Dehradun's restaurant scene has, until recently, been a tale of two cities. There were the legacy places — Ellora's, Kumar's, the multi-cuisine hotels — that locals had been eating at for thirty years, and there were the cafés and chains that came and went without leaving a mark. The shift happened around 2020, when a wave of design-forward restaurants started opening on Rajpur Road. Suddenly, "where shall we eat tonight" was a question worth thinking about.
This is our running list of the restaurants we'd actually send a visiting friend to, ranked. As before — yes, we're on the list. Yes, we put ourselves at the top. But we've tried to be honest about who else belongs and why.
1. Farzi Café Dehradun — modern Indian, Rajpur Road
The flagship of the new Dehradun. A rooftop bistro from the team behind Farzi Mumbai, Dubai and London, perched at 222, Dhakpatti, Rajpur Road. Modern Indian cooking that takes familiar dishes — dal-chawal, butter chicken, ras malai — and tilts them with technique. Cocktails that draw from the Indian spice rack. A bar list that's won national awards. The room is the room: brass canopies, an onyx-lit bar, six private cabanas, and a view of the Mussoorie hills that doesn't stop.
Best for: anniversary dinners, sundowner dates, business dinners, full-on celebrations. Time it: arrive by 6:30 PM to catch the sunset. Reserve in advance — Friday and Saturday tables fill by Wednesday.
2. Ellora's — Astley Hall
If Farzi is Dehradun's most-exciting restaurant, Ellora's is its most-beloved. A 1985-vintage bakery-and-restaurant on Astley Hall that has been quietly serving the same chicken puff, black-forest pastry and continental menu for three generations. The food has not been redesigned for Instagram. The crockery is the crockery from when your parents brought you here. It's a Dehradun institution, and it remains genuinely excellent.
What to order: the chicken puff, the cold coffee, the fish-and-chips. Time it: lunchtime, before 2 PM.
3. The Tavern — Hotel Madhuban, Rajpur Road
An old-school multi-cuisine restaurant inside Hotel Madhuban that quietly does some of the best North Indian food in the city. The dal makhani and the lamb biryani are reasons enough. The room is dated, the service is slow, the bar list is what you'd expect from a four-star hotel — which is to say, fine. But the cooking is the real deal.
Best for: family dinners, festive lunches, traditional North Indian craving.
4. Yeti — The Himalayan Kitchen — Rajpur Road
A genuinely good Tibetan-Bhutanese-Nepalese restaurant, on the older stretch of Rajpur Road. Hand-pulled noodles, slow-simmered thukpas, ema datshi (a Bhutanese chilli-cheese stew that will change your life). The space is small and cosy with a wood-fire feel. They get busy on weekends — go on a weeknight.
5. Town Table — Astley Hall
Bright, plant-filled, full of trainees and Doon parents. The avocado-tartine breakfast plate is excellent. They do good pasta, good salad bowls, very good cold brews, and a passable but improving cocktail list. Best for: brunches, light dinners, working from a café.
6. Brick Oven — Astley Hall
Wood-fired Neapolitan pizza, made by people who care. The dough is good. The mozzarella is brought up properly. The wine list is short but well-chosen. Best for: a casual dinner with friends where nobody wants to overthink the order.
7. Hideout Café — Rajpur Road
A relatively new café-restaurant with multi-terrace seating that climbs up a hillside. Each table feels like a private nook. The wood-fired pizzas are surprisingly good. Service can be slow. Best for: an evening with friends when the weather is right.
8. Kumar's Thali — Rajpur Road
A Garhwali-cuisine thali joint that does mandua roti, gahat dal, kafuli (a spinach-paneer curry) and bhang ki chutney. Lunch service only, 12:30 PM to 3 PM. No takeaway. No nonsense. Sit, eat the thali they decide you should eat, walk it off down Rajpur. The best regional-food experience in the city.
How we ranked these restaurants
Four criteria, weighted in this order:
- The cooking. If the food isn't there, the room doesn't matter. We test for consistency — same dish, three different visits, different days of the week.
- The room and the service. A restaurant is a stage. Good lighting, trained service, sensible acoustics, and a host who recognises a returning guest — these things add up.
- The drinks list. Wine, cocktails, no-ABV — does the team treat the drinks programme as seriously as the kitchen?
- The value. Not "is it cheap?" but "does the experience match the bill?" Farzi at ₹ 2,000 a head delivers more than most ₹ 800-a-head places.
What makes Farzi Café different from the rest of Dehradun's restaurants
Three things, honestly:
- Twelve years of brand reputation. Farzi as a concept has been operating since 2014 across India, Dubai, London, Bangkok and Toronto. The Dehradun kitchen is trained on the same standards.
- A national-award-winning cocktail programme. The Farzi bar list has been recognised by EazyDiner, Times Food Awards and Condé Nast Traveller. Cocktails matter here, not as an afterthought.
- The rooftop, the view, the room. No other restaurant in Dehradun has this combination of view, design and capacity for both intimate dinners and 200-guest events.
"Don't go to Farzi for dinner. Go for the evening. The food is great, but the room and the team make it an event." — From a TripAdvisor review, May 2026.
How to plan a restaurant evening in Dehradun
- 5:30 PM — Pre-dinner walk along the upper end of Rajpur Road. The light is beautiful between 5:30 and 6:15.
- 6:30 PM — Sundowner cocktails at Farzi's rooftop bar. Arrive in time for sunset.
- 8 PM — Dinner — at Farzi if you want modern Indian, at Yeti for Himalayan, at The Tavern for North Indian classics.
- 10:30 PM — If you're at Farzi, stay for dessert and one more cocktail. The cabanas light up after 10. The kitchen serves till 11:30 PM, the bar till 11:30 .
Frequently asked questions
Which is the best restaurant in Dehradun for dinner?
What is the best area for restaurants in Dehradun?
Is fine dining available in Dehradun?
What is the price range at top Dehradun restaurants?
Do Dehradun restaurants accept reservations?
Reserve a table at Farzi Café Dehradun
Reserve Now WhatsApp Us Get Directions