For years, Lodhi Colony, with its art district and convention centres, has attracted art and culture lovers alike, but stopping by for a meal was always an incidental affair. Well, I am sure that you came here for a walk, maybe an exhibition, or a quiet time at the Lodhi Gardens, but driving down for food might have never featured in your itinerary. But guess what? Lodhi Colony has stepped up its food scene to give you all the reasons to plan a visit to its newly-opened restaurants.
New cafés opened alongside galleries, restaurants began filling up lanes that were once quiet, and suddenly, this pocket of Central Delhi started offering something many other food hubs don’t: space. Space to linger, to eat unhurriedly, to move from coffee to lunch to dinner without crossing half the city. Here, the food scene feels deliberate—neighbourhood-first, but ambitious enough to draw diners from all across the city.
Part of what makes Lodhi Colony’s rise interesting is how organically it happened. There’s been a gradual build-up over the years as cafés that work just as well for a solo afternoon as for a long catch-up, restaurants that prioritise good cooking over spectacle, and a mix of cuisines that feel thoughtfully curated rather than trend-chasing came up across the area. The result is a food destination that doesn’t scream for attention but rewards those who visit it.
As Delhi’s diners grow increasingly tired of overcrowded hotspots and hard-to-book tables, Lodhi Colony offers a food hub where good food blend with a chic vibe to curate a refreshing experience for you. If 2025 has marked anything for this neighbourhood, it’s the year Lodhi Colony quietly claimed its place on the city’s dining map. And these are the openings that helped make that happen!
LoCol by Subko
A standout among Lodhi Colony’s 2025 openings is LoCol by Subko. The Delhi debut of the much-loved Subko Coffee Roasters concept is in none other than Lodhi Colony. More than just another café, LoCol by Subko positions itself as a neighbourhood destination: a place where speciality coffee, craft baking, and relaxed community energy blend to create a space that the city is raving about. The brand’s ethos, captured in its play on words (“Subko” — derived from sabko, meaning “for everyone”), reflects a blend of elevated coffee culture with a welcoming, local vibe.
Open throughout the week, LoCol by Subko serves meticulously sourced speciality coffee from across the Indian subcontinent (including Arabica microlots and experimental beans) alongside craft bakes, viennoiserie, and fine cacao from its in-house bakehouse. Its arrival in Lodhi Colony also brought with it a focus on experience: priority pours like pour-overs and bloom bars, early-morning croissants, and chocolate offerings that go beyond the usual café fare.
For locals and visitors alike, LoCol by Subko has become a go-to café stop — a place for slow mornings with a flat white, weekend catch-ups over pastries, or a midday coffee break that feels both refined and laid-back. Being the first Subko in all of the capital, its presence in Lodhi Colony highlights the area’s identity as one of Delhi’s go-tos for the best of cafe and culinary experiences in town!
Address: F/6, New Khanna Market, Lodhi Colony, Block D, Lodi Colony, New Delhi, Delhi 110003
Timings: Monday to Sunday (8 am–9 pm)
Price for two: INR 1,000
Dumbo Deli
Dumbo Deli is one of Lodhi Colony’s most talked-about 2025 openings—a small, spirited spot in Meharchand Market that has quickly become a favourite hangout for sandwiches, coffee, and casual drinks. Opened by restaurateurs Prateek Gupta and Priyamvada (the team behind Café Dalí and Vinci Ristorante), Dumbo Deli marries simple pleasures with creative execution. Think Florentine-inspired sandwiches served on house-baked focaccia, ceremonial matcha and espresso drinks by day, and an intimate cocktail experience by night. Yes, it just is that good!
The sandwiches are the real draw during daylight hours, with flavours that nod to Italian street sandwiches but feel right at home in Delhi. Loaded focaccia packed with fresh vegetables, cheeses and thoughtful condiments that sell out quickly, make early visits essential. The vibe is compact and casual, with minimal, bright interiors and just a handful of seats that encourage people to grab a bite and linger for coffee.
As the sun dips, the space switches gears and transforms into a cosy, reservation-only cocktail bar that allows only about eight guests at a time. From great brews and packed sandwiches, experience your time being anchored by creative drinks like their signature espresso martini and other easy-drinking selections crafted by Gupta himself. This dual personality—relaxed deli by day, intimate bar by night—gives the place a community hangout energy that’s irresistible.
Whether you’re stopping in for a crinkly sandwich and blueberry matcha in the afternoon, or coming back later to sip cocktails in a quieter and moodier setting, Dumbo Deli encapsulates the Colony’s evolving dining identity: unpretentious, inventive, and very fun!
