Inja

Inja is one of the most talked-about restaurants to open in Delhi in recent years, built around an unusual idea: bringing Indian and Japanese cooking together on the same plate. It describes itself as the first restaurant in the world to combine the two cuisines in this way. It is located inside The Manor Hotel in Friends Colony West, South Delhi, and in 2026 it was placed at number 75 on the extended Asia's 50 Best Restaurants list.

The kitchen is led by chef partner Adwait Anantwar, who was named among Culinary Culture's Top 30 Chefs in India in 2024. The restaurant is backed by Atelier House Hospitality, a Dubai-based restaurant group, working with local partner Manav Thadani.

The menu takes familiar Indian dishes and reworks them with Japanese ingredients and methods. Dishes that have defined the restaurant include a crispy crab kachori topped with salmon caviar in place of chaat masala, a gobhi 65 maki that turns the popular fried cauliflower snack into a sushi roll, and a cold palak paneer shaped like Mount Fuji with tempura-fried paneer, Japanese curry mayonnaise, crispy rice and fried garlic. Other plates have included Alaskan king crab with raj kachori, udon in a Khasi-style curry and naga smoked pork with soba. Cocktails follow the same theme; the Issamue mixes soy, vanilla, tamarind and Japanese plum liqueur.

The interior blends the two cultures too, with natural wood, stone, bonsai and minimal lighting set against Mughal trinkets, peacock-coloured fabrics, lime-washed walls and a copper-toned ceiling. There is a private dining room for groups.

Dinner is served every day, and lunch on Saturdays and Sundays. Booking is recommended, through the reservations page on the website or by phone or WhatsApp on the same number. Prices are high but below the city's top hotel restaurants. It suits adventurous eaters, couples and groups of friends, and works well for anyone who has eaten their fill of traditional Indian food and wants a different angle on it.

The Manor is on Mathura Road in Friends Colony West, a short drive from Humayun's Tomb and Nizamuddin, so dinner here is an easy end to a day of sightseeing in that part of the city.