Arts Room — Restaurant in Delhi

Where Food Meets Canvas: An Evening at Arts Room

There's something wonderfully audacious about a restaurant that refuses to be just a restaurant. In a city where new dining establishments sprout up with the regularity of monsoon mushrooms—most promising the earth and delivering mediocrity—Arts Room at Eldeco Centre in Saket stands apart.

I've always been suspicious of concepts. The phrase "concept restaurant" usually signals a triumph of marketing over substance, where Instagram-worthiness trumps what's actually on your plate. So when I heard about a place that married art exhibitions with dining, where carpets hung on walls and cocktails were named after hip-hop tracks, I'll admit I approached with the cautious skepticism of someone who's been disappointed before.

I needn't have worried.

The Space Speaks

Step into Arts Room and you're immediately transported—not to that tired "European bistro" aesthetic that every second Delhi restaurant seems to aspire to, but to something more intriguing. There's the elegance of a classical French salon, yes, but tempered with the energy of a Parisian courtyard where artists and intellectuals once gathered. The current exhibition features luxury carpets displayed as art, and here's the thing: it works. These aren't dusty relics or pretentious installations. They're statement pieces that anchor the space, giving it gravitas without stuffiness.

The rotating exhibitions are a masterstroke. In July, they collaborated with Princess Vaishnavi Kumari of Kishangarh to showcase the region's artistic heritage. It's this kind of cultural engagement—genuine, not tokenistic—that elevates Arts Room beyond mere novelty.

The Drinks Tell Stories

The cocktail program here is extraordinary, and I don't use that word lightly. Under the original vision of Nikit Kala, each drink is an homage to artists and their works. I started with Hold Up—yes, named after the Beyoncé anthem—a spirited concoction of pisco, lime, angostura bitters, and Metaxa that somehow manages to be both bold and balanced. It's the kind of drink that makes you slow down, pay attention.

Then came King Kunta, and if you know the Kendrick Lamar track, you'll appreciate the swagger in this glass. The Singleton 12-year-old single malt plays beautifully with Amaro and Otto's Vermouth, finished with sparkling wine. It's unexpected, irreverent even, and absolutely delicious.

The Food Deserves the Stage

Chef Parth Saxena's menu is where Arts Room truly justifies its existence. With forty dishes that include thoughtful vegan and gluten-free options, the kitchen demonstrates that accommodating diverse dietary requirements needn't mean compromising on flavor or creativity.

The Shroom On Pao arrived first—Brazilian pao bread with shimeji, nameko mushrooms, and bok choy. It's comfort food elevated, the kind of dish that makes you wonder why you don't eat more mushrooms. Simple, earthy, deeply satisfying.

The Prawn Mol-yo was a revelation. Aglio molho sauce with prawns, served on khari, it bridged Portuguese coastal cooking with Indian crunch. Each bite was a conversation between continents.

For mains, I tried the Mapo Tofu—spicy black bean tofu with Asian greens and black rice. This is Sichuan soul food done with respect and restraint. The numbing heat builds gradually, and the black rice provides the perfect textural counterpoint.

But the Chicken Peco's was the star turn. Chicken masala with uttapam is the kind of fusion that could go spectacularly wrong in lesser hands. Here, it's a triumph—the South Indian fermented rice pancake providing a brilliant base for richly spiced chicken.

The Sweet Finish

The Teeling Tiramisu arrived as the final act, and what an act it was. Irish whiskey, coffee, cream—the holy trinity of grown-up desserts.

The Verdict

Delhi has finally got a restaurant where you might actually want to linger after your meal, discussing the art on the walls over a...

ARTS ROOM: A MASTERCLASS IN MEDIOCRITY AND CENSORSHIP

Before we dive into the culinary catastrophe that is Arts Room, let's address the elephant in the room: this establishment has the audacity to BLOCK anyone on Instagram who dares offer even the mildest constructive criticism. Yes, you read that correctly. A simple comment suggesting their "vision is interesting but needs better execution" results in an immediate block. This isn't just petty—it's a damning indictment of their complete inability to handle feedback and a flagrant assault on free speech.

