Avartana Menu: Tasting Menus & Dishes

The menus

Five tasting menus, 7 to 13 courses

Avartana serves five named tasting menus. The specific dishes within each menu rotate with the season and the chef's direction -- the courses listed on this page are documented from published reviews and reflect the signature dishes most commonly associated with each menu length.

Menu format

Tasting menu only (no a-la-carte)

5 menus: Maya (7), Bela (9), Jiaa (11), Anika (13 veg), Tara (13 seafood).

Price range

Approx INR 3,500-4,500 per person

Public estimates only -- confirm with the restaurant before booking.

Most iconic dish

Fennel Pannacotta 'Egg' in Bird's Nest

Cracked open at the table with a miniature hammer. On most menus.

Top award

#44 Asia's 50 Best 2024

Also #1 Conde Nast Traveller India 2024; #6 TripAdvisor Best of Best 2023.

Browse the menus

Jump to a menu

All five Avartana tasting menus with course counts.

Full documented courses

Avartana's documented dishes by menu

Dishes listed are sourced from multiple published food reviews, the Asia's 50 Best citation, and widely documented Avartana coverage. The menu rotates -- specific courses may differ on the night. No individual dish prices are listed because Avartana does not publish them.

Maya (7-Course Tasting Menu) 7 items

Bela (9-Course Tasting Menu) 9 items

Jiaa (11-Course Tasting Menu) 11 items

Anika (13-Course Vegetarian Tasting Menu) 8 items

Tara (13-Course Seafood Tasting Menu) 7 items

Signature dishes

Avartana's most celebrated courses

These are the dishes most frequently cited across reviews, food writing, and the Asia's 50 Best documentation -- the courses that define what Avartana is.

Opening course · All menus

Herb Infused Tomato Rasam

A French-pressed rasam served in a martini glass -- intense, herb-forward, and deeply South Indian. The opening course on every Avartana menu and the first signal that this is not a conventional tasting menu.

Most photographed course

Fennel Pannacotta "Egg" in Bird's Nest

A fennel-set pannacotta moulded into an egg shape, nestled in an edible bird's nest, and cracked open at the table with a miniature hammer. A theatrical and technically precise course that appears on most menus.

Palate cleanser · All menus

Curry Leaf Sorbet

An intensely aromatic sorbet made from fresh curry leaves -- a South Indian flavour rendered in a classical fine-dining format. Widely cited as one of the most distinctive palate cleansers served in India.

Closing dessert · All menus

Raw Mango Pudding with Edible Ghee Candle

A tangy raw mango pudding served alongside an edible candle made from clarified butter (ghee) with a lotus stem wick -- lit at the table. One of Avartana's most documented signature endings.

Tara seafood menu

Pan Seared Lobster with Spring Onion Emulsion

Whole lobster tail pan-seared and served with a light, sweet spring onion emulsion -- the standout protein course on the Tara 13-course seafood menu.

Tara seafood menu

Steamed Seabass with Fermented Gongura Emulsion

Gently steamed seabass paired with a tangy emulsion of gongura (Andhra sorrel leaves), fermented for added depth. A dish that showcases Avartana's command of South Indian regional ingredients.

Recognition

Avartana's awards and rankings

Avartana is one of the most internationally recognised restaurants in India. Its consistent presence on Asia's 50 Best -- reaching #30 in 2023 and #44 in 2024 after entering the list in prior years -- alongside a TripAdvisor global top-10 ranking, places it in a very small group of South Asian restaurants with broad global visibility.

Note: the Michelin Guide does not currently cover Chennai or India, so a Michelin star is not applicable. The restaurant's reputation is built on the Asia's 50 Best, Conde Nast Traveller India, and TripAdvisor global rankings rather than Michelin.

#44Asia's 50 Best 2024

#30Asia's 50 Best 2023

#6TripAdvisor Best of Best 2023 (global)

#1Conde Nast Traveller India 2024

The space

What Avartana looks like

Avartana's dining room inside ITC Grand Chola is as designed as the food. The room features chandelier walls made of glittering crystal, pendant lights shaped like banana flowers -- a reference to the banana flower used across South Indian cooking -- and a large Kerala-style canoe rendered in mother-of-pearl on the wall.

The visual vocabulary is unmistakably South Indian in its reference points while the execution is contemporary five-star. Covers are limited; the space is intimate for the scale of the hotel around it.

Setting: ITC Grand Chola, one of India's flagship luxury hotels
Interior: Chandelier walls, banana-flower pendant lights
Wall art: Kerala canoe in mother-of-pearl
Covers: Limited; advance reservation required
Address: 63 Mount Road, Guindy, Chennai 600032

Plan your visit

Reservations, location and booking

Reservations

Book in advance

Avartana requires advance reservations. Contact ITC Grand Chola directly via the official ITC Hotels website or by phone. Walk-in availability is rare given the restaurant's profile and limited covers.

Location

ITC Grand Chola, Chennai

63 Mount Road (Little Mount, Guindy), Chennai 600032, Tamil Nadu, India. The hotel is in south Chennai, accessible from the city centre by taxi, auto-rickshaw or the MRTS rail network.

