Best Restaurants
in Dhaka

Dhaka — the capital of Bangladesh and one of the largest cities in South Asia — is the most rapidly-developing fine-dining scene on the subcontinent. The city's luxury dining scene is built almost entirely inside the five-star hotel corridor in Gulshan and Baridhara (the diplomatic and expatriate-residence districts north of the city core) — The Westin Dhaka, Sheraton Dhaka, InterContinental Dhaka, Radisson Blu Dhaka Water Garden, and Pan Pacific Sonargaon — each of which has invested significantly in signature dining rooms targeting the Bangladeshi business elite, the expat community, and the growing class of international-trained returnee chefs. Outside the hotels, Gulshan-2 has developed as Dhaka's fine-dining neighbourhood with independent restaurants at a level previously unavailable in Bangladesh.

What to prioritise on a Dhaka dining trip: one evening at Seasonal Tastes at The Westin Dhaka — the TripAdvisor-4.9-rated buffet-and-à-la-carte fine-dining destination that is widely considered Dhaka's most luxurious hotel dining room; one dinner at Yumi atop the Sheraton Dhaka for the 27th-floor panoramic city view with pan-Asian cuisine; one meal at Izumi Japanese Kitchen in Gulshan-2 — the garden-set Japanese fine-dining destination that regulars consider Dhaka's most serious Asian restaurant; one experience at Khazana (the Chef Sanjeev Kapoor-founded Indian restaurant bringing Indian royal-recipe cuisine to Dhaka); and a French evening at Le Souffle — Dhaka's most expensive restaurant and the city's reference French fine-dining address.

Practical notes: Dhaka operates on Bangladeshi taka (BDT). Credit cards work at five-star hotel restaurants and most Gulshan/Baridhara fine-dining venues; cash for smaller traditional restaurants. Uber is the dominant ride-hail service and the best option for tourists. Traffic in Dhaka is severe — budget 45-90 minutes for crossings between central Dhaka, Gulshan, and Baridhara during peak hours; 9am-11am and 5pm-9pm are the worst windows. Most fine-dining restaurants are concentrated in Gulshan and Baridhara so multi-restaurant nights are viable by staying in those neighbourhoods. Tipping is not customary but 10% service is included at fine-dining venues; small tips for excellent service are appreciated.

Neighbourhoods: Gulshan (the primary diplomatic and expatriate neighbourhood, centred on Gulshan-1 and Gulshan-2 roundabouts) is Dhaka's fine-dining concentration — Izumi, Khazana, Le Souffle, and most independent fine-dining sit here; Baridhara (the adjacent diplomatic enclave with multiple embassies) holds several independent restaurants and the Pan Pacific Sonargaon's dining rooms; Banani (the upscale residential/commercial neighbourhood between Gulshan and central Dhaka) holds the casual-upscale restaurants and the Rush Tex Mex institution; Motijheel (the central business district) holds the daytime business-lunch restaurants; Old Dhaka (the traditional city core south of the modern districts) holds the heritage Bangladeshi and Mughal-era institutions but is difficult to reach by taxi on weekdays.