Few modern dilemmas feel as strangely universal as deciding what to eat while dining out. Before the food even arrives, tables are caught in the familiar spiral of “What should we order?”, “You pick”, and “No, not that.” Between oversized menus, endless cuisines and massive beverage lists, the act of choosing itself can sometimes feel exhausting. A growing number of cafes, bars and restaurants across Delhi NCR are now attempting to remove that choice altogether through omakase-style experiences.
‘Omakase’, which means “I’ll leave it up to you” in Japanese, is a style of dining where customers allow chefs, bartenders or baristas to curate the dining experience. Traditionally associated with Japanese sushi counters, the format has been embraced by cocktail bars, specialty coffee spaces and experimental dining concepts across the city.
In Delhi, dining spaces like INJA, MEGU, and Adrift Kaya have already been serving the more classical Japanese omakase experience, with spots like The LaLiT New Delhi often bringing in international chefs for omakase pop-ups from time to time.
Manish Prasad Sharma, Chef-De-Cuisine at The LaLiT New Delhi, says diners became more open to curated experiences after the pandemic. “The pandemic changed what people believe a good meal is for,” he notes. “Guests who would generally ask, ‘What would you recommend?’, started asking, ‘What would you make if I left it completely to you?’ That change in the question says everything. It tells you that the diner has moved from consumer to participant.”
For diners, the appeal is in surrendering control and discovering combinations they may never have ordered themselves. “It started with curiosity,” says Sarthak Mishra, a Delhi-based corporate lawyer who first explored omakase experiences while travelling through Japan. “The chef or bartender is constantly adapting the experience based on your preferences, mood or reactions, and that’s where the magic happens.” Entrepreneur Nandini Chawla of Gurugram says she likes experiences where she can try something different rather than ordering the same kind of a la carte meal each time. “I would never normally go out and order a hummus pita bowl entirely for myself, but when the barista suggested it and I tried it, it completely surprised me.”
Built around surprise
Bars across the city—from PCO, Sidecar and Call Me Ten—have started creating cocktail omakase experiences where bartenders design drinks based on customer preferences, moods and flavour profiles. “At an omakase bar, you can directly tell the bartender what flavours or moods you enjoy and the drinks are built around that,” says chef Ruhani, co-founder of Kimikase. Mishra recalls trying a pho-flavoured cocktail once. “On paper, it sounds bizarre, but it somehow worked,” he says. “That kind of experimentation is difficult to replicate in a regular menu-based setting.”
The same emphasis on personalisation and guided experiences is now finding space in Delhi NCR’s specialty coffee culture as well. At Libertario Coffee Co. & Roasters in Greater Kailash, customers can experience a five-course pour-over omakase designed around five in-house flavour profiles and brewing methods.
Miguel Villaquirán, founder and CEO of Libertario Coffee Co. & Roasters, says the format allows customers to engage with coffee more intentionally. “Coffee naturally carries an incredible amount of variation — origin, roast development and brewing method can completely change the final cup,” he says. “The omakase format creates the right environment to experience those differences progressively.”
New dinner theatre
Months spent confined to home kitchens during the Covid-19 pandemic also changed how many people approached dining out. “Before, a restaurant was primarily a social backdrop. When restaurants reopened, the guests came back more attentive to what they were eating,” notes Sharma.
As omakase formats grow across the city, dining is increasingly becoming tied to performance, storytelling and interaction. “The concept of omakase is almost theatrical,” says Delhi gallerist Arjun Butani. “The point is not only that the dish tastes good, but that it excites you when it comes to the table.”
Vicky M, creative director at ATE Omakase in Gurugram, and Caraabi in Saket, notes that rising customer expectations have pushed restaurants and cafes to constantly reinvent themselves. “There was a time when having different coffee origins on the menu itself was considered special and a flex,” he says. “Now that is basic. Customers constantly want to know what makes your experience different.”
For many spaces, the interaction between chefs, bartenders and diners has become central to the experience itself. “We wanted to create moments of pause, curiosity and interaction around coffee,” says Villaquirán.
Built for the feed
The rise of omakase culture in Delhi NCR has also closely mirrored the growth of social media-driven dining culture. “A lot of people come because they saw something trending online,” says Suraj, a barista at Libertario Coffee Co. & Roasters. Chawla had her first omakase experience at the newly opened ATE Omakase, which offers customers a four-course coffee and food experience, after discovering it through Instagram reels. “If I had not seen reels about these places, it might have taken me months to even know they existed,” she says. “Today, social media creates that first layer of curiosity.”
Vicky adds that there’s already curiosity around the omakase format, “and that’s reflected in the waitlists we’re seeing for the omakase experience. There is a queue of at least 25 people at any given point of time at the restaurant. And that’s just for the place. We haven’t yet started Omakase—there is a lot of curiosity in the people and they want to experience it.”
At the same time, Chawla believes the visual culture around food can sometimes overtake the experience itself. “People sometimes start taking pictures before even tasting the food,” she says. “Sometimes it becomes less about the actual experience and more about aesthetics or following a trend.”