How the old courts dined
Our grandparents talked about weddings where the cooking began the day before and the eating went on past midnight, of lamps in every niche of a courtyard, and of singers who arrived with the bride's family and stayed for a week. That world has mostly gone. The palaces, and the people who know how to light them, have not.
The durbar feast: nobles sat on carpets in long rows in a palace courtyard, with silver thalis, the round dining plates, set before each guest and servants moving down the line with game, rice, breads and sweets.
- The zenana's own table: women of the household ate separately in the zenana, the women's quarters, where their feasts could be just as lavish and far more private.
- Food of warriors: the great Rajput dishes came from the hunt and the camp, game cooked over fire, meat smoked on skewers, curries rich with ghee and fierce with red chilli.
- Food of merchants: the Marwari families who financed the courts built a vegetarian cuisine of real richness from gram flour, lentils, desert beans and dairy. A great banquet often served both.
- Manuhar: the coaxing hospitality of Marwar, in which a host presses food on a guest until refusal becomes theatre. Covering your plate with your hands only invites a more determined round.
- Light and music: courtyards were lit with oil lamps and torches until the stone glowed, and hereditary musicians sang for the patron families at every feast, birth and wedding.
- What we keep: a private dinner with us can be a full Rajput banquet with a dozen dishes, or a family thali on a rooftop. What makes it royal is the place and the care, not gold on the plates.
Where we set the table
Jag Mandir, Udaipur, by boat
Why it's special: the island palace of Jag Mandir on Lake Pichola, reached by private boat after the day visitors have gone, with the City Palace lit up behind you.
- The table: set on the island's terraces or in one of its pavilions, by candlelight, with water on every side.
- Book it: with your room, especially from October to March. It is our most requested evening in India.
Lake Pichola and the palace terraces of Udaipur
The quieter version: a private boat on Lake Pichola at sunset, then dinner on a terrace with views across the water.
- Where: Taj Lake Palace, floating in the middle of the lake, or Fateh Prakash Palace and Shiv Niwas Palace within the City Palace complex.
- The moment: the lights of the old city coming on around the lake, one window at a time.
Jaipur, terraces, courtyards and rooftops
The grand room: at Rambagh Palace, once home to Maharaja Sawai Man Singh II and Maharani Gayatri Devi, the Suvarna Mahal dining room under gilded ceilings is an occasion in itself.
- The private version: Rambagh can also set a table for you alone on a terrace or the lawns, with peacocks calling at dusk.
- In the walled city: a rooftop facing Hawa Mahal or Nahargarh, lit with lanterns, or a haveli courtyard with folk musicians. Our luxury hotels in Jaipur guide compares the palaces.
Samode, a painted palace in the hills
Where: about 40 kilometres north of Jaipur, where Samode Palace rises in terraces at the head of a village, with a fort on the hill above.
- The setting: a table on the palace terraces under the stars, or beside the lamplit water channel at Samode Bagh, the family's garden retreat nearby.
- Pair it with: a day in the Aravallis and the story of the Nathawat family on our Samode page.
Rawla Narlai, dinner in a stepwell
The setting: at Rawla Narlai, between Jodhpur and Udaipur, dinner is laid at the bottom of an old stepwell with oil lamps on every ledge and songs echoing off the stone.
- The menu: usually a feast of the region, bajra rotis with white butter, ker sangri and laal maas.
- Book it: when you book the room. Our page on Narlai explains the village and its granite hill.
Jodhpur, below the fort
Umaid Bhawan: a private dinner on the terrace of Umaid Bhawan Palace, with the lawns below and Mehrangarh lit on its rock across the city.
- Under the walls: RAAS Jodhpur sits right below Mehrangarh, and its terraces face the floodlit fort.
- Inside the fort: the Mehrangarh Museum Trust has, on some occasions, allowed private dinners in spaces in and around the fort, under its own rules. We ask on your behalf.
Jaisalmer, cenotaphs and dunes
Bada Bagh: a private dinner among the royal cenotaphs at Bada Bagh, arranged with care for the place.
Bikaner, Shekhawati and the country forts
Bikaner: a courtyard dinner at Laxmi Niwas Palace, or by the lake at Gajner, the old royal hunting lodge.
- Shekhawati: ask for a table on the bastions of Castle Mandawa rather than in the courtyard.
- Mewar's family forts: dinner on the ramparts at Deogarh Mahal or Castle Bijaipur, with the village lights below.
