Masque

Mumbai

The Best Restaurant in India 2023

Innovative takes on Indian classics in an industrial-chic setting

On the Pass

Varun Totlani

Pastry Chef

Shiv Mandrwal and Murali Nayak

What makes it special: One of India’s most forward-thinking restaurants, Masque’s raison d’être is to show off the wealth of India’s produce, extracting maximum flavour from local ingredients in a ten-course tasting menu served in a stylish former Mumbai textile mill. With self-taught cook and entrepreneur Aditi Dugar at the helm, Masque has won a string of accolades since opening in 2016, from the One To Watch Award in 2020 to entering Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants in 2021 and reaching The Best Restaurant in India status in 2023.

On the menu: With vegetarian and non-vegetarian options, Masque’s degustation takes in dishes such as Kashmiri morels with patra (Colocasia leaves) stuffed with either fresh peas or barbecued pork, a Masque signature. Another highlight is the sea buckthorn pani puri, a spin on the Indian street food snack with semolina puri filled with seaweed-cured beetroot, topped with starfruit and served with a sea buckthorn paani sauce.

Changing of the guard: After the departure of founding chef Prateek Sadhu in 2022, the reins were taken by Varun Totlani, a Mumbai native who studied at the Culinary Academy of India in Hyderabad and the Culinary Institute of America in New York. Totlani has been with Masque since the beginning, joining as a commis chef and rising through the ranks to sous chef in 2021, and head chef in 2022, forming a great partnership with owner Dugar. With a penchant for fire, he loves the grill and is committed to showcasing India’s diverse produce and techniques.

Constant innovation: 2020 saw the opening of The Masque Lab, a 1,250 square foot R&D laboratory where the team explore how ingredients age, how flavours contrast and how produce can help bridge food cultures. With 12 seats around an open kitchen, the lab doubles up as a private dining room and hosts regular experimental dinners for those who fancy tasting the future of Masque’s culinary potential.