Restaurant Week India 2026: Participating Kolkata restaurants, menus and prices

After a decade long hiatus, Restaurant Week India returned in April 2026 with a focussed pilot. Six months later, the dining festival is back for a second edition, bringing together more than 100 restaurants across 15-plus cities, including Kolkata, where seven establishments offer menus spanning Tibetan, Chinese, Japanese, Italian and Mediterranean cuisines. The festival will be on till November 1.In Kolkata, the edition features seven restaurants: Popo’s by Blue Poppy, Yokocho, Sorano, Ottimo Cucina Italiana, Peshawri, Pan Asian at ITC Sonar, and Olive Cafe & Bar. The selection reflects a range of cuisines, from Tibetan and Himalayan cooking to Japanese, Italian and Mediterranean fare. In Kolkata, the edition features seven restaurants: Popo’s by Blue Poppy, Yokocho, Sorano, Ottimo Cucina Italiana, Peshawri, Pan Asian at ITC Sonar, and Olive Cafe & Bar. | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement The decision to hold two editions in one year reflects the response to the April festival, says Chaitanya Rele co-founder of RWI. He adds, “We always intended for it to be a biannual dining event, which is how it works globally. April was a deliberate, focussed pilot. We needed to know whether diners still wanted this format, and the answer was a clear yes.”According to Chaitanya, services sold out, waitlists grew, and restaurants and diners in other cities began asking when the festival would arrive in their markets. The response prompted the organisers to expand the event within six months, with Kotak and District supporting the larger edition.For Aatish Nath, co-founder, The Restaurant Week India, one of the clearest takeaways from the first edition was that diners were using the festival to explore multiple restaurants rather than booking a single special meal. They were also venturing into unfamiliar cuisines and neighbourhoods. “When the menu and price are settled in advance, diners become a lot more adventurous,” he says.That certainty is central to the festival’s proposition. With lunch menus starting at ₹1,300 and dinner at ₹1,600, diners can choose from specially curated three-course menus at participating restaurants. Gauri Vij, co-founder, Restaurant Week India, says the organisers prefer not to frame the experience as a discount, since prices and comparable à la carte meals vary across establishments. “RWI was never meant to be a sale. What we promise diners is certainty. You know what you’ll eat, what you’ll pay, and that the menu was designed for the occasion,” she says. Founders of Restaurant Week India | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement Aatish adds that the menus are not simplified versions of a restaurant’s regular offerings. Instead, chefs select dishes that best represent their kitchens, giving first-time visitors an introduction to the restaurant’s strengths without having to navigate an extensive à la carte menu.For participating establishments, the festival’s value extends beyond filling tables over a limited period. Aatish says the aim is to connect restaurants with curious diners who may return and recommend them to others. The platform can also offer independent restaurants, particularly those outside major metros, greater visibility through a curated national line-up.Nachiket Shetye, co-founder of RWI, says, “We hear from restaurants that RWI diners do return, sometimes within weeks, and often with friends. That’s ultimately what we want to see: not just a booking during the festival, but the beginning of a lasting relationship between a diner and a restaurant. Restaurants also tell us they use RWI as a testing ground for new dishes, gauging guest reactions before introducing them to their regular menus.”Atish adds, “Kolkata has one of the country’s most loyal and discerning dining audiences, with deep food traditions of its own. We weren’t trying to compete with those. We wanted to reflect the range Kolkata diners already enjoy.” RWI encouranges diners to move beyond familiar choices. | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement Gauri hopes the festival will encourage diners to move beyond familiar choices, whether by trying a new cuisine or discovering an independent restaurant. The organisers also hope to expand the Kolkata line-up in future editions, with more independent establishments and a greater representation of the city’s own cuisine.Ultimately, the organisers say, the festival is about discovery. As Aatish puts it, success is not measured only by the number of seats filled, but by whether diners try something new, return for another meal and find a restaurant they want to revisit after the festival ends.Tables can be booked through the District app.