What we serve
- Royal classic
- Laal maas, fiery with Mathania chillies
- Gentler choice
- Safed maas, in cream and nuts
- Vegetarian feast
- Dal baati churma, gatte, ker sangri
- Diets
- Jain, vegan and allergy menus with notice
- Alcohol
- Only where licensed, never on dry days
A Rajput banquet
The meat dishes: laal maas, mutton in fierce red chilli, safed maas in cream and nuts, and soola, skewers of marinated meat smoked over charcoal.
- The hunters' dish: some houses still cook junglee maas, meat cooked simply with ghee, chilli and salt, as it was in the hunting camps.
- To finish: churma, malpua or a saffron rice pudding. Our laal maas recipe tells the story of the most famous dish.
A Marwari thali
What's on it: dal baati churma, gatte ki sabzi, ker sangri, kadhi, papad ki sabzi and seasonal vegetables.
- The breads: bajra rotis with white butter and jaggery, brought hot from the fire.
- How it's served: in silver or brass, every bowl refilled before you can protest. It is a feast and a lesson in manuhar at once.
Regional menus
Udaipur: the Mewar kitchen, with maize breads in winter and the gentler royal dishes Mewar is known for. See the food of Udaipur.
- The desert: millet rotis from the fire, kadhi and dal baati baked in the embers.
- Bikaner: a menu built around the city's bhujia, kachori and rasgullas. The food of Jaipur guide covers the capital.
Your own choice
Anything you love: a European menu, a lighter meal, a menu for children or a favourite from earlier in your journey. Palace kitchens cook all of it well.
- Tell us early: allergies, especially nuts, Jain or vegan needs and how much chilli you enjoy.
- Wine: arranged where the setting is licensed. Our page on alcohol and dry days explains the days when it is not served.
Lamps, music and the small details
Lit the old way: clay oil lamps, diyas, on every ledge and step, lanterns hung in the trees and a brazier against the winter cold.
The floor: swept and sometimes painted with mandana, the white and red patterns village women draw for festivals, or scattered with rose and marigold petals.
- Two ways to sit: a Western table with linen and silver, or low and Rajasthani, with carpets, bolsters and thalis. We will ask which you prefer.
- The singers: the Manganiyars and Langas, hereditary musician families of western Rajasthan, have sung for patrons for centuries. Our page on the Manganiyar singers explains the tradition.
- The instruments: the kamaicha, a bowed lute, the dholak drum and khartal, wooden clappers played in each hand. We ask musicians to play unamplified.
- Dance: Kalbelia dancers, whose songs and dances UNESCO recognises as intangible heritage, can join on request. See folk music and dance.
- The small touches: a favourite drink on arrival, a cake for a birthday, a ring hidden with dessert, one song you asked for. Tell us what the evening is for.
Proposals, anniversaries and celebrations
A proposal
Tell us quietly: without your partner, by message or a call, and we plan everything with discretion.
- Timing: we often suggest a sunset first, so the question comes in the last light and dinner becomes the celebration.
- The extras: a photographer hidden at a distance, flowers, and a plan for the ring that doesn't involve the lake. Our Rajasthan honeymoons page has more ideas.
An anniversary or a vow renewal
- At the heart of a journey: a private dinner can anchor an anniversary trip, or follow a vow renewal in a palace courtyard.
- The ceremony: simple, with a priest if you wish, flower garlands and music. Our page on vow renewals in a palace explains how.
A family celebration
- For three generations: a long table in a courtyard, a menu for every age, musicians and a puppet show for the children.
- More help: our multi-generation journeys page, and for weddings, our guide to destination weddings in Rajasthan.
What we take care of
The setting: we ask the hotel, family or trust, agree the exact terrace, courtyard or pavilion, and visit it ourselves in daylight.
The kitchen: we brief the chef on your menu, your diet and your chilli, and taste with them where we can.
- Allow
- Three to four hours, with travel
- Best start
- Half an hour before sunset
- Group size
- Two to a large family table
- Dress
- Smart and warm, flat shoes for old stone
- The transfers: your chauffeur, the boat or the jeep, timed so you arrive at dusk and never wait in the dark.
- The music: we book the musicians, agree what they will play and for how long, and pay them directly.
- The light and flowers: lamps, lanterns, petals and a brazier in winter, set out before you arrive and cleared after you leave.
- A guide, if you wish: for a fort or cenotaph setting, a guide can tell the story of the place over the first drink.
- The backup: a sheltered alternative for rain, wind or cold, agreed in advance so the change is seamless.
- Your planner: on WhatsApp throughout the evening, for anything at all.
Seasons and lead times
October and November: warm evenings and clear skies. Diwali, in October or November, lights every palace and town with lamps.
December and January: cold after dark, especially in the desert. We add braziers, shawls and hot-water bottles and serve dinner early.
