1. Avatara, Dubai The brainchild of chef Rahul Rana, Avatara’s menu boasts ingredients like jackfruit momos, lotus roots, and bitter gourd — making for a fantastic fine-dining experience.

Chef Rana credits his hometown in Rishikesh, Uttarakhand, for his ability to champion magic with a pure vegetarian ingredient list.

2. The Song of India, Singapore The story of chef Manjunath Mural — who greatly contributed to the restaurant’s success — is compelling. Born into a family of doctors, chef Mural had a culinary calling and followed it despite the odds.

Today, his dedication and natural talent for Indian food are reflected in the tandoori capon (a kind of chicken) and biryani.

3. Veeraswamy, London Within its opulent interiors, the decor at Veeraswamy is reminiscent of the 1920s Maharaja quarters. The MICHELIN Star received in 2016 added glory to its crown.

The eatery started as an idea by a gentleman named Edward Palmer who arrived in England from India in 1880 intending to sell pickles and chutneys.

4. Rania, Washington DC The flavour quotient here oscillates between sweet, spicy, and savoury with chana masala panisse (chickpea fritters), stuffed morrels, and lamb cheela (an unleavened Indian pancake). ‘Enticing’ is how the MICHELIN Guide describes Rania, and those who have visited it, agree.

5. Tamarind, London Just as you begin to familiarise yourself with the watermelon salads and coastal crab cakes, the tandoori Konkan prawns and chicken tikka hasnu (royal kebabs with spices) will take you by surprise.

The focus on tandoori dishes is an example of how Tamarind has attempted to revive regional concepts of cooking, centric to different regions in India.

6. Semma, New York City At this MICHELIN Star restaurant on Greenwich Avenue in New York, you are urged to remember the idyllic backwaters of South India.

The food here is a tribute to chef Vijay Kumar’s childhood in Tamil Nadu and the food he grew up eating. A must-have here is the nathai pirattal (snail masala).

7. Benares, London In the heart of Mayfair is a restaurant named after Banaras (now Varanasi in Uttar Pradesh). True to its name, this MICHELIN Star restaurant is inspired by the vibrant street food culture. Their samosa ragda tartlets and junglee khum kebab pack a punch.

8. Gymkhana, London Gymkhana in London evokes the same mystique that colonial Indian clubs frequented by the elite did. The restaurant — which was awarded two MICHELIN Stars in 2024 — is a product of the Sethi siblings — Jyotin, Karam, and Sunaina — who are at the helm of the restaurant empire in the UK with Trishna, Gymkhana, and Hoppers.

9. Junoon, New York Whether it’s their Junoon chaat or their Portrait of India dessert, each dish is a celebration of India. Junoon was the recipient of the prestigious MICHELIN Star in 2010, the year it opened, and according to its website, has earned the same coveted award eight years in a row.

10. Gaa, Thailand Chef Garima Arora’s restaurant Gaa received its second MICHELIN Star in 2023 (it received the first in 2018) — making her the only Indian female chef to earn this accolade.

Some popular dishes at the restaurant are kuzhi paniyaram (a savoury rice ball made using fermented rice and urad dal batter along with tempered onion and spices) and blue swimmer crab in a creamy coconut-based curry.