Restaurant India News: Dakshin Legacy Opens in Mumbai as a Dedicated Coastal South Indian Fine-Dining Restaurant

Mumbai has added a new entrant to its premium dining landscape with the launch of Dakshin Legacy, a fine-dining restaurant dedicated entirely to coastal South Indian cuisine. Positioned as the city’s only fine-dining outlet focused exclusively on this category, the restaurant brings regional food from Mangalore, Kerala, Goa, and Tamil Nadu to the forefront, without reinterpretation or fusion.

Dakshin Legacy follows traditional cooking methods that remain central to its kitchen operations. These include stone-ground masalas, clay-pot slow cooking, hand-pressed coconut milk, and banana-leaf steaming. Ingredients and spices are sourced directly from the southern coastal regions, ensuring regional accuracy and consistency. The menu features established coastal preparations such as Crab Chettinad, Pomfret Gassi, Prawns Ghee Roast, Surmai Masala Fry, and Clams Sukka, all prepared using traditional techniques.

The culinary programme is led by Chef Nagesh, whose approach centres on technique-driven execution and adherence to legacy recipes. The kitchen prioritises process control, flavour consistency, and regional authenticity across both seafood and vegetarian offerings.

The beverage programme, curated by Saroj, adapts familiar South Indian ingredients into a structured cocktail menu. Ingredients such as kokum, fruits, herbs, and mild spices are used across drinks including Reddy on the Rocks, Chiranjeevi Kidu, Bahubali Burst, Lungi Dance, and Rajni Kudampuli, adding a regional reference point to the bar offering.

The restaurant spans 4,800 sq. ft. and accommodates 150 covers. Designed by founder and hotelier Harshita Shetty, the interiors draw from coastal South Indian residential architecture, using materials such as teakwood, cane, brass, bell metal, and restored Mangalorean window frames. The design palette supports all-day dining, transitioning from lunch to dinner service.

“With Dakshin Legacy, I wanted to create a space that feels like a homecoming, where the warmth of coastal tradition meets the polish of fine dining. The design doesn’t reinvent heritage; it preserves it with heart,” says Harshita Shetty.

Open for lunch and dinner, the restaurant is positioned to cater to family dining, business meetings, and social occasions. Led by Harshita Shetty, a Les Roches–trained second-generation hotelier, Dakshin Legacy reflects a business approach that combines formal hospitality training with regional culinary focus.