- Best months
- October to March
- Dinner for two
- A few weeks' notice
- Jag Mandir, Narlai
- Book with your rooms
- Festivals, New Year
- Book months ahead
- Monuments
- Permission from the trust, and its answer is final
- February and March: our favourite months, with soft evenings and the first warmth of spring.
- April to June: dinners move to terraces after dark, or to cool rooms indoors.
- July to September: we keep a covered alternative ready, though dinner in a pavilion while rain falls on the lake can be wonderful.
- The wedding season: many palaces host large weddings in winter, so popular settings fill early. Our best time to visit guide has the full calendar.
- Weather plans: wind can rise in the desert at night and a cold breeze comes off the lakes in midwinter. Every outdoor dinner has a sheltered backup.
- How we quote: we don't publish prices, because every dinner is different. After one conversation we include it in your plan. Plan your journey whenever you are ready.
Before you go
Dress for the night: winter evenings by the lakes and in the desert are cold. Bring a shawl or a jacket, even if the afternoon was warm.
Shoes: forts and stepwells mean steps and uneven stone. Choose shoes you can walk in by lamplight.
- Mosquitoes: by water after the monsoon, a little repellent helps. The staff usually burn neem or citronella nearby.
- Arrive at dusk: the hour between sunset and full dark is when every setting is most beautiful. We time your arrival for it.
- Tell us about mobility: Jag Mandir needs a boat step, Narlai's stepwell has many stairs. We choose a setting that suits everyone in your party.
- Phones away: take your photographs in the first half hour, then let the evening be an evening.
What most visitors miss
The village behind the fort: at country forts like Deogarh and Bijaipur, the sounds of the village rising to the ramparts at night are part of the meal.
The stars: in the desert, a dinner on the dunes means turning off the lamps afterwards. Our stargazing in the Thar page explains what you will see.
- The cooks: ask to meet them after dinner. Many come from families who have cooked for the same house for generations.
- A simple table: the most moving dinners are often the plainest, a thali on a rooftop, a single singer, nothing else.
- A royal host: some old noble families welcome guests to dine with them. Our page on meeting Rajasthan's royal families explains how.
- Breakfast in the same place: a setting that was magical by lamplight is often just as lovely at dawn. Ask to come back for chai in the morning.
- The courtyard acoustics: old courtyards and stepwells were built to carry sound. Sit quietly for a minute before the music starts and listen to the building.
- A second city: most guests book one special dinner in Udaipur. Jodhpur, Bikaner and the country forts are just as beautiful at night, and far less often asked.
What we will and won't do
No captive animals: we don't arrange elephant welcomes or painted elephants at the gate. Read why we don't offer elephant rides.
No animal props: we don't use camels or horses for photographs. If you'd like to ride, we arrange it separately with owners we trust.
- Fair pay: musicians, dancers and cooks are paid directly and fairly, and we never take a share of tips.
- Care for old places: in historic settings we follow the trust's rules on lamps, flowers and furniture and leave nothing behind.
- Quiet for the neighbours: villages near forts and dunes go to bed early, so music ends at a civil hour.
- In the desert: we stay on existing tracks, take all rubbish away and never leave a fire burning.
- Consent: we ask before photographing musicians, staff and villagers. Our page on travelling responsibly sets out how we work.
Who will love it
Honeymooners and anniversaries: Jag Mandir, the stepwell at Narlai, a rooftop for two.
Families: a long courtyard table with music and a puppet show, and early food for the children.
- Solo travellers: a dinner with a member of an old noble family, where one welcomes guests, is often the highlight of a solo journey.
- Food lovers: a Rajput banquet, ideally after a cooking class in a haveli earlier the same day.
- Perhaps not for you: if you prefer a lively restaurant, or find attentive staff tiring. A quiet table at a great palace restaurant may suit you better, and we will book it.
An evening on Jag Mandir, the way we arrange it
Late afternoon, rest
- At your hotel: rest, and dress warmly enough for the water in winter.
- Behind the scenes: we confirm the boat and the table, and the kitchen begins cooking.
Sunset, on the lake
- The crossing: a private boat collects you at your hotel jetty or near the City Palace and crosses Lake Pichola slowly as the sun drops behind the hills.
- The light: the City Palace turns gold, then rose.
Dusk, the island
- Arrival: you step onto Jag Mandir as the day visitors leave and the lamps are lit.
- First drink: on the terrace, with a musician playing softly and the city lights coming on across the water.
Dinner, and the return
- At the table: dinner by candlelight, as simple or as grand as you wish.
- Home across the water: the boat back in the dark, past the glowing Lake Palace. Our Udaipur romance journey is built around evenings like this.