Charcoal By Carlsson — Restaurant in Rajasthan

During our second trip to Udaipur, we couldn't resist returning to this charming spot to savor their renowned Dal Bati Churma. I must say, the experience was mostly delightful, though with a few surprises.

Let's start with the highlight—the dal. It was absolutely divine, bursting with flavors that truly transported us to culinary heaven. However, I was a bit disappointed that the batis, which are usually soaked in ghee, arrived a little dry this time. The absence of that rich, buttery goodness did affect the overall experience.

Another change we noticed was in the churma. They've tweaked the recipe by adding a hint of coconut. While some might enjoy this twist, I personally preferred the earlier version that had a more traditional taste.

On the brighter side, the hospitality at this place remains commendable. The staff is warm and attentive, making sure you're well taken care of. And the rooftop view—oh, it’s simply breathtaking! Whether you're a photography enthusiast or just someone who enjoys a good view, you'll find plenty of photo-worthy moments here.

We also tried a few other dishes this time—specifically, the aloo paranthas and the machow soup, along with the hot and sour soup. Both the paranthas and soups maintained the high standard of quality we've come to expect from this place.

Overall, despite a couple of minor hiccups, it was a wonderful experience. The food is top-notch, the service is excellent, and the view is spectacular. It’s definitely worth a visit if...

We visited the Charcoal by Pratap Bhawan one night at the end of February for dinner and it was a really awesome and memorable experience. There was a huge storm that surprised the locals as it doesn't often rain in winter and this wreaked havoc with their regular schedule. The rooftop is a bit exposed so the guests needed to be moved around to get away from the elements. They accommodated us in vacant rooms for us to eat due to the space restrictions which was a novel way to solve the problem and quite an experience. While it may not be everyone's preferred solution, it made it very memorable for us. We ate the chicken and veg skewer with the two dipping sauces which was delicious, we also ordered a Chicken Korma, which was not actually on the menu, but they gladly made it for us and it was great as well. The drinks were as cheap as you buy on the street, which was a first for us and very welcomed. The staff were the most friendly we had encountered in all of India, smiles and laughs all evening and nothing was too much trouble, it was a lot cheaper than most of our other meals in India too, the atmosphere was lovely and we were sad it was raining as it would have been spectacular otherwise! The view is extremely hard to beat and the food definitely noteworthy for something a bit different in India. I most certainly will return here on my next...

Okay so here is an honest review:

We went to this restaurant for dinner. We stayed at a hotel nearby. On a busy Sunday night, we called them up to ask them if they had a table available. They told us that they would accommodate us (group of 6). We walked to the restaurant. As we entered, we were stopped and told to wait as if the entire place was booked. Another couple was also waiting. We joined them and we waited. In 2 mins, we were told we could go up. When we stepped out on the rooftop, we saw that half the restaurant was empty. This show of being busy was just a pointless gimmick.

We sat down and ordered our food.

Paneer tikka and chicken tikka were decent. Mezze platter was questionable to the point that I wondered whether baba ganoush had mayonnaise in it. Next was the burrito bowl. Out came a bowl with baked cheese on top. Scary looking at best. Hungry as we were, we ate it. Turned out to be decent. At best.

Then we waited. And waited. And waited some more. For our chicken tikka masala and naan. Was nowhere in sight.

We asked the owner/server who seemed quite unhappy to be serving there. Had the worst attitude. Have not encountered someone as cocky as him.

Finally had all our food. Chicken tikka masala was actually quite nice. Overall the food was decent.

Would eat it again had it not been for the...