This 12-Seat Chef's Counter in Mumbai Is One of the World's Top Restaurants

"An unpretentious, theatrical 12-seat chef’s-counter in Bandra that feels like a boisterous dinner party: generous drinks, a GM who performs card tricks, an upbeat early-2000s playlist, and staff who sing and dance between courses create a convivial atmosphere. Opened in early 2024 as the latest project from Hunger Inc. and conceived as a tribute to the late Floyd Cardoz (Papaji), the intimate space is tucked above a sandwich shop in the rafters of an 80-year-old former bakery. The inventive, story-driven tasting menu offers quirky highlights—most notably a Bugs Bunny rabbit shawarma topped with garlic toum, gooseberry and jalapeño hot sauce and dusted with red fever ants—alongside a Waldorf salad–inspired palate cleanser of green apple slush and stewed cherries, and a corn soup finished with yak’s milk cheese. Cocktails are playful and theatrical (one arrives laced with marinara, basil, and chili oil alongside a bite-size pizza in a box), seats book quickly, and the venue earned recognition among Food & Wine’s 2025 Global Tastemakers." - Sarah Khan