Nov 11, 2025

8 restaurants redefining local cuisine

Aanya Mehta

Dewakan, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

Dewakan is Malaysia’s first two Michelin star restaurant, focusing on native Malaysian produce forest ingredients, indigenous grains, and reinventing them into elevated cuisine rooted in local terroir.

Source: restaurant official website

Farmlore, Bengaluru, India

Located just outside Bengaluru, Farmlore champions farm to table dining, using local ingredients and indigenous recipes to reinterpret Indian food in a sustainable, thoughtful way

Source: restaurant official website

Indian Accent, Delhi

Indian Accent takes familiar Indian flavours naan, saag, tart and gives them a modern twist (e.g., Blue Cheese Naan) while using global techniques and presentation

Source: restaurant official website

Javelina, Portland, Oregon, USA

Javelina offers Indigenous-led cuisine in Portland, bringing pre-colonial and post-colonial ingredients and techniques to the forefront and redefining what American local cuisine can be.

Source: restaurant official website

Masque, Mumbai

At Masque, chef Varun Totlani uses hyper local Indian ingredients, mundane vegetables, forgotten grains, native spices and turns them into a 10 course tasting menu that reimagines Indian cuisine from the ground up

Source: restaurant official website

Quintonil, Mexico City, Mexico

Chef Jorge Vallejo at Quintonil celebrates México’s street food and pre Hispanic ingredients in a fine dining format, making traditional cuisine emotional and innovative.

Source: restaurant official website

The Bombay Canteen, Mumbai

The Bombay Canteen reinvents regional Indian dishes (like Puran Poli, Misal Pav) using local seasonal produce, bringing street food and heritage flavours into a refined, yet grounded dining experience.

Source: restaurant official website

Tocabe (at Denver International Airport), Denver, USA

Tocabe is a modern Indigenous American eatery in Denver’s airport that brings Native food traditions and local ingredients into a mainstream, high visibility setting

Source: restaurant official website

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