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Naar

Kasauli

• Accolades
• Sustainable Restaurant Award 2026

Kindling the spirit of the Himalayas

On the Pass

Prateek Sadhu

The scenic route: Food lovers don't simply visit Naar – they journey to it. Such is the pull of this fine-dining destination that a 90-minute drive from Chandigarh along the narrow, serpentine roads of the Himalayan foothills feels more like part of the overall culinary adventure than an inconvenience. The restaurant is at one with the undulating landscape, almost hidden within pine forest – and its views over the surrounding mountain ridges and tree-bristled valleys are the perfect introduction to its menu's elemental focus.

Fire within, fire without: Naar means 'fire' – so, naturally, many of its dishes are cooked over open flames and glowing embers. However, it's a name that can be taken metaphorically as well as literally, symbolising chef Prateek Sadhu's burning passion for bringing Himalayan culinary traditions to the global stage. It's also a Kashmiri word rather than a local Hindi one – a tribute to Sadhu's childhood home, which his family was forced to leave during the exodus of the Pandits in the early 1990s.

An alpine identity: The Himalayas traditionally recognise six seasons – pre-winter, winter, spring, summer, monsoon and autumn – and Naar's multi-course tasting menu moves to the rhythm of each one. Expect a tapestry of Himalayan influences, ingredients and techniques, woven through dishes such as askalu (a doughnut-like pancake filled with smoked yak's cheese, pickled chilli and orange marmalade), gahat ka paratha (a traditional Uttarakhand flatbread with duck pickle) and Pine Pine Pine: pine nut ice cream, pine oil and fermented pine syrup. With an exceptional commitment to local producers, community engagement and low-impact cooking, Naar is the well-deserved winner of the Sustainable Restaurant Award 2026.

Moving mountains: Understated and contemporary, the restaurant's earthy, timber-clad dining room is lined with floor-to-ceiling windows, inviting to the table the scenery that shaped it all. Though the experience unfolds at a languid pace, made all the more easy-going by warm, personable waitstaff who introduce each dish with knowledge and enthusiasm, you'll feel like you've travelled the breath of the mountains by the time the meal's over – without having moved an inch. 

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