Restaurants in Jodhpur

Jodhpur is not renowned for its restaurants; you're pretty much limited to dining in hotels. Even if you're not overnighting at Umaid Bhawan, spend a few hours at The Pillars, the hotel's informal cafe-restaurant where you sit at the base of a cavernous colonnaded veranda that steps down to the palace lawns -- get there before the sun goes down to watch the almost surreal changing hues of the sky over the fort, have a drink or two, and then head down the marbled corridor to Risala and sample a selection of their delicious kebabs and signature Lal Maans.

Widely regarded as the best tourist restaurant in town, with a great nighttime atmosphere (make sure they're serving in the garden), On the Rocks (next to Ajit Bhawan; tel. 0291/510-2701 or -7880) is famous for its barbecue dishes -- skewers of spicy vegetables, paneer, or meat tenderized in a yogurt-based marinade and cooked over an open fire. For a more leisurely dinner, with decent Indian food and enchanting views of the Fort, head to Indique, the rooftop restaurant at Pal Haveli.