About the award

The NDTV Food Awards 2026 is where culinary excellence meets celebration, bringing together food enthusiasts and industry connoisseurs to honour the very best in India’s dynamic food scene. This prestigious event spotlights everything from delectable delicacies to ground-breaking innovations, celebrating the rich diversity of flavours that define our culinary landscape.

A hallmark of excellence and creativity in the food and beverage industry, the NDTV Food Awards recognises individuals and establishments that set new benchmarks in quality, innovation and experience. Open to restaurants, cafes, bars, breweries, and more, these awards celebrate the leaders shaping the future of Indian gastronomy.

The journey to the top begins with a regional round covering North, East, West and South India, where the top 10 contenders in each category are shortlisted by a panel of tastemakers and the NDTV Food editorial team. These finalists then face off in the grand finale, where an esteemed jury felicitates the ultimate winners in each category. Join us in celebrating culinary brilliance and the visionaries redefining India’s food and beverage landscape.

Selection Process

The NDTV Food Awards 2026 follows a comprehensive and transparent selection process to ensure the best in the food and beverage industry are recognised for their excellence. Here’s how the process works:

  1. Submission Review

    Once entries are submitted, they are thoroughly reviewed to ensure they meet the eligibility criteria for the selected categories. Submissions are evaluated based on the information and materials provided during registration.

  2. Regional Ratings

    The competition begins with a regional evaluation covering North, East + Central, West and South India. During this phase:

    • A panel comprising NDTV Food’s editorial team, a process partner and regional tastemakers carefully assesses all eligible entries.
    • The top 10 contenders in each category are shortlisted from each region based on their culinary innovation, quality and overall contribution to the industry.

  3. Grand Finale Shortlisting

    The top 10 from each category across all regions are automatically advanced to the grand finale. These regional finalists represent the best in their respective fields and regions.

  4. Grand Jury Evaluation

    During the finale, an esteemed panel of jurors, including renowned food critics, culinary experts, food writers and industry leaders, evaluates the finalists. The jury considers various factors, such as:

    • Quality and consistency
    • Innovation and creativity
    • Customer experience and feedback
    • Contribution to the food and beverage industry

  5. Final Winners

    From the regional finalists, the jury selects one winner in each category, who will be felicitated during the grand awards ceremony in March 2026.

The process is designed to ensure fairness and celebrate excellence across diverse categories, offering an opportunity for the best establishments to shine on a national stage.

Food Image
Categories' Description

  • Recognising restaurants that specialize in distinctive regional Indian cuisines (excluding North and South Indian), offering exceptional dishes made with quality ingredients, top-tier service, and a refined dining environment for a luxurious and authentic culinary experience.

  • Recognising new casual bars that have quickly gained popularity for their great drinks, casual atmosphere, and exceptional service. The bar must have begun operations after December 31, 2023.

     

  • Recognising new casual dining establishments that have made a significant impact with their creative menus, exceptional service, and warm atmosphere. The restaurant must have begun operations after December 31, 2023. 

     

  • Recognising casual bakeries and patisseries that offer delicious and wholesome baked goods with a focus on quality and great customer service. 

  • Recognising microbreweries that offer unique, high-quality craft beers with a focus on creativity, quality brewing practices, and a welcoming environment.

  • Recognising nightclubs offering a fun and lively atmosphere, great music, and excellent service for vibrant nightlife experience.

     

  • Recognising bars that serve creative and well-crafted cocktails in a relaxed, friendly environment with a focus on great customer experience.

  • Recognising dining establishments that offer high-quality meals throughout the day, with outstanding service and a sophisticated atmosphere.

  • Recognising Pan Asian restaurants that feature at least three Asian cuisines (excluding Indian), offering a casual yet high-quality dining experience with a diverse menu, welcoming atmosphere, and affordable prices.

  • Recognising premium restaurants that specialize in South Indian cuisine, offering high-quality dishes, exceptional service, and a luxurious ambiance for a refined dining experience.

  • Recognising restaurants offering a contemporary twist on Indian cuisine, with innovative dishes, exceptional service, and a luxurious dining experience.

  • Recognising Italian restaurants that provide an extraordinary fine dining experience with gourmet Italian cuisine, exceptional service, and an elegant atmosphere.

