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No Indian restaurant features on The World's 50 Best Restaurants list, but one makes it to the 68th position
Mumbai's acclaimed restaurant Masque has achieved a significant milestone by securing the 68th position on The World's 50 Best Restaurants Extended List for 2025, marking it as the only Indian restaurant to feature on the prestigious global ranking.
No other Indian establishment made it to the top 50 list or the extended 51-100 rankings. The prestigious awards ceremony, held in Turin, Italy, celebrated culinary excellence worldwide. Masque's recognition at 68th position makes it arguably India's most forward-thinking restaurant, showcasing the country's fresh produce, extracting maximum flavour from local ingredients in a 10-course tasting menu served in a stylish former Mumbai textile mill.
Peru's Maido, led by chef Mitsuharu 'Micha' Tsumura, claimed the coveted top spot in 2025. It was followed by Asador Etxebarri in Spain and Quintonil in Mexico City. The list also spotlighted culinary trailblazers beyond the realm of European fine dining, applauding their innovation and use of fresh local ingredients.
Masque is an Indian restaurant in Mumbai, Maharashtra, founded by Prateek Sadhu and Aditi Dugar in 2016. With self-taught cook and entrepreneur Aditi Dugar at the helm, Masque has won a string of accolades since opening. After the departure of founding chef Prateek Sadhu in 2022, the culinary reins are now in the skilled hands of Varun Totlani.
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The restaurant has earned recognition for its innovative approach to Indian cuisine. Under the current culinary direction of head chef Varun Totlani, the restaurant showcases India's diverse produce through modern techniques. Ingredient-focused creations feature dishes like lamb brain paniyaram and turmeric scampi, while the vegetarian menu highlights options such as sweet potato paniyaram and morel with gutti aloo.
The World's 50 Best Restaurants has been celebrating global culinary excellence since 2002, with its rankings determined by a panel of 1,080 culinary experts across 27 voting regions worldwide. Each panelist, comprising food writers, critics, chefs, restaurateurs, and well-travelled gourmets, contributes ten votes to create what serves as both a snapshot of exceptional dining destinations and a barometer for international gastronomic trends.
Masque's recognition on the global stage represents not just personal achievement for its team, but also signals the growing international appreciation for contemporary Indian cuisine that honours traditional ingredients while embracing innovative presentation and techniques.
