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Copyright © 2025 Foodies Only
Copyright © 2025 Foodies Only
7 min
29/01/2026
From being reserved only for the elite and foreign visitors due to its expensive nature, 5-star buffets have come a long way. Kicking it off from the British-established Auckland Hotel (guess which one this is!), reserved only for the colonial-era dignitaries, to the modern likes of ITC Chola, Oberoi Grand, the buffets associated with these places have dramatically transformed. They offer experiences more than just the food, with barely any space to complain, and why not when it comes at eye-watering prices!
Buffets started gaining traction in India during the late 20th century, coinciding with the country's booming hotel sector. But you’d be surprised to know the buffet culture is truly Indian with the Sikh ‘langars’ – a community-style meal for everyone, paving the way. The West later introduced the closed-off version, with fine-dining and restaurant-style dining, thanks to the boom in the hotel industry. So, where did it all begin, and how did 5-star buffets come to offer more than just food today?
The modern hotel industry in India began during the British colonial rule, starting with the Great Eastern Hotel in Kolkata (1840), which was founded by David Wilson, a British confectioner (it was called the Auckland Hotel back then). Then came the Taj Mahal Palace in Mumbai (1903), both of which were responsible for setting the benchmark of luxury hospitality.
The Taj is a landmark hotel because it was founded and built by an Indian, Jamshedji Tata, after he was denied entry into a European-only hotel. It became the first hotel in India to have electricity, lifts, and American fans. Like many of the first luxurious hotels, the Taj was also designed to mimic opulent European palaces, offering a luxurious experience with immaculately dressed and English-speaking staff (like English butlers), fine dining experiences, and sometimes imported British furniture.
After India gained independence in 1947, there was renewed focus on developing the country's infrastructure, including the hospitality sector, with the government establishing the India Tourism Development Corporation (ITDC) in 1966. The Ashok in New Delhi (1956) became an icon of post-independence luxury, paving the way for the standard for more modern hotels in India. Post-independence, the Indian hotel industry expanded significantly, with several hotel groups being established.
The 1980s and 1990s marked a turning point with international hotel chains like Marriott, Hilton, and Sheraton entering the Indian market, which set the stage for the global standards of professionalism and luxury. This is the era when buffets truly saw a surge, as they offered value for money (even though it was still expensive) with their all-you-can-eat dining and the visual appeal of sampling different dishes. The 1980s also ushered in a brunch culture that introduced lavish brunch buffets.
This is where household names and celebrity chefs like Sanjeev Kapoor were all over television. You might remember his 1993 ‘Khana Khazana’ show, which ran for over 17 years on Zee TV, making him a household name. He was appointed Executive Chef of the Centaur Hotel in Mumbai in 1992, where he won the Best Executive Chef of India award.
Other celebrity chefs like Harpal Singh Sokhi organised Indian food festivals internationally and executed business-class menus on Singapore Airlines for seven years. Talking about celebrity chefs, there’s also Vikas Khanna, who, alongside Kunal Kapur and Ajay Chopra, hosted seven seasons of MasterChef India starting from 2011, further popularising sophisticated Indian cuisine and techniques.
ITC Hotels celebrate India's historical cuisine, taking inspiration from ancient cooking methods and spice combinations to serve timeless delicacies from different regions. ITC established signature restaurants like Bukhara (North-West Frontier cuisine), Dum Pukht (Awadhi slow-cooking), and Peshawri (tandoori specialities). ITC Hotels achieved LEED Platinum certification for 23 properties, pioneering green building practices and sustainable luxury hospitality.
Taj Hotels developed multi-cuisine restaurants serving international (panko-crumbed fish and chips, pizza, and pasta) to regional specialities (kosha mangsho, dhakai parota and mutton stew), with properties featuring restaurants dedicated to specific regional cuisines like coastal offerings and authentic Indian delicacies.
Oberoi properties offer lavish buffets alongside à la carte world cuisines, with award-winning restaurants featuring authentic Thai, Japanese, and Indian regional cuisines like teriyaki chicken, sushi, salads, and delicious Indian fare.
It’s hard to imagine today’s fine dining buffets without an interactive live station where the chef is seen guarding a stove with an assortment of seafood, meat, veggies or even street food items like chaat and pani puri, where they fix dishes right in front of you. There might be multiple of them or at least one fixture at every buffet; the more lavish and grander the place, the more chefs you might find. You pay for the food and also the experience of ingredients being tossed in front of you. These live counters evolved from simple ‘eggs to order’ stations to include dosas, crepes, and multiple regional specialities.
Five-star hotels now plan buffets for three generations and at least six regions of India, plus three international cuisines, offering vegetarian, non-vegetarian, vegan, dairy, sweet, spicy, sour, and bland options without customers having to ask. Today’s buffets offer local fare from egg and dosa stations to English fare like bread, butter, cereal and milk stations for breakfast. Then you have lunch and dinner options offering local curries, Asian stir-fries, oriental cuisine, continental options (Mediterranean, American, English), grills, salads, and dedicated sushi sections with live kitchens in each zone.
Every hotel has these. Take, for example, the Swosti Group of Hotels, holding its own in Odisha, runs year-long food festivals from April to March, with each month celebrating different regional culinary heritage, from the Hilsa Food Festival (July 2025), then a Seafood Festival at Swosti Chilika Resort, and a Pan Asian Food Festival at Swosti Grand.
Five-star hotels also host exclusive pop-up events, such as The Leela Palace New Delhi bringing Michelin-starred chefs for two-day culinary collaborations, and JW Marriott Mumbai hosting Italian cuisine festivals. The Grub Fest, one of the largest food festivals in India, first organised in 2015, takes place in multiple cities and attracts well-known restaurants, home chefs, and food brands.
Five-star buffet prices in major cities in India have steadily increased over the past decade, reflecting rising operational costs, premium ingredients, and enhanced dining experiences. For instance, weekday lunch buffets in Delhi now start around ₹1,850 per person, while luxury properties in Goa charge nearly ₹2,000 for lunch and ₹2,950 for dinner. In Mumbai and Bengaluru, typical 5‑star buffets range from ₹1,500-₹3,000, with some high‑end venues exceeding ₹4,000 per person.
The evolution reflects India's transformation from colonial-era European dining to a sophisticated showcase of the best of India’s regional cuisines while maintaining international standards, being attuned to global culinary trends, promoting sustainability, and upgrading to the latest technology for enhanced guest experiences.