Restaurant in Doha, Qatar
Serious Northern Indian cooking, book ahead.
Gymkhana at Katara Hills is Doha's clearest answer for serious Northern Indian cooking, earning a Michelin Plate (2025) with a menu of superbly executed, traditionally rooted dishes. The two-level room works well for both business lunches on the ground floor and more intimate basement dinners. At the ﷼﷼﷼ tier with easy booking, it's a well-priced call for food-focused diners.
If you're looking for serious Northern Indian cooking in Doha, Gymkhana at Katara Hills is the clearest answer. This is not a hotel all-day dining room serving generic curry for tourists — it's a Michelin Plate-recognised restaurant with genuine cooking ambition, a split-level room that handles both lunch and dinner well, and a menu that rewards the kind of diner who knows the difference between a competent lamb chop and a superbly executed one. At the ﷼﷼﷼ price tier, it sits in a sensible middle ground for Doha fine dining, and it earns that position. Book it.
Gymkhana takes its cues from the members' clubs of colonial India — the kind of rooms that mixed grandeur with a certain unhurried formality. That reference point isn't just aesthetic dressing; it shapes how the restaurant functions. The ground floor runs a booth-heavy layout that suits the pace and practicality of lunch. The basement, lit in vivid red, creates a more enclosed, intimate atmosphere that makes it the better choice for dinner, particularly for two. If you're booking for a business lunch or a quick weekday meal, the ground floor is the right call. If you're coming for a proper evening, ask for the basement.
The menu is predominantly Northern Indian , tandoor-led, spice-forward, and technically disciplined. The Michelin Plate recognition (2025) signals consistent execution rather than occasional brilliance, which for a restaurant at this price point is exactly what you want. The tandoori masala lamb chops and the kid goat methi keema are the two dishes the guide specifically calls out, and both point to what the kitchen does well: dishes where the balance of char, spice, and fat has been worked out rather than guessed at. The methi keema in particular , young goat mince with fenugreek , is the kind of preparation that requires real understanding of how bitter and rich interact. That it lands cleanly says something about the kitchen's confidence in its own palate.
The cooking falls squarely in the Northern Indian tradition rather than reaching for contemporary Indian fine-dining gestures. This is not [Trèsind Studio](https://www.joinpearl.co/restaurants/trsind-studio-dubai-restaurant) in Dubai, where the format is tasting-menu theatre and the cooking is visually architectural. Gymkhana is closer in spirit to [Trishna](https://www.joinpearl.co/restaurants/trishna-london-restaurant) in London or [Amaya](https://www.joinpearl.co/restaurants/amaya-london-restaurant) , restaurants where the traditional form is taken seriously and the execution does the talking. If you want fireworks and conceptual plating, this is not your room. If you want Northern Indian food done with genuine depth, it is.
This is genuinely a two-mode restaurant, and the question of which session to book matters. Lunch on the ground floor is the more practical proposition: the booths offer good separation, the pacing suits a two-hour window, and the room feels more relaxed without the full dinner service weight. For business entertaining or a solo meal, lunch gives you everything the kitchen offers without the evening premium in atmosphere pressure.
Dinner in the red basement is a different offer. The room is more contained, the lighting shifts the register, and the meal tends to feel more considered in its rhythm. For a celebration, a first date, or a meal where you want to linger over the menu, the basement dinner is the stronger experience. The cooking is the same menu both times , this is not a lunch-special vs. tasting-menu split , so the decision is really about what kind of evening, or afternoon, you want to have. For explorers who want the full Gymkhana experience, go downstairs, go at dinner, and take your time.
Among Doha's Indian options, Gymkhana sits above [Dalchini](https://www.joinpearl.co/restaurants/dalchini-doha-restaurant) for cooking ambition and above [Rivaaj](https://www.joinpearl.co/restaurants/rivaaj-doha-restaurant) for room quality. If you're comparing within the Indian tier in this city, [Masala Library](https://www.joinpearl.co/restaurants/masala-library-doha-restaurant) is the more obvious direct competitor for an explorer audience , but Gymkhana's Michelin recognition gives it a clear edge in terms of third-party quality validation. For wider Doha dining context, see our [full Doha restaurants guide](https://www.joinpearl.co/restaurants/doha).
For Indian fine dining across other cities, [Opheem in Birmingham](https://www.joinpearl.co/restaurants/opheem-birmingham-restaurant), [Musaafer in Houston](https://www.joinpearl.co/restaurants/musaafer-houston-restaurant), [Haoma in Bangkok](https://www.joinpearl.co/restaurants/haoma-bangkok-restaurant), [INDDEE in Bangkok](https://www.joinpearl.co/restaurants/inddee-bangkok-restaurant), and [Rania in Washington D.C.](https://www.joinpearl.co/restaurants/rania-washington-dc-restaurant) each offer useful reference points for understanding where Gymkhana Doha sits in the wider category. It is a disciplined, traditional-register restaurant rather than a concept-led one , and at its price point, that's a considered choice, not a limitation.
Gymkhana is located at Katara Hills, Doha. The ﷼﷼﷼ price tier places it in the mid-to-upper range for Doha dining, below the ﷼﷼﷼﷼ tier occupied by venues like [IDAM by Alain Ducasse](https://www.joinpearl.co/restaurants/idam-by-alain-ducasse-doha-restaurant) and [Hakkasan](https://www.joinpearl.co/restaurants/hakkasan). Booking is rated Easy , this is not a venue where you need to plan six weeks out, but reservations are still worth making in advance for weekend dinner, particularly for the basement room. Google rating: 4.4 across 477 reviews, which is a reliable signal of consistent quality rather than a single-visit spike. Michelin Plate 2025. For complementary Doha planning, see our guides to [Doha hotels](https://www.joinpearl.co/hotels/doha), [Doha bars](https://www.joinpearl.co/bars/doha), [Doha wineries](https://www.joinpearl.co/wineries/doha), and [Doha experiences](https://www.joinpearl.co/experiences/doha). Also worth noting in the Katara area: [Baron](https://www.joinpearl.co/restaurants/baron-doha-restaurant) for Middle Eastern dining nearby.
