From age-old eateries in the by lanes of the Walled City to glitzy, specialty restaurants in five-star hotels, Delhi is a movable feast. Delhi offers a choice of Indian and international cuisines in different ambiences to suit varied budgets.

For gourmets, Delhi is synonymous with Mughlai and Frontier cuisines. The best of Mughlai cuisine can be enjoyed at Kariam, (both in Jama Masjid and Nizamuddin) where recipes, dating from the times o the Mughals have been the closely guarded secret of generations of chefs.

Delhi ka Aangan (Hyatt Regency), Darbar (Ashoka Hotel), and Corbetts (Claridges) are among the many options available in the expensive range, while Gulati Restaurant (Pandara Market), Angeethi (Asiad Village) and Degchi (Regal Building) are among those catering to more modest budgets. The finest Frontier cuisine is available at the Bukhara (Maurya Sheraton), Frontier (Ashoka Hotel) and Baluchi (The Hilton).

At the other end of the scale there are the many popular roadside eateries around Jama Masjid and Nizamuddin where kababs, rotis and biryani are the order of the day.

Every five-star hotel in the city has a Chinese restaurant, while most markets in South Delhi have a medium-budget Chinese restaurant. The popularity of this cuisine can be gauged by the innumerable Chinese food outlets of the " meals-on-wheels" and kiosk variety. The growing sophistication of the Delhite's palate is discernable in the increasing number of specialty restaurants - EI Arab (Regal Building), Dum Pukht or the process of slow cooking developed in Awadh (Maurya Sheraton), Kashmiri food at Chor Bizarre (Hotel Broadway), Thai food at Baan Tahi (The Oberoi) and Sukothai ( Hauz Khas village), Japanese food at Tokyo (Ashoka Hotel) and Osaka (Haus Khas village), Tibetan food at eateries near Chanakya Theatre, and Mexican food at Rodeo (Connaught Place).

Another indication is the frequency and popularity of food festivals organized by hotels. South Indian food is another favorite, the vegetarian variety of which is best enjoyed at Sagar (Defence colony), Sagar Ratna (Lodhi Hotel) and Dasaprakash (Hotel Ambassador). Coconut Grove (Ashok Yatri Niwas) offers excellent non-vegetarian cuisine from south India.

The best of continental cuisine can be eaten at five-star hotels, for instance La Rochelle (The Oberoi), the Orient Express (Taj Palace) and Captains Cabins (Taj Man Singh), though numerous multi-cuisine restaurants also offer continental food. Keeping pace with the changing face of the city are the growing number of fast food outlets, which serve all manner of cuisines.

A delightful outlet offering a range of Indian cuisines are the food stalls at Dilli Haat. Here, the cuisine of different states in made available at very moderate rates. Set in the midst of a spacious crafts bazaar these cafes are a very pleasant place to enjoy food. For the more intrepid, eateries such as those at Pranthe wali gali, or chaat at Bengali Market and sunder Nagar, bhelpuri at Greater Kailash and sweetmeats fom Annapoorna and Ghantewala can be part of the gastronomical tour of Delhi.

Delhi is also synonymous with the omnipresent tandoori chicken and tandoori roti, which, when freshly had from the tandoor, makes a delicious meal. This is often available at roadside dhabas at a moderate cost.