Indian Accent
Indian · New Delhi
Restaurant in New Delhi, India
The Read
Regional India, Global Technique
Chef
Rijul Gulati
Dress
Smart Casual
Why go
Ranked #46 on Asia's 50 Best (2025) and awarded 95 La Liste points, Indian Accent at The Lodhi delivers the highest-credential modern Indian cooking in New Delhi at a meal price that undercuts its award standing. Book weeks in advance — this is one of the harder reservations in the city. Counter seating, where available, is worth requesting specifically.
About Indian Accent
The Verdict
Indian Accent sits inside The Lodhi on Lodhi Road, a meal here costs less than you might expect for a restaurant ranked #46 on Asia's 50 Best (2025) and awarded 95 points by La Liste in 2025. Cuisine pricing lands in the $ tier (a typical two-course meal under $40), which makes it one of the stronger value cases in its competitive set globally. If you are visiting New Delhi with any interest in how modern Indian cooking is actually being executed at the highest level, this is the clearest booking to make. The question is not whether it is worth it — it is whether you can get a table.
About Indian Accent
Indian Accent has been at The Lodhi long enough to have accumulated a credential stack that most restaurants in Asia cannot match: a 2-star World of Fine Wine accreditation, consecutive La Liste placements (95 points in 2025, 90 points in 2026), a spot on Tatler Asia-Pacific's Leading Restaurants 2025, a #57 ranking on Opinionated About Dining's Asia list for 2024. For the explorer visiting India's restaurant scene with genuine depth of interest, this is the benchmark against which other New Delhi fine dining tables are measured.
Chef Rijul Gulati leads the kitchen, with Rohit Khattar as owner and Dhwaneil Desai as General Manager. The wine program is run by Wine Director Kevin Rodrigues and Sommelier Hrushikesh Mawalkar. With 135 selections and a 900-bottle inventory, the list skews toward Chile, Argentina, Germany, Italy — an unusual combination for an Indian restaurant, worth leaning on when ordering. The wine pricing sits at $$ (a range of price points across the list), which is reasonable given the overall meal cost.
Visually, the setting inside The Lodhi reads as the kind of composed hotel dining room that takes the food seriously without overwhelming it. The room carries the calm register of a five-star hotel property, but the cooking is the focal point. The editorial angle worth understanding before you arrive: if you can get counter or bar seating, take it. Watching the kitchen's approach up close, the layering of regional Indian techniques with global reference points, is the kind of access that adds genuine context to the meal. This is not a format where counter seating is an afterthought.
Service operates across lunch and dinner, with Friday and Saturday evenings running until 10:30 pm. Monday is dinner-only (5–10 pm), and Wednesday through Sunday carry lunch service beginning at 12 pm on weekdays and 11:30 am on weekends. If your schedule allows a weekday lunch, it is worth considering: the room is quieter, the pacing is different, the same kitchen is running both services. For a first visit, dinner on a weekday gives you the full program without the weekend-crowd compression.
For context on what this level of recognition means in practice: Indian Accent's Asia 50 Best ranking of #46 puts it in a tier with restaurants that typically price at multiples of what this kitchen charges per head. That gap between price and award standing is the clearest reason to prioritise this booking over more expensive alternatives in the city. Compare it to Trèsind Studio in Dubai or Opheem in Birmingham, both operate in the same modern-Indian register, Indian Accent's Delhi address remains the sharper choice for anyone who wants the original context alongside the cooking.
If you are building a broader India itinerary around serious restaurants, this sits alongside Farmlore in Bangalore, The Table in Mumbai, and Adaa at Falaknuma Palace in Hyderabad as the small group of tables worth planning travel around. For deeper regional work, Naar in Kasauli, Bomras in Anjuna, and Chandni in Udaipur each offer different cuts of India's culinary range. See our full New Delhi restaurants guide for additional options, or explore our New Delhi hotels guide, bars guide, wineries guide, and experiences guide to build out your visit.
Booking
Booking difficulty: Near Impossible. Indian Accent does not take walk-ins at this level of recognition. Plan well ahead, weeks minimum for a weekend dinner, sooner if your dates are fixed. Counter or bar seating, where available, may offer more flexibility than main dining room tables, is worth requesting specifically when you contact the restaurant.
