zeezest

Rebel with a cause! These are culinary establishments who offer a modern take of traditional Indian fare. Innovation means separating genius from the gimmicky. Shedding off its old avatar, the dish needs to be creatively reinterpreted and aesthetically presented  without losing its soul.


Best Progressive Indian Restaurant 

Restaurants that honour the Japanese culinary traditions, flavours, cooking techniques and art of presentation while introducing diners to the simplicity of seasonal ingredients and diverse meal styles.

Best Japanese Restaurant

RRR - Rich, Regional, Ravishing. Like regional cinema, regional cuisine too is making waves across the country. Restaurants that place value on hyper-local and feature lesser-known regional cuisines

Best Regional Indian Restaurant

It's all in the Concept! A restaurant that has made an attempt to attract the audience in a unique manner, through its decor, location and the experience. A distinct idea that could be thoughtful, fancy or utterly shocking.

Best Concept Restaurant

A restaurant that celebrates Asian culture in the truest form. From aromatic curries to perfectly grilled meats, the menu is a work of art that tantalises the taste buds and transports diners on a gastronomic journey.

Best Asian

Beauty with function. Design is integral, the first thing we notice, engage with... it tells a story and stays long after we leave a place. From the door to the furnishing to the light fixtures that give you warmth and privacy to the architecture that doesn't disturb the past but merges with the functional needs of the present. 

Best Designed Restaurant

When you are not just a 'New' Restaurant but 'Neo' -The One, who despite being less than 6 months old has already grabbed the eyes, ears and tastebuds of the cognoscenti, press, critics and social media.

Best New Restaurant 

Deals, dates or diaries - a lot happens over a cuppa here! Apart from offering a variety of options and skilled execution in beverages, the food is well-paired with the beverage menu to offer a complete dining experience in a comfortable and cozy setting. 

Best Cafe

Lounges and bars that offer a comprehensive nightlife experience. Parameters to be considered include vibe, energy, cocktail selection, ability to draw a crowd, and a compelling curation of popular culture, i.e. DJs, live bands, musicians, etc.

Best Nightclub

Say Hello to Planet-Positive Plates!  A favourite among eco-conscious foodies, a restaurant that's setting the standard for sustainable dining with their commitment to reducing waste, supporting local farmers, and minimising their environmental impact.


Best Sustainable Restaurant

No 'beetling around the bush! Lettuce celebrate the menu with the green dot and find the G.O.A.T. minus the meat! 

Best Vegetarian Restaurant

Like the lovable grandparent who tells the finest stories, this restaurant celebrates that old is definitely the gold standard -  in terms of taste, experience and guiding the present to appreciate the past.


Best Legacy Restaurant

Raising the bar - literally! An establishment which focuses on its bar before food. The bar and mixologists should be masters of classic cocktails as well as have an evolving beverage menu that focuses on customization, innovation and exemplary service. There should also be a focus on food that complements the drinks. 

Best Cocktail Bar

Ale is well! A craft beer assessed according to parameters of flavour, quality, aroma, colour and mouthfeel. 

Best Indian Craft Beer 

Have a Grinder-bender! Only the finest spirits assessed for flavour, quality, aroma, colour, finish and botanicals shall be put to taste and test.

Best Indian Craft Gin

Quaint over Quantity! A ​luxurious stay with limited rooms that ​excels ​in creating a personalised, immersive and unique experience with its distinct design, ​intimate atmosphere, ​and allows guests to savour the local ​culture through its art, food, culture and community. 

Best Boutique Hotel

Where the wild things are! A luxurious stay amidst a forest that lets guests experience and appreciate nature and wildlife while prioritising sustainable practices to minimise their impact on the environment. 

Best Wildlife resort

A kitchen that delivers exceptional culinary experiences without a dining room. This category celebrates innovation, consistency, and flavour that travel seamlessly from kitchen to doorstep. A true example of how great food needs no boundaries and only passion and precision. 

Best Cloud Kitchen

One of India’s finest pastry chefs, Vinesh pioneered pastry education in India as the co-founder of Lavonne Academy of Baking Science & Pastry Arts, and Lavonne Café. Raised in Bengaluru, he holds a degree in hotel management and has been associated with The Oberoi Group of Hotels and The Starwood Group of Hotels & Resorts.

Vinesh Johny

From travel to tech, Ashwin has over 20 years of experience as a content specialist and journalist. His expertise lies in food and travel content. He’s a specialist in communicating across cultures and boundaries, and has written for several leading publications.

Ashwin Rajagopalan

Ajay is a chef and food consultant. He’s the managing director of Zion Hospitality which is involved in content, culinary training and mentoring food brands. He is also a host of Zee Zest’s shows, India’s 50 Best Dishes, Papad Pickle Aur Pyala and Pattay Ki Baat.

Ajay Chopra

Apart from being a celebrity chef, Ranveer is also a TV show host, author, MasterChef India judge and food film producer. Ranveer was inspired by local kebab vendors as a child in Lucknow, which led to him starting his career at five-star kitchens and later as the head of banquets at the Rashtrapati Bhavan and the Prime Minister’s residence.

Ranveer Brar

A storyteller in his own right, Rakesh is best known for taking people on a journey through his culinary and travel explorations. His interests lie in food history and practices and its interaction with socio-cultural norms. He is also a Zee Zest host for two successful shows—Highway Dreams and 100% South Indian.