Address: 90, Meharchand Market, Lodi Colony, New Delhi, Delhi 110003
Timings: Monday to Sunday with Tuesdays off (12:30–8:30 pm)
Price for two: INR 1,200
Upstairs by Indian Accent
Lodhi Colony’s elevated its food map in 2025 with the arrival of Upstairs at Indian Accent, a luxe after-hours bar tucked above the city’s most celebrated modern Indian restaurant. Indian Accent itself has been a benchmark for inventive Indian cuisine, widely recognised as a place where familiar flavours are reimagined with global technique and creativity. Now, its new sibling space extends that ethos into the world of cocktails and late-night drinking.
Upstairs, as the name suggests, sits on the first floor and feels like a well-kept secret—moody lighting, plush décor and an intimate bar programme that channels old-school glamour with a distinctly modern twist. The space has drawn comparisons to classic hotel bars like The Polo Lounge in Beverly Hills, but with an Indian twist on classic cocktails. Perhaps things like martinis infused with interesting accompaniments, kokum riffs on French classics and fennel-and-tequila experiments that bridge local flavour logic with barroom technique.
The concept is deliberately exclusive without being exclusionary: this is less about loud nightlife and more about a sensory, conversation-friendly atmosphere where drinks are crafted as thoughtfully as the food. The space is built around a tall bar in the centre, low candlelight, and Sabyasachi-designed upholstery and wallpapers. Most evenings are livened by jazz artist and vocalist Alyse Pascoe, giving the space the feel of a listening room
Address: The Lodhi, Lodhi Rd, CGO Complex, Pragati Vihar, New Delhi, Delhi 110003
Timings: Monday to Sunday (6 pm—1 am)
Price for two: INR 10,000
Common Time
What’s the first thing that comes to your mind when you think of a very contemporary, very new coffee space? Common Time is exactly that times five.
More than just another coffee stop, everything about it feels intentional. Brought to life by Jaivardhan and Sagar Bhatia of the Bhatia Hospitality Group, Common Time embodies a global café philosophy rooted in Indian creativity but also drawing inspiration from coffee cultures in places like Japan, Amsterdam and Southeast Asia. Stepping inside this Scandinavian-meets-Japanese minimalist space feels like a pause button amid the bustle—clean lines, tactile materials and a design language that quietly focuses attention where it counts: on the coffee and the ritual of its enjoyment.
Coffee is the core here, and it shows. Expect thoughtfully sourced beans, meticulously brewed pours (pour-overs, slow extractions, cold brews) and seasonal experiments that spotlight single origins or flavour accents. The menu is kept simple but purposeful. With bakes, pastries and light bites that are clearly meant to complement your drink. Pairing a croissant with a Danish or cold-brew brownie and a carefully-pulled espresso feels just right.
Whether you need a leisurely morning brew, a midday pick-me-up, or a relaxed afternoon catch-up, Common Time is one of Lodhi Colony’s most inviting day spots, quietly setting the tone for the area’s evolving café culture.
Address: Shop no. 2 & 3, Meharchand Market, Lodi Colony, New Delhi, Delhi 110003
Timings: Monday to Sunday (8 am–10 pm)
Price for two: INR 1,500
The Love Hotel
This is a spot in Delhi that doesn’t quite feel like anywhere else. It’s the kind of place that stops you in your tracks—not because it’s loud, but because it’s so playfully different. This 20-seater cocktail room takes its inspiration from the love hotels of Japan—discreet spaces designed for intimacy, escape, and a bit of flirtatious fun. The most fun part? It translates that mood into a bar experience that’s as much about the vibe as it is about the drinks.
Dreamed up by restaurateur AD Singh and brought to life by creative directors Saumya Gupta and Shiva Kant Vyas, The Love Hotel isn’t looking to be a typical cocktail lounge. Instead, it channels the spirit of its namesake—cosy, moody, and unabashedly playful. The ambience with dim lighting, deep reds, jade green accents, and a bare bar where the action happens right in front of you, complements the theme of the cocktail bar.
The focus here is on crafted, flavour-forward cocktails that blend unexpected tastes (think umami, sweet, smoky, sour) with theatrical touches. Drinks like a martini-Paloma hybrid, The Cuffing (served with tiny pink handcuffs), or the tiramisu-inspired, It’s Not Bedtime, turn a night-out into an experience rather than just a stop on the bar circuit. Food, curated by chef Saurabh Sharan, complements the cocktail program with small plates that span delicate sushi canapés, crunchy summer wraps and brie-chilli tempura.
What sets The Love Hotel apart in Lodhi Colony’s growing dining scene is its sense of occasion: it’s a place that feels tailor-made for date nights, after-dinner drinks, or a slightly cheeky night out with friends. Who doesn’t love the sound of that?
Address: Main Market, 28, Lodhi Rd, Block 13, Lodi Colony, New Delhi, Delhi, 110003
Timings: Tuesday to Sunday (6 pm–1 am)
Price for two: INR 3,000
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