A landmark year | From global rankings to UNESCO recognition, 2025 marked India’s rise on the world food and bar map

In a landmark moment, Lucknow became India’s second UNESCO City of Gastronomy after Hyderabad (2019), underscoring the country’s growing culinary influence. Here’s a dekko.

Chef Himanshu Saini ranked No. 3 globally at The Best Chef Awards 2025, one of the highest-ever positions for an Indian chef. He also received the prestigious ‘Three Knives’ accolade. His Trèsind Studio in Dubai also received its third Michelin star in the 2025 Michelin Guide Dubai, becoming the world’s first Indian restaurant to achieve this milestone.

Chef Vijay Kumar, known for helming the Michelin-starred South Indian restaurant Semma in New York, received the ‘Talent Of The Year’ award from La Liste 2026, a ranking organisation based in France. Earlier this year, Semma was ranked the No.1 restaurant in New York by The New York Times, and Kumar won Best Chef in New York State at the 2025 James Beard Awards.

Knives

Chef Prateek Sadhu (NAAR in Kasauli, Himachal Pradesh) also won the ‘Three Knives’ award, making him the only chef with a restaurant in India to receive this classification in 2025.

Two Indian chefs to receive Two Knives were Johnson Ebenezer (Farmlore, Bengaluru) Shantanu Mehrotra (Indian Accent, New Delhi). The One Knives were won by Adwait Anantwar (Inja, New Delhi), Amninder Sandhu (Palaash, Maharashtra), Hussain Shahzad (Papa’s, Mumbai), Niyati Rao (Ekaa, Mumbai), Regi Mathew (Kappa Chakka Kandhari, Chennai), Rijul Gulati (Indian Accent, Mumbai) and Varun Totlani (Masque, Mumbai).

Global acclaim for pizza chefs

Two India-based pizzaiolos found a place on the 100 Best Pizza Chefs 2025 list. Chef Susanna Di Cosimo, who grew up in Naples, ranked 71. She runs Gurugram’s Pizzeria da Susy, known for its Neapolitan-style pizzas.

Chef Amol Kumar, who the founder of Leo’s Pizzeria, appeared at No. 99.

Restaurants that rocked

Masque shines globally

Mumbai’s Masque became the only restaurant in India to be featured on the extended list (rank 51-100) of The World’s 50 Best Restaurants 2025. Last year, as a new entry, it bagged the 78th position. It was founded by entrepreneur Aditi Dugar, with Head Chef Varun Totlani helming the kitchen.

Asian list

In the Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants 2025 list, Masque was again named the best restaurant in India, holding its position from the last two years. At the 46th position was Indian Accent Delhi, led by executive Chef Shantanu Mehrotra and owned by restaurateur Rohit Khattar. Other names on the extended list include NAAR in Himachal Pradesh (66), Farmlore in Bengaluru (68), Americano in Mumbai (71), Inja in New Delhi (87), The Table in Mumbai (88), Dum Pukht in New Delhi (89) and The Bombay Canteen in Mumbai (91).

Ranked eighth on Asia’s 50 Best Bars 2025 list, it was founded in 2019 by Jairaj Singh Solanki and Dhruv Raj Vij. It is known for cocktails that blend regional histories with inventive techniques like edible paint on glassware.

SOKA, Bengaluru

Ranked 28th, SOKA, run by chef Sombir Choudhary and bartender Avinash Kapoli, takes a poetic. The menu features inventive elements like clarified jasmine, sous-vide banana and the pink-hued tequila cocktail, Mofo Don.

Boilermaker, Goa

Ranked 30th, the bar was founded in 2024 by entrepreneur Nakul Bhonsle and mixologist Pankaj Balachandran, and celebrates Goa’s spirit through craft-led cocktails like Papa Issues with rum, papaya and Sichuan pepper, and Chotu Garibaldi with Campari and orange.

ZLB23, Bengaluru

Ranked 31st, the bar blends Prohibition-era New York glamour with Kyoto minimalism. Known for its vintage décor and tightly curated cocktail programme, it serves Shiso Negronis, smoky Old Fashioneds and hosts live jazz sessions.

Spirit Forward, Bengaluru

Ranked 37th, the bar draws inspiration from Japan’s omakase philosophy. Founded by bar operator Arijit Bose, it focuses on precision-led cocktails, from stamped ice to pre-diluted martinis, with highlights including the 3 Gin Vesper, Campfire Old Fashioned and the Southern Star.

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Ambience at Soka, Bengaluru and (right) Lotus Root Papdi at India Accent

Peach and Lavender Bellini at Liar, Delhi