Rakesh Raghunathan

An entrepreneur and restaurateur, Riyaaz Amlani is the CEO and MD of Impressario Handmade Restaurants and the former president of National Restaurant Association of India (2014-2017). A quick-witted and charming personality, Amlani's maiden venture into the F&B business was in 2001 with Mocha - Coffee & Conversations, which brought quite the change in the cafe culture in India. Since then, he's been responsible for creating Social and Smoke House Delhi, two fairly prominent brands in the restaurant business. Winner of various awards that include 'Restaurateur of the Year' and '50 Most Influential Young Indians' awarded by multiple platforms and publications, Amlani is one of India's most recognised faces in the F&B sector. 

Riyaaz Amlani

With a career spanning two decades, Anurag is one of the leading travel writers in India and the founder of Red Scarab Travel & Media. His contributions as a travel writer and co-author of reputable travel guides have undoubtedly enriched the travel community by providing valuable travel advice, recommendations, and insights for a diverse range of travellers. Some of his co-authored Outlook Traveller guides include 52 Weekend Breaks from Bangalore, Kerala Guide, 100 Holidays in the Hills & Trekking Guide to India.

Anurag Mallick

Anish Sood is a musician, producer, and electronic music artist. His contributions to the electronic music scene have helped elevate the genre's popularity in India and beyond. He continues to be an influential figure in the EDM community, captivating audiences with his music and performances in India and internationally.

Anish Sood

Ajay Sood is a prominent photographer known for his exceptional work in travel photography. He is the founder of 'Travelure', a platform where he showcases his travel photography and shares his experiences from his journeys around the world. Apart from getting featured in leading lifestyle publications, he also won some of the biggest photography awards - Outlook Magazine's Photographer of the Year in 2016, Photo Blogger of the Year in 2018, to name a few.

Ajay Sood

Zorawar Kalra is the managing director for Massive Restaurants, the brand that is known for restaurants such as Masala Library, Made In Punjab, Farzi Cafe, Pa Pa Ya, Masala Bar, KODE, BBQ'D, Rivers TO Oceans, BO-TAI, YOUNION, TYGR, Mithai By Jiggs Kalra, Hotel ShangHigh, BO-TAI Switch, +94 Bombay, Swan, Butter Delivery and Louis Burgers. A serial restaurateur, Zorawar ventured into the cloud kitchen segment in 2021 with what is possibly the smallest menu in the world with Louis Burgers.

Zorawar Kalra

Co-founder of Svami, the non-alcoholic beverage brand, Aneesh is a beverage expert, an ardent culinary explorer and can give one some serious tips on where to eat in Mumbai, to begin with. His podcast, ‘A Niche Thing’ delves into various subcultural topics, from tech to art. He’s also an award-winning professional photographer.

Aneesh Bhasin

With an experience that spans from Michelin-starred restaurants across the globe to The Oberoi, Delhi, Avinash Martins is one of the most talented chefs in India at the moment. At present, he runs Cavatina Cuchina in Benaulim, south Goa. After being part of kitchens around the world, Martins chose a path that led him to unravel the various culinary secrets from the Saraswat and Portuguese communities in order to present his perspective on a plate. A big believer of "source locally", Martins's aspirations lie in taking Goan food to the rest of the world.

Avinash Martins

Maria is known for her anchoring and cooking skills. With a YouTube channel, a digital food show, an award-winning cookbook author, you can tell that from all the hats she has donned, the chef’s toque is her favourite.

Maria Goretti

Priyanka's dedication to the drinks industry, her involvement in prestigious organizations, and her passion for advocating craft spirits, especially rum, have solidified her reputation as a leading drinks writer and alco-bev industry commentator in the South Asian and global contexts. She is the founder of 'The Dram Attic,' a well-known platform that serves as a hub for sharing insights, reviews, and information about various beverages, particularly focusing on the world of drinks. She also holds the esteemed position of Academy Chair for both Asia’s 50 Best Bars and World’s 50 Best Bars.

Priyanka Blah

Shipra is a celebrity chef with TV shows across the globe. An author of eight cookbooks, she has been honoured with the Mahatma Gandhi Leadership Award at the British Parliament. Shipra was also appointed as the health and wellbeing ambassador, and cultural ambassador for India by the Ministry of Culture.

Shipra Khanna

One of the founding team members of Zee Zest, Srikant has more than 20 years of diverse media experience including journalism, films, and television. At Zee Zest, he is in charge of spearheading all the linear content on food, travel, and lifestyle.

Srikant Malladi

Priya runs Red Scarab Travel & Media with her husband Anurag Mallick and creates content for the tourism and hospitality industry as a travel influencer and consultant. As a writer, she contributes to various​ leading national and international publications and has also co-authored several travel books and guides such as Michelin, Rough Guides, and for Outlook Traveller.

Priya Ganapathy

Nivedith is a popular travel blogger from Bengaluru known for his extraordinary content creation. He's collaborated with multiple tourism boards and brands. Not just that, he's been awarded many accolades which include - being the only blogger to cover OSCARS 2018 officially from India, Best Lifestyle Blogger 2017 by the Food Bloggers Association of India, representing India in AirAsia Bloggers Community meet in Jakarta in 2016, amongst others. 

Zee Zest Unlimit Awards

Jury Panel