One of New Delhi’s oldest surviving restaurants and staple of the city’s restaurant scene, Moti Mahal was founded in 1920 in Pakistan and moved shortly after Indian independence in 1947 to Delhi. Now a global chain, with sister restaurants in almost every city in India, Moti Mahal claims to be the first restaurant to introduce tandoori cuisine and several now classic Indian dishes to the world, including such culinary staples as tandoori chicken, butter chicken, burra kebabs and brain masala. A winner of several culinary awards including the award of the Best Restaurant in Delhi by Mail Today, the restaurant offers a hearty and delicious North Indian cuisine in a relaxed and laid back atmosphere.

This legendary restaurant introduced the culinary conecpt of Butter Chicken and Tandoori Chicken. The restaurant is more than eight decades old, but they serve the most scrumptious Tandoori delicacies in the town. Not just the ever-famous tandoori chicken, they have chicken afghani, chicken tikka, chicken burra, garlic chicken tikka, reshmi kebab, haryali kebab, chicken seekh kebab and tangri kebab.

That incredibly popular Indian dish that the western world craves for, Butter Chicken, or Murg Makhani, started here. The restaurant was opened in the year 1947, and has quite simply transformed the taste of Indian cuisine. The cooks here began mixing leftover marinade juices with butter and tomato, and throwing in the tandoori chicken pieces in them.

The Delhi High Court is currently addressing a dispute between two restaurant chains, Moti Mahal and Daryaganj, over the claim of who invented butter chicken and Dal makhani. Moti Mahal says that its founder is Kundalal Gujral, who introduced these dishes to India from the Moti Mahal restaurant in Peshawar after the partition. On the other hand, Daryaganj is known for its presence on Shark Tank India, they stated that their forefather, Kundan Lal Jaggi, was the true inventor of these dishes.

A restaurant whose clientele includes the likes of Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru (a connoisseur of taste himself) and celebrity chef Gordon Ramsey says a lot about its credentials. Besides, the story of Butter Chicken recipe begins at Moti Mahal, as the restaurant is credited to be the original creator of the dish. Almost a century after its advent, the taste of the dish remains as decadent as ever, and the naans are still melt-in-your-mouth soft..

Daryaganj's Moti Mahal is nowhere behind when it comes to serving the most authentic and traditionally prepared Butter Chicken. Old Delhi's vibe is unique and hits different in every form. Their wide and expansive meaty menu is sure to try if you are eager to know about their best in-house Chicken dishes, then Garlic Chicken Tikka, Chicken Tikka, Chicken Afghani are a few crowd's favourites.

Have you guys heard that it is said that Moti Mahal is the real inventor of our beloved Butter Chicken?. Yes, guys, these good folks have been appeasing our taste buds for generations and their authentic taste is incredible. With many new restaurants sprouting up in the city with great North Indian delights, this old & gold restaurant has definitely stood the test of time, beautifully!

The story goes that Moti Mahal came to life right after the partition in 1947, and was established by three men from Peshwar, who fled to Delhi. The family restaurant is as old as India’s independence, and you will definitely feel like you are re-living a piece of history!. Infused with nostalgic nuances, this is one of those places to invoke the patriotism quotient in you.

Moti Mahal is known to be the original inventor of butter chicken and thus represents a legacy of culinary art that is difficult to mimic. The restaurant is almost as old as the Independent India and has served dignitaries such as Jawaharlal Nehru and Indira Gandhi and also landing in recommendations from celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay. View this post on Instagram

1.MOTI MAHAL – When we talk about butter chicken, the first place that comes to our mind is the OG Moti Mahal. The shahi creamy sauce which blends well with tandoori chicken makes their butter chicken a specialty. Moti Mahal is famous for its other Mughlai Delicacies as well like Burrah Kabab, Brain Masala, and Tandoori Chicken.

There is a rumour that the world-famous Delhi Butter Chicken was invented by Moti Mahal. If that’s not reason enough for you to try out this place, we don’t know what is. With incredible taste over the years, this north Indian restaurant still pulls in crowds today even with competition from newer restaurants.

With a reputation of being the first restaurant in independent India, Moti Mahal brought the flavours of tandoori and Peshawar to India in 1947. It is also believed to be the birthplace of the iconic Butter chicken. Whether that’s true or not, you should absolutely grand a bite of this creamy, buttery dish.

The legendary inventor of Butter Chicken, Moti Mahal, is the must-visit butter chicken place in South Delhi. To rehydrate his dried chicken, Kundan invented this buttery sauce and ended up with a completely new dish called Butter Chicken. And this is how we got our all-time favourite Butter chicken.

So Moti Mahal can be one of the best restaurants in Delhi, along with chicken it is also very famous for North Indian dishes. This restaurant is located in Delhi's Daryaganj. Delhi's beloved Mughlai eatery started its operations in Peshawar in the 1920s under the leadership of Kundan Lal Gujral.

After eating here recently I almost deleted this restaurant from this list. Yes, Moti Mahal is one of the most famous restaurants in Delhi, and everyone from politicians, Bollywood stars and Chef Gordon Ramsay have eaten here. But the glory days of the restaurant are over.

Their Butter Chicken is best had with Butter Naan and delivers an out of the world taste. We won’t dare to miss that. Bonus, they also have home delivery if you put up nearby (say hello at 01123273661) else, head to 3703, Netaji Subhash Marg, Daryaganj.

Legend has it that Moti Mahal is the real inventor of our beloved Butter Chicken!. Situated in Old Delhi, its atmosphere is great, complemented with live music. Started in the 1940s, it is said that dignitaries including Mr. Nehru frequented the place.

While in Delhi, not visiting The Moti Mahal is a carnal sin. It’s like visiting Agra and not going to experience Taj Mahal. They have claimed to invent what is the epitome of North Indian food, Butter Chicken and Tandoori Chicken.

Our delicious Butter Chicken is said to have been invented by Moti Mahal!. Despite the lack of opulence in the decor, their Butter Chicken is absolutely delicious. The flavour is a little unusual and yet it's fantastic.

This not-so-hidden gem in Old Delhi has butter chicken that’s a culinary representation of the city’s heritage- rich and full of flavour. Order with: Tandoori Mushroom or Kadhai Paneer

Perfect for: Old Delhi food explorationsWhat makes it special: The birthplace of butter chicken and dal makhani. Pure legacy.Avg Cost for Two: ₹1,200