Ambitious kitchens. Intimate counters. A city that never stops eating.
places on the shortlist
18 recent openings
Chef Sahil Singh’s menu and a cocktail programme by Anonymous Food Labs bring a clear food-and-drinks focus to this intimate dinner club.
Paperboard’s September opening edit is corroborated by Time Out’s report on the kitchen, bar team and launch date.
A live-fire kitchen, on-site bakery and cocktails using regional Indian ingredients.
The bar’s migration-inspired programme and the kitchen’s craft give it a clearer proposition than a generic lounge.
Bruno Ferrari and Joao Pedro bring regional Italian cooking to heritage Amarchand Mansion.
A new dining room with a specific regional Italian identity, documented in August and September coverage.
An open kitchen centred on freshly made pasta and Neapolitan pizza.
A focused pasta-and-pizza address with a recent Curly Tales review and Paperboard endorsement.
Karishma Sakhrani’s menu explores sweet and savoury brioche, including butter-chicken French toast.
A specific culinary idea makes this tiny café more than another coffee launch.
An all-day diner combining Indian flavours with pizzas, breakfast plates and desserts.
The deliberately playful food programme earned it a place in Paperboard’s new-opening edit.
Chef Christopher Fernandes builds the menu around sandwiches, inventive egg dishes and substantial vegetarian plates.
A small kitchen with its own bread programme and a clear food focus.
Specialty brews meet dishes such as thecha grilled cheese and a Kejriwal dosa.
This specific new branch appears in Paperboard’s opening edit and has a food menu beyond standard café staples.
Cantonese claypots, dim sum and wok cooking in a restored cinema building.
A distinctive Hong Kong–Mumbai dining idea, with cocktails that carry through the same influences.
A Khar dining room pairing coastal flavours with a bar built around house preparations.
Lab Mag’s opening coverage and Paperboard’s revisit edit provide two distinct editorial signals.
A compact pasta bar with handmade shapes and a dedicated non-alcoholic drinks menu.
A focused specialist kitchen, also selected in Paperboard’s personal revisit edit.
Sachin Kadam’s global menu meets Dimi Lezinska’s cocktail programme.
Paperboard recommends a revisit; Time Out’s 3/5 review is more mixed, particularly on starters.
A café in a restored bungalow, serving house bread, breakfast plates and comfort dishes.
The food-and-bakery offering is backed by an independent feature and Paperboard’s revisit recommendation.
A boulangerie with an open bakehouse and locally inflected pastries.
Technical baking and Paperboard’s revisit recommendation make a useful food-led option beyond Bandra.
A cocktail bar from the Barbet & Pals team built around punch.
A specialist drinks concept with recent Paperboard endorsement.
Asian cooking with Indian ingredients, from robata dishes to dim sum.
A distinctive pantry and a fresh Paperboard recommendation support its inclusion.
Hunger Inc.’s sandwich shop expands into a new Lower Parel dining room.
The bakery-and-sandwich specialism earns this branch a place alongside formal restaurants.
Pinky Chandan Dixit’s more leisurely interpretation of Soam’s Gujarati food traditions.
A strong option for regional vegetarian dining in a restored heritage building.
Chef Shantanu Jagtap pairs slow-smoked barbecue with influences from Mexico, Korea, West Africa and India.
Fresh coverage from Paperboard and a 4/5 Time Out review makes this a considered food-led pick.
A Mount Mary café with sourdough dishes, plant-based treats and Boojee specialty coffee.
Included in Paperboard’s August personal dining edit as a place worth revisiting.
Sahil Singh’s menu explores Japanese cooking with cross-cultural influences.
A chef-led Asian dining option included in both CNT’s city guide and Paperboard’s revisit edit.
Koki Ito’s highballs and Maaya Takaoka’s sake selection in a music bar above Izumi.
Paperboard’s August revisit edit highlights it as a considered drinking destination.
Hussain Shahzad’s 12-seat counter puts the kitchen at the centre of the evening.
Named Best Restaurant of the Year at the NDTV Food Awards 2026.
Varun Totlani explores Indian ingredients through a tasting menu in a former textile mill.
A chef-led destination listed in Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants 2026; the draw is its ingredient-led approach.
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