The Biggest Hospitality News in India

Joanna Lobo rounds up all the biggest news in F&B in the last two months.

India loves biryani. Now, there’s proof. A year-end report by food delivery app, Swiggy, found that biryani was the most popular dish ordered. There were 83 million orders placed this year, which translates to roughly two biryanis every second!

In a new study, researchers have identified a compound that kills pathogenic bacteria while sparing friendly gut microbes. The Scientist reports that this paper, published in Nature, presents a strategy for selectively targeting harmful bacteria, and thus, offering a framework for developing other microbiome-sparing antibiotics.

Think fast food is cheap? A new study conducted by Preply found that Shake Shack — which hiked its prices by 3% — received the most complaints in the US for being overpriced, closely by Five Guys. Also in the US, the FDA has redefined their ‘healthy’ tag, removing white bread from the list and adding eggs, tea and salmon.

2024 Trends: AI in Food, the Year of the Dinner Party

It’s been an interesting year in the food space. Here are some of the trends that caught our eye.

AI is slowly starting to make its presence in the food industry. At the Serendipity Arts Festival in Goa, a session conducted by Sugar and Space offered 3D printed rose cookies. Elsewhere, Tansha Vohra’s Mock Wild Picnics showcased recipes created by AI, including a stunning layered dessert with coconut, spent grain crackers, and tirphal flavoured cream.

3D printed cookies on display at Serendipity Arts Festival held in Goa in December 2024.

There are restaurants across India where robots serve food — a robot called ‘Ruby’ at The Yellow House in Gurgaon, ‘Aisha’ at Robotic Café in Ahmedabad, ‘Ananya’ at Mother’s Hut in West Bengal, and Dasher at Haldiram’s in Surat.

Dining out has gone a step further with exclusive high-end restaurants now opening in different, often offbeat locations. If Prateek Sadhu did it with Naar in Darwa, Himachal Pradesh last year, this year chef Amninder Sandhu opened Talaabwali in the Tipeshwar Forest, near Nagpur.

Talabwaali is a gas-free restaurant in Tipeshwar Forest.

Eater called 2024 the ‘year of the dinner party’ featuring elaborate food-focused soirees with some entertainment. Forbes took it a step further talking out Gen Z doing creative and sometimes, crafty dinner parties. The Pinterest summer report found a 6000% increase in the search for the term, “dinner party”.

Note: our very own Somika Basu wrote about her year hosting dinner parties.

Desi News: 11 New GI tags, new ‘affordable’ café at Kolkata airport

The Indian Express, in collaboration with the Robin Hood Army, launched ‘Pack One for Pintu’. The initiative aims to reuse lefotver food — they’ve got delivery apps like Swiggy, Zomato, Blinkit, Zepto, and Big Basket on board and their drivers can drop off cancelled orders or extra food at specified pickup locations.

The Indian government awarded 11 foods a GI status this year — kai (red ant chutney), Magji laddoo, and kala jeera rice from Orissa, Vasmat haldi from Maharashtra, Singpho phalap tea from Arunachal Pradesh, Ratlam riyawan garlic from Madhya Pradesh, Matabari peda from Tripura, Lakadgon turmeric from Meghalaya, Jaunpur imarti, Banaras thandai and tirangi barfi from Uttar Pradesh.

Benares Thandai is one of 11 food items that got a GI tag in 2024.

La Liste recently unveiled its list of the 'Top 1000 Restaurants 2025'. Indian restaurants with top ranking are Indian Accent, New Delhi (95), Masque, Mumbai (89), Dum Pukht, New Delhi (83), Adaa at Falaknuma Palace, Hyderabad (82.5), among others.

Goa-based Latambarcem Brewers (LB Brewers) has inked a deal with the Tata Group-owned aviation major. As part of the collaboration, Latambarcem’s Ginger Ale and Rose Vanilla variants of Borécha are being served to travelers onboard Air India Express flights on major routes across India.

This festive season, Baileys teamed up with SMOOR to offer a range of non-alcoholic chocolate shots, chocolate bars, signature desserts in flavours like classic cream, creamy berries, and sea salt caramel.

