Cover Fairmont Udaipur Palace hosts inaugural ceremony as India’s hospitality elite gather to celebrate the country’s finest venues and talent
Fairmont Udaipur Palace hosts inaugural ceremony as India’s hospitality elite gather to celebrate the country’s finest venues and talent
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India’s top restaurants, bars and hotels honoured as Tatler Best arrives in the region for the first time at Fairmont Udaipur Palace
For the first time in its history, Tatler Asia brought its definitive hospitality awards programme to India, holding the inaugural ceremony at Fairmont Udaipur Palace.
For nearly five decades, Tatler Asia has been the region’s definitive voice in luxury lifestyle. What began in 1984 as a trusted dining guide has since evolved into Tatler Best: a rigorous, cross-sector framework that bridges the world of food, drink and travel under one evaluative standard. The arrival of this framework in India signals the country’s emergence as a global hospitality powerhouse, where domestic travel is booming, a new generation of talent has emerged, and Indian hospitality is having its moment. Tatler Best India 2026 is here to capture it.
A total of 86 awards were presented across restaurants, bars and hotels, with 60 venues named in the inaugural Tatler Best 20 lists and 26 Best-in-Class trophies recognising excellence in service, design, innovation and individual talent. The results are the outcome of a comprehensive, year-long assessment conducted by a panel of industry experts, editors and critics. The highest-scoring venues in each category earned the distinction of Best-in-Class.
Above A toast to the occasion with the Tatler Best team and Vishrut Gupta, General Manager of Fairmont Udaipur Palace
A toast to the occasion with the Tatler Best team and Vishrut Gupta, General Manager of Fairmont Udaipur Palace
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The evening’s top honours: Restaurant of the Year, Bar of the Year and Hotel of the Year were awarded to the highest-scoring venues, recognising those that demonstrated the most consistent and exceptional performance across the board.
Masque took home Restaurant of the Year. Since opening in 2016 in a former cotton-mill complex, it has become the gravitational centre of modern Indian dining. Its culinary narrative weaves technical rigour with soul, celebrating local ingredients in ways that are both deeply rooted in tradition and entirely of the moment. The restaurant’s commitment to seasonality and its ever-evolving menu, drawing from across the subcontinent, have made it a beacon of contemporary Indian cuisine.
Boilermaker was named Bar of the Year. Tucked away in the quiet town of Siolim in Goa, the bar defies easy categorisation, blending the feel of a beach shack with the unpretentious energy of a dive bar and the drink seriousness of a craft beer spot. It is celebrated for capturing Goa’s easy, social spirit, with a cocktail menu that plays with local ingredients and spirits to create drinks that feel tethered to the region rather than following a template that could work anywhere.
Taj Falaknuma Palace in Hyderabad was crowned Hotel of the Year. Perched high above Hyderabad, the property is a former Nizam’s palace that offers grand royal heritage, horse-drawn carriage arrivals and historic dining. As well as stunning accommodation, the hotel operates as a living museum of royal artefacts, rare manuscripts and European antiques.
Above The Tatler Best 20 Bars in India, a curated collection of the country’s most exciting drinking destinations
The Tatler Best 20 Bars in India, a curated collection of the country’s most exciting drinking destinations
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Beyond the top honours, three Best New winners were recognised for swiftly establishing themselves as must-visit destinations.
Kaspers in Mumbai took Best New Restaurant for its bold, genre-defying menu that blends Basque techniques with Bengali flavours and French bistro classics with Kerala spices. Barbet & Pals in New Delhi won Best New Bar for its deeply personal cocktail menu, where each drink is tied to a memory or a place, making it one of the most exciting new openings in the country. And Ran Baas The Palace in Patiala won Best New Hotel for its remarkable restoration of an 18th-century royal guesthouse, once derelict for six decades, now Punjab’s first luxury heritage palace hotel.
Above The Tatler Best 20 Restaurants in India, representing the country’s most compelling tables
The Tatler Best 20 Restaurants in India, representing the country’s most compelling tables
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The evening also celebrated the next generation of talent. Johnson Ebenezer of Farmlore was named Rising Star in the restaurant category for his commitment to seasonality and sustainability. He grows 60 per cent of his ingredients on a 37-acre organic farm near Bengaluru.
Gracy Chourey of Soka took the same honour in the bar category for her creativity and precision. Known for blending traditional Indian flavours with modern mixology techniques, she has been recognised among the top bartenders in the country for her ability to craft drinks that tell a story.
Kevin Rodrigues of Indian Accent Mumbai was awarded Best Sommelier for his encyclopedic knowledge and ability to translate complex wine knowledge into genuine hospitality.
Pooja Dhingra of Le15 Patisserie took home the Best Pastry Chef award for introducing the French macaron to India at just 23 years old and building a patisserie empire that has inspired a generation.
Above The Tatler Best 20 Hotels, representing the finest properties across India
The Tatler Best 20 Hotels, representing the finest properties across India
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As part of the Tatler Best regional framework, all winners from the Tatler Best 20 and Best-in-Class categories will be eligible for the Tatler Best Asia-Pacific Awards taking place in Shanghai this October, offering international visibility while elevating local excellence onto a broader stage.
Tatler Best India 2026 was held in partnership with host palace sponsor Fairmont Udaipur Palace
THE FULL LISTS FOR TATLER BEST INDIA 2026
Tatler Best 20 Restaurants
Tatler Best 20 Bars
Tatler Best 20 Hotels
Tatler Best-in-Class Restaurants
Tatler Best-in-Class Bars
Tatler Best-in-Class Hotels
A storyteller by day and a first-class food devourer by night, Fontaine is the Regional Dining Editor at Tatler Asia, overseeing dining content across all regions and shaping the brand’s editorial voice on food, chefs and culinary culture.
She is also Content Lead for Tatler Best and Co-jury Head for Tatler Best Hong Kong and Macau, guiding the awards’ editorial direction and evaluation process. With over a decade in the lifestyle and media industry spanning London and Hong Kong, she brings a cross-regional perspective to the table.
Follow her on Instagram at @fontimes.
