The DLC Guide Mumbai Second Edition 2025 concluded successfully on Monday evening at JW Marriott Mumbai Sahar, bringing together restaurateurs, hoteliers, entrepreneurs and industry leaders to celebrate excellence across the hospitality sector.
Inspired by globally respected benchmarks such as Michelin and Forbes, the DLC Guide has emerged as a ground-breaking and bias-free global credit rating system designed to evaluate hospitality establishments on real-world operational excellence, consistency and guest impact.
The Mumbai Second Edition of the DLC Guide recognised a curated selection of hospitality establishments across distinct categories, reflecting excellence in dining, hospitality and beverage experiences. The restaurant category featured awardees including Masque, The Table, Izumi, Paradox, Akina, Late Checkout, Mizu Izakaya, La Loca Maria, Bandra Born, INKA by Bastian, Comorin, Gaijin, Ziya, Milagro, Dum Phukt each acknowledged for their consistency, culinary innovation and overall guest experience. In the hotel category, Fairmont Mumbai emerged as the sole recipient, recognised for its comprehensive hospitality offering and operational excellence in the luxury space. The bar category saw Sixteen33 receive the award, distinguished for its concept-driven approach and contribution to Mumbai’s evolving nightlife and beverage culture.
The Mumbai Second Edition was supported by a distinguished panel of professionals and industry leaders whose expertise contributed to the integrity and depth of the evaluation process. The panel included Vratika Agarwal, Founder & CEO, Maison Sia; Sabbas Joseph, Co-Founder, Wizcraft; Sajjid Mitha, Founder & CEO, Polymerupdate; Devita Saraf, Founder & CEO, Vu Televisions; Alessandro Giuliani, Managing Director, SDA Bocconi Asia Centre; Anshul Singhal, Managing Director, Welspun; Tanya Satish, CEO, Creed Entertainment; Mozez Singh, Film Director, Adesa Entertainment, Metamozez Entertainment; Ritika Vardhan, Counsel, Khaitan & Co; Harsh Jagwani, Managing Director, Notandas Realty; Aarti Vijay Gupta, Fashion Designer; Rohan Jeh, Founder & Principal, The Argonauts; Neha Premjee, Nutritionist; Kshiraja Surendranath, Classical Dancer and Founder & CEO, Ekual; Tasheen Rahimtoola, Founder, Curator and Consultant, Taste Retreat; and Reshma Ajbani, Luxury Lifestyle Content Creator. Their collective perspectives ensured a balanced, transparent and experience-driven assessment aligned with global hospitality standards.
Speaking at the conclusion of the event, Jimmy Mistry, Founder & CEO, Della Leaders Club, said, “The DLC Guide is rooted in thought leadership and was created to place India firmly on the global hospitality map through a credible, independent benchmarking platform. As a first-generation entrepreneur, my vision has been to build something out of India, for the global citizen—one that drives real social and industry impact. The successful Mumbai Second Edition reaffir the industry’s trust in this vision and the growing relevance of India as a global force in experiential hospitality.”
The evening featured special acknowledgements of key industry stakeholders whose presence and contributions underscored the significance of the Second Mumbai edition. Among those specially mentioned were Rajiv Kapoor, General Manager, Fairmont Mumbai; Suvir Saran, renowned Chef, Author & Food Consultant; Hitesh Keswani, Managing Director, Aspect Hospitality; Vedant Malik, Owner, Mizu Izakaya; Anmol Malik and Ada Malik, talented daughters of Indian music composer Anu Malik; Parvez Damania, Aviation Consultant & Former Founder of Damania Airways; and Samir Malkani, FBAI Lifestyle. Their participation reflected the strong engagement and cross-section of leadership from across the hospitality, restaurant and allied industries.
Launched just one and a half years ago, the DLC Guide has swiftly emerged as one of the most credible and transparent platfor in the hospitality sector. In this short span, it has established a robust presence across 5 countries including New York, Dubai, London, Singapore and Bangkok and 9 major global cities including Mumbai, Delhi, Pune, Bengaluru and Chennai. Within just 18 months, the Guide has recognised 99+ standout restaurants and hotels worldwide, evaluated by a distinguished panel of 74+ independent auditors, marking it as the first Indian-origin global credit rating system to gain widespread international acceptance and disrupt traditional frameworks within the food & beverage and hospitality industries.
Looking ahead, the DLC Guide will continue to strengthen its role as a global hospitality credit rating platform, with forthcoming editions planned across additional Indian and international markets. Building on the momentum of the Mumbai Second Edition, the platform ai to further deepen industry engagement, expand its independent audit network, and contribute meaningfully to conversations around global standards, transparency and long-term excellence in hospitality.
