One of the standout moments at the NDTV Food Awards 2026 was Avartana from Chennai being named the Most Innovative Indian Restaurant of the year, a category that celebrates restaurants pushing boundaries with creativity, ideas, and bold new approaches to Indian food. The award was presented on stage by jury chair Vir Sanghvi, renowned food critic and author, and Rahul Kanwal, CEO and Editor-in-Chief, NDTV. The honour was received by Anil Chadha, Managing Director of ITC Hotels, along with the Avartana team from ITC Grand Chola, Chennai.
Avartana Takes Top Honour NDTV Food Awards 2026
Vir Sanghvi, before revealing the winner, shared a personal memory of how Avartana began, recalling his first experience of a modern South Indian tasting menu at ITC Grand Chola. At the time, the idea itself felt unusual: South Indian cuisine presented not as a typical à la carte meal but as a curated fine-dining experience.
He spoke about how the team took a risk by introducing a tasting-menu-only format and how that decision completely changed the way people look at South Indian food today.
What makes Avartana special, as shared during the ceremony, is its inspiration. The chef explained how many of the ideas come from simple childhood experiences, like tasting tamarind with salt and pepper while playing or cooking fresh tapioca from fields in rural South India. Those humble memories are now transformed into refined, modern dishes served as part of multi-course tasting menus.
A Bold Idea That Grew Across Cities
Anil Chadha also spoke about Avartana's journey, sharing that the idea started in 2017 as a bold experiment within ITC Hotels. What began in Chennai soon expanded to Delhi, Kolkata, Mumbai, and even Colombo. He highlighted that Avartana was never a solo effort, it was built by a team that wanted to take South Indian cuisine beyond its usual identity and present it in a completely new light.
Today, Avartana is known for its immersive dining experience, where each course is part of a carefully designed journey. With this win, Avartana continues to strengthen its reputation as a restaurant that reimagines food.