Practical Details
Hours
- Monday: 5–10 pm (dinner only)
- Tuesday: 5–10 pm (dinner only)
- Wednesday–Thursday: 12–2 pm, 5–10 pm
- Friday: 12–2 pm, 5–10:30 pm
- Saturday: 11:30 am–2 pm, 5–10:30 pm
- Sunday: 11:30 am–2 pm, 5–10 pm
Location
The Lodhi, Lodhi Road, CGO Complex, Pragati Vihar, New Delhi 110003, India.
Pearl Comparison Table
| Venue | Cuisine | Meal Price Tier | Wine List | Booking Difficulty | Awards |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Indian Accent | Indian | $ (<$40 two courses) | $$ / 135 selections | Near Impossible | Asia 50 Best #46, La Liste 95pts, Tatler AP 2025 |
| Dum Pukht | Indian | ||||
| Bukhara | Modern Indian | ||||
| Varq | International | ||||
| Inja |
The take
The Take
The Vibe
Indian Accent sits within The Lodhi and uses a glass-walled dining room to frame the hotel's manicured grounds, producing a composed, quietly scenic atmosphere. The design reads as deliberately restrained rather than flashy—controlled lines and the grounds visible through the glass keep the room calm and focused on the cooking. The service approach and the fine-dining positioning reinforce that sense of composure; the restaurant feels like a considered, polished setting for meals that demand attention to detail rather than theatricality.
Best For
This is a destination for diners seeking high-end contemporary Indian cuisine in a hotel setting. The room is tailored to occasions where the meal carries weight—special celebrations, date nights and business dinners are natural fits. Its placement in New Delhi’s premium dining tier, together with international awards and high La Liste scores, positions Indian Accent for guests who expect precision, elevated technique and a composed environment rather than a casual night out.
Ordering Tips
The kitchen applies global technique to Indian ingredients, so prioritize dishes that showcase that approach: signature items listed include Ghee Roast Mutton Boti with Roomali Roti Pancake, Meetha Achaar Pork Ribs, Curry Leaf Crab, Three-Pepper Duck, Daulat Ki Chaat and Pomegranate and Churan Kulfi Sorbet. These plates represent the restaurant’s blend of regional reference and contemporary execution and are useful guides to the menu’s direction; expect thoughtfully composed, high-impact flavors rather than rustic homestyle preparations.
Planning details
Hours
- Monday
- 5–10 pm
- Tuesday
- 5–10 pm
- Wednesday
- 12–2 pm, 5–10 pm
- Thursday
- 12–2 pm, 5–10 pm
- Friday
- 12–2 pm, 5–10:30 pm
- Saturday
- 11:30 am–2 pm, 5–10:30 pm
- Sunday
- 11:30 am–2 pm, 5–10 pm
Location
The Lodhi, Lodhi Rd, CGO Complex, Pragati Vihar, New Delhi, Delhi 110003, India · Directions
Recognition and awards
Restaurant context
Indian Accent is the clear first choice in New Delhi if awards and technical ambition are your criteria. Its Asia's 50 Best ranking (#46 in 2025), La Liste score of 95 points, World of Fine Wine 2-star accreditation place it in a different tier from its local peers on paper. The practical trade-off is booking difficulty: this is near-impossible to walk into, planning weeks ahead is the baseline. Dum Pukht is the alternative if you want a deep, single-tradition Indian experience, the dum cooking format is technically specific and the ITC Maurya address carries its own long-standing reputation. It is a better choice if you want a more classical register rather than Indian Accent's modern reframing of regional technique.
Bukhara competes on name recognition and is arguably easier to book for large groups, but it sits in a different culinary mode, robust frontier cooking built around the tandoor rather than the layered, globally-referenced approach at Indian Accent. Choose Bukhara if the occasion calls for a shared, communal feel over a composed tasting experience. Varq offers an international frame with Indian influence and is worth considering if your group includes guests who want a menu that moves more broadly across styles. Inja is the option to watch for a more contemporary setting, though its credential stack does not match Indian Accent's at this point.
