Masque adds another crown jewel to its legacy of accolades! The announcement was made before the Asia's 50 Best Restaurants ceremony, recognising Masque in Mumbai as the recipient of the Art of Hospitality Award 2026. More than 350 Academy members voted for the winner, which honours a single establishment for outstanding hospitality during the previous 18 months. Aditi Dugar established the restaurant in 2016, and since then, it has gained acclaim for its tasting menus, cuisine that is driven by research, and service that combines modern dining with the inviting Indian manner. Masque is celebrating its tenth year in business with this news.
Masque adds another accolade to their name
The website for Asia's 50 Best Restaurants states that Masque was chosen because of its skill in creating an intimate and considerate dining experience backed by expertise in ingredients, accuracy, and a distinct sense of location. According to the group, Masque's service approach emphasises Indian cultural characteristics, such as a warm welcome and careful attention to each customer, and the restaurant's cuisine is strongly tied to its hospitality.
Not only that, but Masque will have been open for ten years by the time the Art of Hospitality Award 2026 rolls around, a significant milestone that has been featured in numerous reports. Before the announcement of Asia's 50 Best Restaurants 2026 list, the accolade was among others that were announced. Since its initial appearance in 2021, Masque has consistently maintained its position on The World's 50 Best list, a testament to its well-deserved reputation for providing service that aims to ensure visitors feel comfortable.
Rooted in Indian kitchens, inspired by the world
The ten-course tasting menus at Masque, which are prepared using modern techniques and ingredients inspired by Indian cuisine, are served out of a renovated textile mill in Mumbai. The culinary crew, headed by head chef Varun Totlani, visits farmers and foragers in places like Goa and Kashmir. The Masque Lab, the restaurant's R&D kitchen that doubles as a cozy private dining room for fourteen people, is where these sourcing expeditions are turned into menu items. As the seasons change, Masque offers tasting menus that are both vegetarian and non-vegetarian.
The Masque tasting menu draws inspiration from all over India, incorporating flavours, methods, and ingredients like Goan seaweed and Kashmiri chilli, among others, rather than focusing on a single regional cuisine. To learn more about the many cuisines of India, the team visits different regions and meets with local producers and communities. Masque Lab, a multi-use area located in the same location as the main restaurant, is where they distil the knowledge and inspiration garnered on their travels. They make their own black garlic and other flavours for their recipes by fermenting and pickling.
The lab's lower level features a 14-seat chef's table that doubles as an event venue. Guests on the show have ranged from well-known chefs to specialists from the area (like the women of Mumbai's Koli fishing community) and even home cooks like Aditi's mom.
Masque is Mumbai's finest dining experience
Aditi Dugar founded Masque in 2016, turning her passion for cooking into a successful business. The restaurant has now become famous across India for its delectable cuisine. Located in a chic old textile mill in Mumbai, this restaurant serves a 10-course tasting menu that fuses Indian traditions with modern technology. Each dish will be unique because the staff here uses fresh, local, and sometimes even foraged ingredients.
This restaurant offers the first-ever 10-course chef's tasting menus in India, seamlessly blending tradition and innovation. Local farmers, producers, and foraging trips provide the ingredients for the menus, which change seasonally. With the opening of the Masque Lab, the restaurant's research and development and test kitchen in 2020, the team at Masque further solidified their commitment to using local products and making the most of India's abundant supply in their cuisine.
Intending to bridge cultural divides, contemporary Indian cuisine purposefully revisits traditional cooking methods and ingredients. Explored through the Masque lens, each cuisine is the product of our land's unique food and culinary heritage, complemented with inspirations from across the globe. Everything on the menu, from the soft shell crab and pulled pork to the decadent sweets, tastes like it was made with care. They have a great assortment of wines and cocktails, and their Sunday brunch is even better. This restaurant is ideal for parties, dates, or just pampering yourself with its personalised meals and swoon-worthy atmosphere.