With the attitude that 'guest is God', this Mumbai restaurant excels at exuberant hospitality.
When Aditya Dugar – who co-founded Masque alongside his wife Aditi Dugar – first went to visit the space which now houses the restaurant, the landlord was apprehensive. "It was cavernous and empty, basically a shed," he says. "It's in the heart of Mumbai, but it's tucked away down a little lane, maybe 300 metres from the main road."
It took multiple meetings, and one home-cooked meal, for the landlord to be convinced that Aditi and Aditya could transform the former factory into a hospitality venue. Ten years and multiple accolades later, it's safe to say the Masque team has proven its point.
In 2020, Masque won the One To Watch Award, as part of Asia's 50 Best Restaurants 2020. "Winning that award was validation for all the madness we'd gone through and for all the effort the whole team put in," Aditya says. "We were trying to do something that no one was doing. The win showed us we were on the right path."
After winning the One To Watch Award in 2020, Masque quickly entered the ranks of Asia's 50 Best Restaurants
In 2021, Masque entered the ranking of Asia's 50 Best Restaurants for the first time and has remained there ever since, coming in at No.19 in 2025. In 2026, the restaurant gains a new addition to its trophy cabinet: the Art of Hospitality Award.
The guest is God...
Aditya likens the experience of stepping through the small black door and entering Masque to climbing through the wardrobe and finding yourself in Narnia. "There's a real element of surprise in stepping into this massive space," he notes.
Inside, service is warm and lively. "When we travel and go to fine-dining restaurants, it's always an atmosphere of pin-drop silence," Aditi says. "But noise, chaos, energy – they're all key to life in India. If dining at Masque meant dining in perfect silence, it wouldn't be an authentic experience."
For all its exuberance, the service remains highly considered. This reflects wider cultural attitudes, explains head chef Varun Totlani: "In India, it's believed that the guest is God. That's how we've all grown up. We watched our parents going above and beyond so guests would feel welcome in their home."
To create a similar feeling at Masque, the leadership team works hard to foster a sense of belonging in all the staff. In turn, this allows staff to welcome diners as if they were inviting friends into their own spaces. "That's the reason they go the extra mile and have a personal conversation with people," says Totlani. 
Dishes at Masque celebrate the best of Indian produce
The sense of welcome extends beyond the dining room, with guests invited to enjoy one of their courses in the kitchen. There's a photo opportunity alongside the team's memory wall, where gifts and cards from former guests are displayed alongside the restaurant's various trophies. A polaroid of this moment is given to the guests along with their menu at the end of the meal.
"We've heard from some guests that they now have nine of those photos on their fridge," laughs Totlani. The chef recently saw a video from an influencer, whose Masque photo was proudly on display as part of a home decor campaign.
"We want to build memories, and things like that build these memories. This is the kind of hospitality we want to offer."
... but the team is crucial too
Ten years since opening, Aditi and Aditya are proud of how many staff have been on board from the beginning. This includes Totlani, who began as a commis chef in 2016, before rising to sous chef in 2021 and head chef in 2022. "We find that if a staff member successfully completes the first three months, they end up staying for a very long time," Totlani says.
The chef estimates that between 20 and 25 of the current staff have been with Masque from its inception, with a handful of former housekeeping staff now working as chef de parties. "Even our accountant has stayed on since the start. Now, he's our CFO."
Details like this metal divider nod to Masque's history as a former factory
"Neither Aditi nor I like to puppeteer our team," adds Aditya. "There's nothing holding our staff back, and I think that's what motivates them. When you're not putting shackles on creative people, that's when they feel free to really push it and achieve more."
Local flavours
Rather than focusing on one regional cuisine, the Masque tasting menu uses techniques, flavours and ingredients from across India, from Goan seaweed to Kashmiri chilli. The team travels widely, meeting with producers and communities across the country to better understand India's culinary richness. "There's still a lot more to explore," says Totlani, who is planning research trips to the eastern state of Odisha and to the country's north east.
Knowledge and inspiration gained on their travels is then distilled in Masque Lab, a multi-use space on the same site as the main restaurant. Here, they experiment with pickling and fermentation, creating their own black garlic and other ingredients which become building blocks for flavour across the dishes. "Sometimes we'll do a course that highlights something from the lab, but sometimes we don't really talk about it and it's just how we amp up flavour," Totlani explains.
Downstairs in the lab is a chef's table space with seating for 14, which is also used for special events. The team has welcomed an array of guest chefs, from celebrated names to regional experts (such as women from the Koli fishing community in Mumbai) and even home cooks – including Aditi's mum.
There's a real lack of pretension in the team's desire to uncover new flavours. "The great thing about Masque Lab is all the fun people you're working with," says Aditi. 
Innovation comes from Masque Lab, the on-site space where Totlani and his team experiment with new flavours
"It's not just famous chefs. No matter who we collaborate with, we can borrow from their traditions, learn from their history and their grandmother's recipes, and use this to inform our own understanding of modern Indian cuisine."
Masque 2.0
Looking ahead to the next 10 years, the team has decided it's time for a refresh. "We did consider moving, but everyone we mentioned it to wanted us to stay," says Aditya.
Aditya keeps his cards close to his chest, sharing only that the space will close for just over three months from the end of April and will reopen with a fresh look. "Those three months will give us some time to reflect on everything we've been through in the last 10 years," adds Totlani. "Of course, we'll head out and explore new places, but that time will also give us a chance to plan the next decade."
Despite all this change, one thing will remain constant. "Obviously, the food is going to be as banging as ever," reassures Aditya.
The full list of special award winners and the 1-50 ranking will be revealed from Hong Kong on 25 March 2026.
