The Hazelnut Factory (THF) has opened its 16th outlet in Varanasi, a city celebrated for its deep cultural and historical heritage.
In a remarkable act of heritage revival, THF has restored Narayani Koop, a historic well built in 1883 by Maharani Narayani Devi in honour of her husband, Maharaja Ishwari Prasad Narayan Singh of Banaras, during his final days.
Founded on a shared passion for food, innovation, and creating joyful everyday indulgences, THF has redefined the Indian dessert experience.
The brand is known for its artisanal khoya-free mithai, single-estate coffees, and globally inspired desserts. Its signature creation, Labon, a trademarked fusion of laddoo and bonbon reflects the brand’s inventive approach.
Beverage offerings such as the Espresso Martini, Espresso Sangria, and Coconut Jaggery Latte further showcase THF’s commitment to creativity and quality.
March 09, 2026, 16:04 IST