Masque Turns 10 With New Design, Service Format and Culinary Direction

Masque, Mumbai’s tasting menu-only restaurant, has completed 10 years and is entering its next decade with a redesigned space, a new service format and a renewed focus on Indian ingredients and culinary storytelling.

Founded in 2016 by Aditi and Aditya Dugar, Masque was built around the question of what India tastes like. Over the past decade, the restaurant has developed a tasting menu model centred on ingredients sourced from different parts of the country. Head Chef Varun Totlani and General Manager Mirelle Pingfu have also played key roles in shaping its kitchen and hospitality operations.

The restaurant is now using its 10th anniversary to introduce a new version of the Masque experience while retaining its tasting menu-only format. The redevelopment has been undertaken with Atelier Ashiesh Shah, which has worked on the restaurant’s space and design.

“I’ve been thinking about our 10th year for a few years now. And now that the moment is here, it seems unbelievable – what started off as a dream has now grown into a labour of love we’ve built each day for the last decade. In the next 10 years, I’d love for Masque to become an institution: known as a visionary restaurant that dreams of almost impossible-sounding ideas and brings them to life,” says Aditi Dugar, Co-Founder & Director, Urban Gourmet India.

The new restaurant design extends the focus on Indian craftsmanship. The team worked with ceramicists and artisans to develop customised plateware, crockery, glassware and cutlery. According to the restaurant, everything visible in the redesigned space is made in India.

The changes also coincide with a new sequence of service. The restaurant said the redevelopment is intended as an evolution of its existing format rather than a complete change in its positioning.

Aditya Dugar, Co-Founder & Director, Urban Gourmet India, added, “It’s been 10 years of learning, building, and inching towards bringing the best of India to the table. It felt like a bit of a risk to strip down a sold-out restaurant – that’s already right at the top – and rebuild it from scratch. But seeing the shape Masque has taken makes me so glad we went for it! All our teams have worked tirelessly to fulfil our vision; I couldn’t be prouder of everything we have achieved over the past few months. It’s only upwards and onwards from here.”

Over the years, Masque has built relationships with chefs internationally and with farmers across India. Its sourcing approach has been central to the restaurant’s tasting menu, with the kitchen continuing to explore ingredients from lesser-known regions.

The restaurant is also marking the anniversary with a new menu from Chef Varun Totlani and his kitchen team. The menu is described as being built from memory, with Indian ingredients and culinary references at its core.

“It’s been an honour to help build Masque from the ground up. The restaurant and I have grown up together: it’s taught me so many things, given me so many incredible opportunities and held space for every idea that my team and I have poured into it. Now, as we step into a new era, I can’t wait to see what the next decade holds for us. I am looking forward to seeing what new ingredients are waiting for us, the stories we will get to tell, and the new places we will take Masque to,” says Varun Totlani, Head Chef, Masque, who came in as a young commis chef, only to helm the kitchen in 2022.

Masque enters its tenth year as India's five-time No. 1 restaurant, ranked No. 15 on Asia's 50 Best Restaurants 2026 and recipient of the Art of Hospitality Award this year. Last year, it finished on the World’s 50 Best Restaurants list at No. 68, and currently holds the No. 2 position on Condé Nast Traveller’s ‘Top Restaurant Awards 2025’ ranking.

Its hospitality operation has also evolved alongside the restaurant. Mirelle Pingfu joined Masque as a hostess nine years ago and now leads its front-of-house team.

Mirelle Pingfu, General Manager at Masque, said, “I joined Masque as a hostess nine years ago, and today, I have the pleasure of leading the team that is known for the best service. The idea of the old Masque – of which we knew every square inch – becoming a new version of itself is exciting. It’s a brand new way of doing things, and a whole new learning curve for my team and me. But if there’s one thing we embrace, it’s change, and we are amped up to step into Masque’s new era.”

With the new design, service sequence, identity and menu, Masque is using its 10th year to reposition the restaurant for its next phase while continuing to operate from the same Mumbai address.