Indigo was a fine-dining restaurant in Colaba, Mumbai, widely regarded as one of the landmark establishments of India's modern restaurant scene. Operational from the late 1990s until 2017, it was known for its modern European cuisine adapted with Indian ingredients, and was frequented by Mumbai's business, film and political circles as well as visiting international guests.
| Name | Indigo |
|---|---|
| Type | Fine-dining restaurant |
| Cuisine | Modern European with Indian influences |
| Location | Colaba, Mumbai, Maharashtra, India |
| Founder | Rahul Akerkar |
| Parent company | deGustibus Hospitality |
| Status | Closed |
Indigo was housed in a restored bungalow on Mandlik Road, just off Colaba Causeway, near the Taj Mahal Palace Hotel. It offered an à la carte menu, a tasting menu and a rooftop terrace, and developed a reputation as one of the first Indian restaurants to bring contemporary Western fine dining—plated, multi-course menus paired with curated wine lists—into the mainstream Mumbai market.
The restaurant was founded by chef-restaurateur Rahul Akerkar, who returned to India after training and working in the United States. Indigo was operated under the deGustibus Hospitality group, which Akerkar co-founded and led for much of the restaurant's life. The group later expanded with the more casual offshoot Indigo Deli, which opened multiple outlets across Mumbai and in other cities.
Indigo's kitchen was associated with what came to be described as modern Indian-influenced European cooking, using local produce, regional ingredients and seafood from the Konkan coast within a Western technique-led framework. The wine programme was considered among the more ambitious in the country at the time of its opening, in a market then constrained by limited imports and high duties.
The restaurant featured prominently in Indian and international restaurant guides and lists during the 2000s and early 2010s, and was a regular venue for hosting visiting dignitaries, including foreign heads of state and corporate delegations to Mumbai.
Indigo is frequently cited in writing on Indian food and hospitality as a turning point for fine dining in Mumbai, marking a shift from hotel-based luxury restaurants to standalone, chef-led venues. It influenced a generation of Indian chefs and restaurateurs who later opened their own concepts, and helped establish Colaba as a destination for independent restaurants.