Now, I'm well aware that Arts Room has its defenders—a certain subset of Delhi's dining scene that mistakes Instagram-worthy interiors for actual quality. These are the same people who think loud music equals atmosphere and confuse pretension with sophistication. They're the crowd that lacks any discernible taste, gravitating toward whatever looks good in a selfie rather than what actually tastes good on the palate. To them, Arts Room is "cool"—a word that apparently absolves all culinary sins.

But let's talk about what really matters: the food. Arts Room operates under the delusion that they're crafting something extraordinary, when in reality, they're serving up a symphony of confusion. Dish after dish arrives with ingredients that seem to have been thrown together by someone who's heard of flavor profiles but never actually understood them. The components don't just fail to harmonize—they actively fight each other on the plate like warring factions. It's "very mid" elevated to an art form, if mediocrity could be considered art.

The Instagram crowd eats this up, of course—literally and figuratively. They're so busy photographing their plates that they fail to notice the food tastes like it was assembled by committee. But then again, this is the same demographic that thinks adding truffle oil to everything constitutes fine dining.

But the pièce de résistance of this disaster? Their precious "freezer martini"—the drink they parade around social media like it's liquid gold. They claim this masterpiece is "frozen overnight" to achieve perfection. What arrives at your table? A lukewarm insult to the very concept of temperature control. LUKEWARM. Not even room temperature—actively, offensively warm. It's as if they took their frozen martini and left it under a heat lamp just to spite you. Yet somehow, the taste-challenged masses still queue up for this thermal abomination, proving that marketing trumps quality every single time.

The fact that Arts Room systematically silences critics on social media reveals everything you need to know about their character. They're so terrified of honest feedback that they've created an echo chamber of false praise, populated entirely by Delhi's most gullible diners. This censorship isn't just cowardly—it's a complete infringement on the fundamental right to express one's dining experience. They're so insecure about their subpar offerings that they'd rather live in denial than face reality.

A restaurant that blocks constructive criticism is a restaurant that has given up on improvement. Arts Room has chosen the path of willful ignorance, serving mediocre food to an audience that wouldn't know the difference anyway, while desperately trying to control the narrative. They're not just failing their customers—they're failing the very concept of hospitality itself.

Avoid Arts Room unless you enjoy lukewarm cocktails, confused flavors, and supporting establishments that trample on free speech while catering to Delhi's most tasteless demographic. And remember: if they block you for speaking the truth, you've already won—unlike their unfortunate patrons who think they're dining...

I wish it would have an option to not even give a star!! The concept rolled out to be pretty great to me when I saw it online. We went there for girls day out and the moment we walked in, the staff was not at all friendly. We were given a table where the ceiling was leaking and i proactively notified them but no action was taken nonetheless. Coming to placing the order, the menu looked pretty decent so we ordered the pesto pasta and genovese pizza. I was constantly seeking for someone to give order to but couldn't spot anyone around. I called this guy who was the chef at the place if I am right, took my order and was quite shocked at us that we did not order any drinks. Anyways, maybe it's their speciality. A waitress proceeds us afterwards and asks the same question about the drinks and when we simply denied, she was quite shocked. It totally felt like we were being judged there so loudly. Then comes the food, my oh my, was it bad? I could say it was worse. I myself am an artist and didn't want to go to such lengths but they got the best of me. The portion size was too small and the pasta was served cold. We didn't complain because I have been to a few places where they do cold pastas. The pizza was awfully small with a hefty amount of greens on top. It was burnt and not at all for eating. Food is art, and if the art room can't do it right? I don't know what I should say. I would rather spend my money on a good place where they respect the customers and serve good food. I was born and brought up in Delhi, never have i ever had this bad experience with food in my whole damn life. And a kind note to the owner: tell your staff to be kind and nice to people, because food is something people are connected with and you gotta pay their money's worth. Trust me I can keep on writing, but being judgemental is just not at all cool and I'm not giving a dime to a cafe who literally does it. But I still paid for the awful food and behaviour. I hope you take this feedback...