On value, Indian Accent's $ meal pricing against its award standing is the clearest anomaly in the New Delhi market. If budget is a factor and you are choosing between these four, Indian Accent gives you the highest award-to-price ratio. If booking flexibility matters more than awards, say, a last-minute dinner or a large group that needs reliable availability, Bukhara or Dum Pukht are the pragmatic calls. For the food-focused traveller with a fixed date and the foresight to plan ahead, Indian Accent is the booking to prioritise.
Explore New Delhi
Around this place
Discover more on Pearl
Unlock the full Indian Accent guide in Pearl, including awards, comparisons, FAQs, planning details, and nearby places.
Compare Indian Accent
| Venue | Cuisine | Awards | Booking Difficulty |
|---|---|---|---|
| Indian Accent | Indian | 2026 OAD Top Restaurants in Asia Ranked · #232026 Wine Spectator Award of Excellence2026 La Liste Top Restaurants2025 Asia's 50 Best Restaurants · #46Tatler Best Restaurants Asia-Pacific 20252025 Wine Spectator Award of Excellence2025 La Liste Top Restaurants2025 The Best Chef One Knife2024 OAD Top Restaurants in Asia Ranked · #57 | Near Impossible |
| Dum Pukht | Indian | 2026 OAD Top Restaurants in Asia Recommended2026 La Liste Top Restaurants2025 Asia's 50 Best Restaurants · #892025 La Liste Top Restaurants | Unknown |
| Bukhara | Modern Indian | 2026 OAD Top Restaurants in Asia Recommended2026 La Liste Top RestaurantsTatler Best Restaurants Asia-Pacific 20252025 La Liste Top Restaurants2024 OAD Top Restaurants in Asia Ranked · #3502023 OAD Top Restaurants in Asia Recommended2007 World's 50 Best Restaurants · #372006 World's 50 Best Restaurants · #462004 World's 50 Best Restaurants · #36 | Unknown |
| Varq | International | 2026 OAD Top Restaurants in Asia Recommended2025 OAD Top Restaurants in Asia Ranked · #3332024 OAD Top Restaurants in Asia Ranked · #3042023 OAD Top Restaurants in Asia Recommended | Unknown |
| Inja | 2026 Asia's 50 Best Restaurants · #752025 Asia's 50 Best Restaurants · #872025 The Best Chef One Knife | Unknown |
Key differences to consider before you reserve.
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Indian Accent good for a special occasion?
Yes, it's one of the stronger cases in Delhi for exactly that. The credential stack is hard to argue with: #46 on Asia's 50 Best (2025), 95 points from La Liste, a 2-star World of Fine Wine accreditation. Food pricing sits in the under-$40 range for a typical meal, which makes it an easier sell as a celebration venue than comparable restaurants at this recognition level. Book well ahead — weekends fill weeks out.
Is lunch or dinner better at Indian Accent?
Lunch is available Wednesday through Sunday; dinner runs nightly. For a first visit, dinner gives you the full experience without time pressure. Lunch suits those who prefer a lighter, earlier commitment — but note that Monday and Tuesday are dinner-only, so planning around those days removes the choice. The restaurant opens for Saturday and Sunday lunch from 11:30 am, making weekend brunch a workable option.
Can Indian Accent accommodate groups?
Group bookings are possible, but at a restaurant operating at this demand level — Asia's 50 Best #46 with near-impossible walk-in availability — large parties require advance coordination. check the venue's official channels well ahead of your intended date. Smaller groups of two to four will find the booking process more manageable than parties of six or more.
What should a first-timer know about Indian Accent?
Two things matter most: book early (weeks out for weekends, not days), and calibrate expectations correctly on price. Food pricing is under $40 for a typical two-course meal, which is low relative to the restaurant's Asia's 50 Best and La Liste standing. The wine list runs to 135 selections with mid-range markup, so the full bill with wine will be meaningfully higher. Chef Rijul Gulati leads the kitchen; the format is modern Indian with global technique.
What should I wear to Indian Accent?
Indian Accent sits inside The Lodhi, one of New Delhi's more formal five-star hotels, which sets a clear baseline for presentation. The venue's standing on Asia's 50 Best and La Liste points toward dressed-up rather than casual — think neat, put-together evening wear for dinner. The venue database does not specify a formal dress code, so if you are unsure, check the venue's official channels before your booking.