  • Recognising premium dining establishments that specialize in a specific Asian cuisine (such as Thai, Japanese, Korean, etc.), excluding Indian and Chinese. These restaurants deliver an exceptional culinary experience, with high-quality ingredients, expert preparation, and exquisite presentation.

  • Recognising North Indian restaurants that offer exceptional North Indian dishes, providing an outstanding culinary experience with premium service and a refined, luxurious setting. 

  • Recognising fine dining Chinese establishments that offer an exceptional menu, top-tier service, and an upscale dining environment.

Faq

  • The NDTV Food Awards are a prestigious celebration of excellence and innovation in the food and beverage industry. These awards aim to recognise and honour individuals and establishments that set new standards in culinary experiences, creativity, and quality.

    Open to a wide range of participants, including restaurants, cafes, bars, breweries, and other establishments in the food and beverage sector, the awards are designed to acknowledge industry leaders who meet the specific eligibility criteria outlined for each award category.

    The awards process begins with a regional round, covering North, East + Central, West, and South India. In this phase, the top 10 contenders in each category from every region will be shortlisted by a panel of tastemakers and the NDTV Food editorial team. These regional finalists will then compete in the grand finale, where the NDTV Food Awards jury will select one winner from each category, felicitating them as the best in their field.

  • The NDTV Food Awards 2026 will take place in March 2026 in Delhi. Details about the venue will be announced closer to the event.

  • This time, we have no registrations fees involved for NDTV Food Awards

    • Visit the NDTV Food Awards registration page.
    • Choose the category(ies) in which you would like to nominate your establishment(s) and fill in the required details about your organisation and contact information.

  • You are required to share details regarding your establishment and contact information, including but not limited to the following:

    • Name of the restaurant/cafe/bar/brewery/bakery
    • Category of participation
    • Contact details
    • A brief description (up to 300 words) highlighting your achievements and relevance to the chosen category
    • Supporting materials such as images, videos, menu, social media links etc.

  • Submissions received by the deadline will be reviewed based on a pre-defined criteria. You will need to nominate your establishment(s) based on the region where it is located. The first round of regionals will be vetted by the NDTV Food Editorial team, and finally by the regional tastemakers. The top 10 in each category from every region will then be automatically nominated for the finale, scheduled for March 2026. The final nominees will be shortlisted by the Awards Grand Jury, which includes industry experts, food writers, and food critics. 

  • Yes, you can nominate your establishment(s) in multiple categories and regions if you believe they meet the respective criteria. This allows you to showcase your strengths across various areas and maximise your chances of recognition.

  • Submission does not guarantee nomination. All nominations are subject to the verification process of entry criteria as well as the jury's evaluation and scoring process.

  • The NDTV Food Awards jury includes renowned food critics, writers, and culinary experts.

    • Applicants must belong to the food and beverage industry (restaurants, bars, breweries, etc.).
    • The organisation must have been operational for at least one year by January 1, 2025. For any New Entrants category, the establishment must have opened between January 2025 and December 2025.
    • Specific criteria for each category is detailed on the About page. 

  • Yes, winners from the previous edition can participate in the current awards.

  • The regions include North, West, South, and East + Central combined as one.

  • No, each location of a restaurant requires a separate entry. You may enter as many restaurants of different locations with separate entry forms.

  • The country is divided into four regions for the awards:

    1. North Region: Jammu & Kashmir, Ladakh, Himachal Pradesh, Punjab, Haryana, Chandigarh, Delhi NCR, Rajasthan, Uttarakhand and Uttar Pradesh.
    2. West Region: Gujarat, Maharashtra and Goa.
    3. Central + East Region: Bihar, Jharkhand, Odisha, West Bengal, Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh and the north-eastern states (Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Meghalaya, Manipur, Mizoram, Nagaland, Sikkim and Tripura).
    4. South Region: Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Telangana, Puducherry, Andaman and Nicobar Islands, and Lakshadweep.
     

    • Entries should be submitted in English.
    • Supplementary materials must not exceed 1MB each.

  • At present, NDTV Food Awards are open only to Indian establishments.

  • Shortlisted entries will be notified via email and announced on NDTV Food's website and social media channels.

    • Entry-related queries: foodawards@ndtv.com
    • Marketing and sponsorship related queries: marketing.awards@ndtv.com