Suvarna Mahal

What it is

The royal Indian restaurant on the ground floor of the Taj Rambagh Palace, on Bhawani Singh Road. Rambagh Palace was the residence of the Maharaja of Jaipur, so this is court cuisine served in an actual former royal residence rather than in a reproduction of one.

👑 What to order

The royal Rajasthani thali — the signature order and the reason to book. It brings laal maas, gatte ki sabzi, ker sangri, missi roti, dal baati churma and sweets in one sitting, which is otherwise several restaurant visits.

Laal maas and safed maas together — the fiery red and the creamy white versions of Rajasthani mutton cooking, side by side.

Ask for the vegetarian royal menu. Jaipur is overwhelmingly vegetarian and the kitchen's vegetarian cooking is not an afterthought.

💰 What it costs and how to justify it

Around ₹8,500 for two, which makes this the most expensive meal in Jaipur by a wide margin. The way to make it worth it is to treat it as your one Rajasthani meal of the trip and order the thali, rather than ordering a la carte and paying palace prices for two dishes.

If that budget is not available, Spice Court in Civil Lines serves comparably serious Rajasthani food for roughly a tenth of the price, and Chokhi Dhani on Tonk Road gives you a village thali with folk music and dance for ₹700–1,200.

👔 Practical notes

• Smart dress. It is a palace hotel dining room; shorts and beachwear will feel out of place.
• Book. Walk-ins are unlikely to get the room at dinner.
• Open roughly 7:00 AM to 11:45 PM, so breakfast here is possible and is a considerably cheaper way to see the room.
• About 10 minutes south of the old city. Uber and Ola both operate in Jaipur.
• Combine with Bar Palladio, a short distance away on JLN Marg, for a drink afterwards.