Quick reference: Katara Hills, Doha | ﷼﷼﷼ | Michelin Plate 2025 | 4.4/5 (477 reviews) | Booking: Easy.
See the comparison section below for Gymkhana's position against Doha's broader fine-dining set.
Yes, for what it delivers. At the ﷼﷼﷼ tier, Gymkhana offers Michelin Plate-recognised Northern Indian cooking in a well-designed, two-level room. You're paying for genuine culinary execution , the kind that earns consistent recognition , not for a hotel brand name or a concept gimmick. Compared to the ﷼﷼﷼﷼ tier (Hakkasan, IDAM), you get a more accessible spend with a smaller but sharper menu focus. If Indian food at this level of technical seriousness interests you, the price is justified.
The tandoori masala lamb chops and the kid goat methi keema are the two dishes the Michelin guide specifically references. Both sit in the Northern Indian tradition , the lamb chops for char and spice balance, the methi keema for the complexity of young goat with fenugreek. Start with those two as anchors and build around them from the broader menu.
The database does not confirm a tasting menu format at Gymkhana Doha. The guide describes an extensive à la carte menu rather than a set tasting format. At ﷼﷼﷼, the à la carte approach lets you direct your own spend and focus on the dishes the kitchen does leading. If tasting-menu format is your preference, [Trèsind Studio in Dubai](https://www.joinpearl.co/restaurants/trsind-studio-dubai-restaurant) is the more appropriate choice in this region.
Booking difficulty is rated Easy, so this is not a venue that requires weeks of advance planning. That said, weekend dinner in the basement room will fill faster than a weekday lunch on the ground floor. For a specific weekend evening, booking 5–7 days out is sensible. For a weekday lunch, a day or two in advance should be fine.
The two-level layout , ground floor booths and a basement room , suggests reasonable flexibility for groups. The booth configuration on the ground floor is practical for parties of four to six. Larger groups should contact the restaurant directly to confirm arrangement options, as specific private dining or group booking details are not confirmed in the available data.
The available data does not confirm a bar seating arrangement at Gymkhana Doha. The room is described as booth-configured on the ground floor and more intimate in the basement. If counter or bar dining is your preference for Indian food in Doha, this may not be the leading fit , contact the restaurant directly to confirm current seating options.
Ground floor booth layout works reasonably well for solo diners , it's more practical than a large communal table format, and a weekday lunch solo here is a good way to work through the menu without the social pressure of a full dinner table. At ﷼﷼﷼, solo dining will add up, so go at lunch if you want to keep the spend in check while still getting the full quality of the cooking.
| Venue | Awards | Price | Value |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gymkhana | The clubs of colonial India are the inspiration for this impeccably run restaurant. It's spread across two levels: the ground floor booths are perfect for lunch, while the vivid red basement has a more intimate feel. The extensive menus are predominantly Northern Indian in style, featuring superbly executed, traditionally based dishes. Balance, sophistication and depth are all present in the cooking, with options like tandoori masala lamb chops and kid goat methi keema standing out.; Michelin Plate (2025) | ﷼﷼﷼ | — |
| IDAM by Alain Ducasse | Michelin 1 Star | ﷼﷼﷼﷼ | — |
| Argan | ﷼ | — | |
| Jiwan | ﷼﷼ | — | |
| Hakkasan | ﷼﷼﷼﷼ | — | |
| Morimoto | ﷼﷼﷼ | — |
How Gymkhana stacks up against the competition.
The two-level layout helps here. Ground-floor booths suit groups for lunch, while the red basement works better for more enclosed, intimate gatherings. Larger parties should check the venue's official channels to confirm configuration options, as table flexibility will depend on group size and timing.
Book at least a week out for weekday lunch; aim for two weeks or more for weekend dinner. The basement fills faster than the ground floor given its intimate capacity, so if you want that space specifically, earlier is safer. At the ﷼﷼﷼ price tier, this is a considered booking rather than a spontaneous one.
The venue data does not confirm a dedicated bar dining option at this location. Given the colonial club-style format across two distinct levels, the booths and basement tables are the primary dining formats. Check directly with the restaurant if counter or bar seating is a priority.
The menus are described as extensive and predominantly Northern Indian, with Michelin Plate recognition in 2025 for dishes like tandoori masala lamb chops and kid goat methi keema. Whether a set tasting format is available is not confirmed in the available data, so verify with the restaurant before booking with that expectation.
At ﷼﷼﷼, Gymkhana sits in the mid-to-upper range for Doha, and the Michelin Plate recognition for 2025 gives it a verifiable quality anchor that most Indian restaurants in the city lack. If you're comparing against hotel dining rooms at similar prices, Gymkhana offers more cooking focus and a stronger sense of place. It's a fair spend for what it delivers.
The venue's own documentation highlights the tandoori masala lamb chops and kid goat methi keema as standout dishes. Both are Northern Indian in style and reflect the traditionally based cooking the kitchen is recognised for. Beyond those, the menu is extensive, so asking staff for the current kitchen strengths is a practical move.
The ground-floor booths are better suited to pairs and small groups than solo diners, and the basement skews intimate rather than counter-style. Solo dining is possible, but this is not a counter-seat or bar-perch format that actively encourages it. If solo Indian dining in Doha is the goal, call ahead to confirm the most suitable seating.
Keep this venue in your Pearl passport, rate it after you visit, and track it alongside every other place you collect.
