Pendulo — Restaurant in Delhi

Pendulo: Where Old Delhi Meets Oaxaca in Mehrauli

There are restaurants that arrive with polished concepts, and then there are places like Pendulo. Sahil Baweja's brainchild was conceived in a Mexico City mezcal bar, when smoke and spice transported him to Old Delhi's midnight kebab carts. That moment of recognition—two culinary worlds speaking the same language—is what births truly original restaurants.

What Baweja has created in Mehrauli, with Chef Megha Kohli and Chef Noah Louis Barnes, isn't fusion in the tired sense we've come to dread. This is conversation between equals, conducted in the universal language of fire, smoke, and spice. Kohli brings Old Delhi's gullies, Lucknow's patient dum, and Malabar's coconut-scented hearths. Barnes counters with Baja's shoreline, Oaxaca's volcanic markets, and Mexico City's late-night taquerias.

The twelve-course journey is ambitious without being exhausting. It maps geography both physical and emotional—from Mehrauli's sandstone calm to Goa's coastal whispers to the Yucatan's jungle breath—with the confidence of cartographers who know every alleyway.

The meal opens with corn, Oaxaca cheese, jalapeños, and jaggery—a statement that here is Mexico's foundation sweetened with India's own terroir-driven sugar. The Charred Elotes that follow—grilled corn with Indian limes, Tajin spice, bhang seed salt—make the marriage explicit. Mexico's street cart classic given an Indian accent so subtle you might miss it, except once you taste it, you realize it was always meant to be this way.

The Crab Tostada Reverso—inverted tostada punched with Goan rechado spice, chipotle jelly, and tangerine air—is high-wire cooking that never forgets it's in service of pleasure, not ego. The Habanero Mango Pasanda reveals Pendulo's full hand: baby lamb, smoked and char-grilled, with bone marrow salsa. Awadhi technique meets parrilla char, and somewhere in that meeting, something new is born.

The Kodava Pork with watermelon pickle is pure genius—Coorgi pandi curry's robust pork, fermented watermelon rind, and crispy pork skin creating a symphony that would make sense in Coorg or Oaxaca or some imagined place where both cuisines have been neighbors for centuries.

The Awadhi Lamb Barbacoa with chickpea yellow mole is cooking that understands luxury isn't about volume—it's about time, technique, and letting flavors develop at their own pace.

Even the bar program gets it right. The Petha del Valle—hibiscus tequila, apple cinnamon, BBQ petha—understands cocktails aren't preludes to food; they're part of the same conversation.

Here's what makes Pendulo important: it's a restaurant that understands modern Indian dining means putting tradition in conversation with the world. Too many "modern Indian" restaurants try to make Indian food "accessible" by dulling its edges. Pendulo does the opposite—it finds another cuisine that shares India's love of intensity and lets them speak as equals.

Sahil Baweja's evening in that Mexico City mezcal bar has become a permanent bridge between two great culinary traditions. In Mehrauli, that bridge swings gently, proving the best harmony isn't about finding a quiet midpoint—it's about letting...

I loved the 12 course tasting menu. It was one of the best dinner experiences I have had in terms of the quality, variety and taste of the food, was happy I did this on my husband's birthday. The food was outstanding, memorable and probably some of the best Mexican dishes I have had, fused with Indian tones. Hats off to the Chefs. Atmosphere was fine, not the best, there were some mosquitos around at night near the dinner table, the problem that was solved quickly by the staff with a repellent. Overall happy with the food, not so happy with the ambience. Service was good and mostly quite quick. I'd like to add a special thank you note to the team for accommodating my request for a happy birthday note for my husband, which was accompanied by a small cake. I'd recommend the experience to my family and friends. Thanks...

A unique initiative for creating a chefs course experience. Some hits and some misses but overall a must try. Our standout dish was the lobster, cooked to perfection with a very complementary sauce. Would recommend to tone down on the raw onion as they can be quite overpowering. Also the rechado was overpowering the crab. Also adding a small palate cleanser would help due to the bold flavors. Some dishes need to improve in terms of finesse especially at the end. Hope they focus on the food keep improving as Pendulo has potential to be something special. Also the background music and sitar combo was not complimentary and should be rethought. I must also compliment our server Sandeep who had a very good understanding of the menu as it...