Godrej Yummiez, the ready-to-cook brand by Godrej Foods Ltd., launched India’s Frozen Snack Report, decoding how India snacks. The study, conducted across 16 cities, reveals that over 53% of Indians incorporate frozen snacks into their daily diets.

GOPIZZA launched India’s first Korean dessert brand, Dalkomi, at Bengaluru airport, serving bungeo-ppang (fish-shaped pastries), kkwabaegi (twisted donuts), and tanghulu (fruit candy). The Indian government has decided to address the issue of overpriced food at airports by launching a Udaan Yatri Café. The first café will open at Kolkata's Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International Airport as a pilot project.

New Launches: Mangalore Gets a Ramen House; Nandos to Launch in Mumbai

The biggest opening recently was Banng, by Bangkok-based chef Garima Arora, who teamed up with Riyaaz Amlani for this Thai restaurant and bar in Gurgaon. Delhi has Asper, a cocktail bar and restaurant doing European and Middle Eastern food; the pan-Asian Blaq and Wyte; the Italian Pizza Paazi; and Harajuku Bake House as part of Harajuku Tokyo House. In Gurgaon is Espressos Anyday, a coffee-shop and matcha bar with an all-day breakfast menu.

In Goa is Konoha, a ramen and boba place; TLP Café at Novotel Goa Candolim; an outpost of The Irish House; Café Delhi Heights’ Sarava; Rosetta Hospitality’s beach shack, Ouzo Delmar; the bar Ourém; Ye Catarina, which does Goan-inspired gourmet food; Ochre Bar & Kitchen; Niche Bistro doing European fare, and Anar, a Middle Eastern restaurant.

Bengaluru has Omakase-style kitchen and bar Crackle; Cajsa doing global fare at ITC Gardenia; Dali & Gala doing cocktails and Burmese small plates; Comal celebrating all things Mexico; and rooftop bar and restaurant, Bricks.

French brand Paul makes its debut in Hyderabad, and Mangalore gets its first ramen space, Ramen House 1974.

Mumbai has Amaru, a Nikkei restaurant occupying the ground floor of Bombay Art Society, the Euro-Korean Onrique; the modern Himalayan restaurant and bar by chef Viraf Patel, Across; Bekal House offering a taste of the coast; European fine-dining restaurant and cocktail bar, Milagro; cocktail-forward resto-bar Hitchens – Cocktails and Ideas; the bistro Barn; modern-day izakaya, Donmai; Ocho serving food from the Americas; and HyLo offering flavours from India’s hinterlands.

Roastery Coffee House, available in six Indian cities, made its global debut with a coffee shop in Helsinki, Finland; a collaboration with Finnish Barista Champion Kaapo Paavolainen.

Nandos is set to launch in Mumbai in 2025.

High Spirits: Juniper Bomb is Back; a New Grape Brandy

30BestBarsIndia announced their shortlist of India’s Top 50 Bars for 2024 — 21 new bars found space in the list, and Mumbai and Goa topped in numbers with 11 bars.

At the Asian Sparkling Masters 2024, Sula’s The Source Moscato took a Gold Medal, while Sula Brut and Sula Tropicale Rosé were honoured with Silver Medals. Geist Brewing Co. Franconia-style Smoked Wheat Beer, Geist Rauch-a-Fella, won a silver at the European Beer Star Awards 2024.

Vikram Achanta, Minakshi Singh, and Yangdup Lama are launching an Indian Bartender Week in February.

Irish brand, Teeling Whiskey, launched of Teeling Small Batch Classic, a bespoke Irish whiskey expression crafted for the Indian market. Tilaknagar Industries forayed into the super-luxury spirits segment with Monarch Legacy Edition—an 100% pure grape brandy. Greater Than Gin relaunched their crowd-favourite edition, Juniper Bomb, in December in Goa and Mumbai. Louis Vuitton Moët Hennessy released Volcan de Mi Tierra, an ultra-premium tequila brand in India.

In February 2025, Vikram Achanta, Minakshi Singh, and Yangdup Lama have curated India Bartender Week, which will include panel discussions, masterclasses, product showcases and more.

Joanna Lobo is an independent journalist from Goa who enjoys writing about food, her Goan heritage, the freelance life, and other things that make her happy. She’s also an editor at Goya. Follow her on @thatdoggonelady.

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