The Sarvato

The Sarvato is a fine-dining restaurant inside the City Palace, the former residence of the Jaipur royal family at the centre of the old city. It sits on a terrace with views over the Pink City and offers dinner only, built around a six-course tasting menu. It appears on the Relais & Châteaux website, and Jaipur food writers have singled it out as the palace's newest and most ambitious place to eat. It is distinct from the Baradari, an older restaurant that looks onto the palace from a little distance.

The kitchen is led by chef Sonu Kumar Singh, with the menu curated with chef Vikram Arora. The idea is to explore the cooking of Rajasthan by pairing recipes from royal kitchens with the home cooking of rural households. Techniques include long marinating, hand-rolled breads and slow cooking over charcoal-fired sigri grills. Dishes highlighted by Outlook Traveller include junglee maas made with Mathania red chillies, a kofta of meat in a white bajra and cream sauce, a fish preparation with kumbhi mushrooms, and an all-Indian mezze called shatranj ki bissat served with bejad bread. Vegetarian options are available.

Cocktails are part of the experience, with names drawn from the palace such as the Rang Mahal martini, and a paired cocktail tasting can be added to the menu. The tasting menu takes around 90 minutes to two hours, so plan an unhurried evening.

This is one of the most expensive meals in Jaipur, with Outlook Traveller quoting a price for two in the tens of thousands of rupees, so it is best kept for a special occasion. Reservations are made in advance through the restaurant's online booking system, and it opens only from September to April, closing for the hot summer and monsoon months. Children are welcome from the age of five, the restaurant states that it has disabled access, and it uses certified halal products. Outdoor seating means the cooler winter evenings are especially pleasant.

Because the restaurant is inside the City Palace complex, it pairs naturally with a late-afternoon visit to the palace museum, which is open until 18:30, followed by a walk past Jantar Mantar and Hawa Mahal before dinner. Arrange a taxi to collect you after the meal, as the old city streets can be confusing at night.