Pricing

Confirm current prices directly

Estimated price is approximately INR 3,500-4,500 per person for the tasting menu, excluding beverages, taxes and service. This is an aggregated public estimate -- confirm the current price at time of booking.

About Avartana

Progressive South Indian cuisine, reimagined as a tasting menu.

Avartana opened around 2017 inside ITC Grand Chola, conceived as a vehicle for taking the deep culinary traditions of South India -- the rasams, stews, rice preparations, coastal seafood and temple-rooted vegetarian cooking -- and reinterpreting them through the vocabulary of modern fine dining without losing their identity.

Executive Chef Ajit Bangera shaped the restaurant's original vision. The current kitchen is led by Chef Nikhil Nagpal. The menu changes with the season, so no two visits deliver quite the same set of courses -- but the restaurant's signature dishes (the rasam opener, the pannacotta egg, the curry leaf sorbet, the ghee candle dessert) provide a through-line that guests return for.

The name "Avartana" is a Sanskrit musical term referring to a cycle or repetition in a rhythmic pattern -- a reference to the cyclical, layered nature of South Indian classical music and, by extension, the way the restaurant builds flavour through repetition of regional ingredients across a meal.

~2017Opened

5Named menus

7-13Courses per menu

ChennaiITC Grand Chola

Common questions

Avartana -- frequently asked questions

Answers to the most common questions about Avartana's menus, pricing, reservations and awards.

What type of restaurant is Avartana?

Avartana is a progressive South Indian tasting-menu restaurant located inside the ITC Grand Chola hotel in Chennai, India. It does not offer an a-la-carte menu -- every visit is a multi-course tasting experience designed to reinterpret South Indian cuisine through modern technique and seasonal ingredients. The restaurant opened around 2017 and is overseen by Executive Chef Ajit Bangera and Chef Nikhil Nagpal.

What are the tasting menus at Avartana and how many courses do they have?

Avartana offers five named tasting menus: Maya (7 courses), Bela (9 courses), Jiaa (11 courses), Anika (13 courses, fully vegetarian), and Tara (13 courses, seafood-focused). Courses rotate seasonally and the specific dishes listed for each menu on this page reflect dishes documented in published reviews -- the chef may substitute items depending on seasonal availability and creative direction.

How much does Avartana cost per person?

Avartana does not publish an official price list. Based on aggregated public estimates from food blogs and review platforms, the tasting menus are priced approximately INR 3,500 to INR 4,500 per person (roughly INR 7,000 to INR 8,400 for two before beverages, taxes and service). These figures are estimates only -- confirm the current price directly with the restaurant or through the ITC Grand Chola reservation line before booking, as pricing can change.

Is Avartana Michelin starred?

No. Avartana is not Michelin starred -- the Michelin Guide does not currently cover Chennai or India at large. However, Avartana holds a strong international reputation via other awards: #44 on Asia's 50 Best Restaurants 2024 (#30 in 2023), #6 globally on TripAdvisor's Travellers' Choice Best of the Best 2023, and #1 in Conde Nast Traveller India's 2024 reader rankings. These place it among the most recognised fine-dining restaurants in South Asia.

Where is Avartana located?

Avartana is inside the ITC Grand Chola hotel at 63 Mount Road (Little Mount, Guindy), Chennai 600032, Tamil Nadu, India. The hotel is in the Guindy area of south Chennai, accessible from the Chennai city centre. Check with the hotel for current opening hours and reservation availability.

What are Avartana's most famous signature dishes?

Several dishes recur across published accounts of the restaurant and are considered its signatures: the Herb Infused Tomato Rasam (French-pressed, served in a martini glass) opens every menu. The Fennel Pannacotta 'Egg' in a Bird's Nest -- cracked open with a miniature hammer at the table -- is perhaps the most photographed course. The Curry Leaf Sorbet palate cleanser is widely cited. The Raw Mango Pudding with Edible Ghee Candle (lotus stem wick, lit at the table) closes most menus. The Pan Seared Lobster with Spring Onion Emulsion appears on the seafood Tara menu as a standout.

Do I need a reservation at Avartana?

Yes. Avartana is a fine-dining tasting-menu restaurant inside a five-star hotel -- advance reservations are strongly recommended and typically required. The restaurant has limited covers and is popular with both international visitors and Chennai's dining community. Book through the ITC Grand Chola's official reservations line or through the hotel's online booking platform. Walk-in availability is rare.

Is there a vegetarian tasting menu at Avartana?

Yes. The Anika menu is a 13-course fully vegetarian tasting menu. Avartana's cuisine is rooted in South Indian culinary tradition, which has a strong vegetarian canon, and the vegetarian menu is considered equal in ambition and execution to the non-vegetarian options. Many individual courses across all menus are vegetarian by default.

Who are the chefs behind Avartana?

Avartana was founded and shaped by Executive Chef Ajit Bangera, who is credited with the restaurant's culinary vision and its positioning as a progressive South Indian tasting-menu destination. Chef Nikhil Nagpal is the current lead chef responsible for daily menu execution. Both chefs have been cited in coverage of the restaurant's Asia's 50 Best recognition.

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