A sushi knife glints under the kitchen lights at The Flying Trunk in Novotel, Jhandewalan, cutting through salmon in one smooth move. At the bar, a mixologist pours a chai spritz into a glass that mirrors the skyline. Dishes come together fast and stylishly, ready to rise 25 floors to Delhi’s hungry and curious night crowd.
In the open kitchen of Gumbad Café, a chef spreads silky hummus, smooth swirls of olive oil. Paprika, chickpeas, and parsley finish the plate. Fresh pita, puffed from the fire, tears easily to scoop the creamy blend—tangy and perfect while the Jama Masjid minarets glow in the background.
Meanwhile at the Parikrama Sky Lounge, the chef shaves Parmesan over a fresh pizza in the rotating restaurant. The crust bubbles as the city slowly moves outside the window — a changing view with every bite.
These sky-high kitchens aren’t just serving food — they’re shaping a new kind of nightlife. Delhi has always been a city of change, from old empires to modern malls and flyovers. Now, it’s discovering the joy of dining with a view. Rooftop restaurants have gone from a small trend to a major part of going out, giving people a fresh look at the city with every meal. TMS visits three terraces to see how this shift is happening.
A heritage view
Opposite Jama Masjid, where kebabs and history share the same air, Gumbad Café is an evening climb into Old Delhi’s heart. Its diwans are spread low over a warm brown interior, the walls etched with Mughal-era floral motifs. Soft Urdu melodies drift from a vintage-style gramophone, complementing the ambience.
But the real charm is upstairs — the rooftop terrace. As the gramophone softly croons a classic like “Afreen Afreen,” you might catch the old-city skyline in fading light. A little later, a DJ might drop a track like “Pasoori” or “Calm Down ,” and the mood shifts from a heritage-style lounge to an open-air dance floor. The Red Fort stands straight ahead, the Gauri Shankar Temple and a Gurudwara complete a spiritual skyline, and the azaan fills the dusk as the first plates arrive.
“Heritage is the theme,” says manager Nishant Baisa. “We wanted a relaxing ambience with the best Mughlai food — from Arabic Magic Platters to our signature Chicken Mughlai Tandoor. We also take pride in our Turkish dishes, all served with a view that captures the spirit of Old Delhi.” Since opening in 2022, the café has become a weekend favourite. Weekday afternoons bring foreign visitors while evenings attract locals.
Ambassadors and cricketers have dined here, while a high-profile ICC 2023 World Cup shoot placed the cafe briefly on a global screen. With 35 chefs crafting everything from Turkish dips to Mughlai classics, the food has become as much a draw as the view, turning the rooftop into a stage for both cuisine and culture.
At a table, 24-year-old diner Sana Mir savours a bite of chicken Mughlai Tandoor before pausing to take a photo of Jama Masjid behind her. “You get kebabs downstairs and monuments above,” she says grinning. “It feels like Delhi is showing off.”
Slow life
Just a metro ride away, Parikrama Sky Lounge 240 ft above Connaught Place has been revolving ,long before rooftops became aspirational. As the floor completes its slow rotation, Delhi narrates itself in lights: government blocks, rising towers, colonial circles transformed into buzzing evening hubs
Inside the kitchen, the pizza chef flips dough into the air before sliding it into the oven. Butter chicken simmers nearby. This mix of spectacle and nostalgia is what has kept Parikrama relevant for decades. The speakers hum with a familiar playlist, moving from Kishore Kumar classics to soft 2000s Bollywood, the kind of music that keeps multiple generations smiling at the table.
Established in 1991, Parikrama is India’s highest rooftop and the country’s only revolving restaurant, still a favourite for birthdays and big family gatherings. On the menu are sizzling tandoori platters, simmering butter chicken, and Parmesan pizza. Corn baskets and old-school tutti-frutti remain the crowd favourite.
“We always have a lively family crowd,” says manager Rajneesh Khanna, who’s also seen his share of famous visitors; a scene from Hum Aapke Dil Mein Rehte Hain was filmed here.
“Every five minutes the view changes,” says HR professional Garima Bhatia, celebrating her anniversary. “It’s like the whole city is part of your dinner conversation.”
Hidden below the floor, a circular rail track and central gearbox keep the space gently rotating; a quiet engineering marvel that ensures every diner enjoys the city’s panorama, one slow turn at a time.
Bangkok in Delhi?
If Parikrama reflects Delhi in gentle motion, The Flying Trunk at Novotel looks toward the global feature; an infinity pool falling into the horizon, glass edges merging into nightfall, and a 360-degree view of the bustling city.
“This isn’t a rooftop that watches Delhi from above,” says general manager Saumitra Chaturvedi. “It’s globally fluent. It could be Bangkok, Tokyo, and yet, unmistakably still home.”
Inside the kitchen, chefs crown the sushi rolls while a bartender pours pandan-infused gin with a thin stream of honey. The menu journeys through Asia’s busiest markets - Kabul, Lahore, Bangkok, Kyoto - with flavours arriving free of borders. Guests share Asian platters rare to find elsewhere as golden lights wash over the terrace.
A guitarist slips into jazzy riffs of Senorita and Shape of You, giving the night a relaxed heartbeat, from the other end, a DJ spins the latest Bollywood and English remixes as people groove to the beats and couples sway together under the night sky.
Designer Raghav Mehra, sipping the last of his Toki Old Fashioned by the pool, nods at the Delhi vista. “Delhi used to party indoors,” he says.“Now it’s finally enjoying its own view.”
As the lights sharpen across the capital, Gumbad folds the past into every sizzling kebab, Parikrama spins memory into a moving panorama, and The Flying Trunk raises glasses to the city’s global turn.
Together, these terraces show that nightlife in Delhi is no longer hidden — it’s rewriting how the city eats and sees itself, giving it a new cinematic thrill.