Listicle: 10 restaurants that serve bugs and grubs
Papa's, Mumbai. Chef Hussain Shahzad's 12-seater restaurant is known for many things: Being on Time Magazine's World's greatest places list, for its mad rush when reservations open, for its hard-to-categorise Indian food. And for Bugs Bunny: Wild rabbit marinated in red weaver-ant chutney, delicately sauced with black pepper, cumin and sumac. The chutney, which has a GI tag, comes all the way from Odisha. Delish, at least that's what we've heard. Papa's Bugs Bunny comprises wild rabbit in red weaver-ant chutney. (INSTAGRAM/@PAPASBOMBAY) Quintonil in Mexico City serves avocado tartare with a side of ant larvae. (INSTAGRAM/@REST_QUINTONIL)
Quintonil, Mexico City. Mexican food is more than just tacos, nachos, and quesadillas. Why not try an avocado tartare with a side of ant larvae? Or a salsa made of stink bugs? Or fish barbecued in a grasshopper marinade? These are the stand-out insect-themed dishes that chef Jorge Vallejo serves at his two-Michelin-star restaurant. Rumour has it that the food is so good, it brings diners to tears. Takeo in Tokyo has a waterbug cider ice cooler on the menu. (INSTAGRAM/@TAKEO.TOKYO)
Takeo, Tokyo. At first glance, it's like any other Japanese café – cosy, lit by warm lights, and impossibly well-styled food displays. Look closer. The shelves are stocked with packets of ready-to-eat crispy locusts, bamboo worms, and chocolate-covered black crickets. From the menu, you can order bee lemon sodas, a waterbug cider ice cooler, cricket pastas, and grilled silkworm sausages. They also advise you how to whip up your own edible insect meals. High-key sounds good. Inoveat in Paris serves gourmet dishes with organic, farm-grown bugs. (INSTAGRAM/@RESTAURANT.INOVEAT)
Inoveat, Paris. This French restaurant prides itself on presenting bugs gourmet style. So, chef Laurent Veyet serves his special bao made with ground cricket flour, puffed worm cocktails, and cranberry cookies studded with insects. The bugs come from French farms and are fed organic produce. Veyet says his goal is to prove that consuming insects is a healthy, sustainable choice. And it can be haute cuisine too. The menu at Fura Bar, Singapore includes spicy, mealworm margarita. (INSTAGRAM/@FURA.SG)
Fura Bar, Singapore. Who hasn't, at some point, craved a jellyfish-and-quail martini, or a 90-day fermented pumpkin and pineapple wine, right? The bar serves both, but the big draw is the spicy, mealworm margarita. 'We want to create new ways of eating and drinking that make sense of the climate we have now,' founder Sasha Wijidessa says in promo interviews. After the Singapore Food Agency approved a range of insects for human consumption in 2024, the pickings have been easier. Fire ants have become a signature item on the menu at Farmlore. (INSTAGRAM/@FARMLORE.IN)
Farmlore, Bengaluru. Fire ants, which are part of Kodagu and Coorgi cuisine, have become a signature item on the menu at Farmlore. They adorn a meringue and salad, and are blended into a sorbet. Their taste, locals believe, differs according to the trees they're collected from, which are usually mango or lemon trees. Protein-rich, they add just the right amount of citrusy punch to a dish. At Akkee in Bangkok, you can enjoy shiny, soft ant eggs in curries. (INSTAGRAM/@AKKEE.THAIDELICACIES)
Akkee, Bangkok. At the Michelin-starred restaurant, the starters are pretty epic: Crunchy coconut worms, nutty-tasting baby cicadas, roasted subterranean ants, crispy cockchafers. Shiny, soft ant eggs are dunked into curries, tossed into stir-fries, and ground into an omelette. They taste creamy, silky, and tart, diners say. Thai chef Sittikorn Ou Chantop hopes that more people discover insect cuisine. At D.O.M., Amazonian leaf-cutter ants are served on a thick slice of pineapple. (INSTAGRAM/@D.O.M.RESTAURANTE)
D.O.M., São Paulo. Alex Atala, one of Brazil's most famous chefs, has been promoting entomophagy for a decade. At D.O.M., Amazonian leaf-cutter ants are served on a thick slice of pineapple as a starter in the tasting menu. They taste gingery, according to the chef, who discovered them when he was visiting tribals deep inside a remote region in the Amazon. In the culinary world, that pineapple-topped-ant is legendary. At Philadelphia's Cantina La Martina, you can enjoy worm tacos. (SHUTTERSTOCK)
Cantina La Martina, Philadelphia. When Philly diners step into Dionicio Jiménez's restaurant, they ask for the 'special tacos', made with agave worm, a Mexican specialty. There's also a braised pork shank served in cauliflower ant puree, and steak served with chimichurri-drizzled chapulines. Jiménez recalls how his mum would swap apples for the addictive, salty chapulines at snack time. Time to rethink those Lays. Alchemist in Copenhagen serves cheese covered with live bugs and edible butterflies. (INSTAGRAM/@RESTAURANTALCHEMIST)
Alchemist, Copenhagen. Here, food meets science, art, and technology… and some shock value. The tasting menu, which takes hours to get through, is dramatic: Cheese covered with live bugs, edible butterflies on nettle leaves, frozen honey with a single ant inside. They've also served ray jellyfish and freeze-dried lamb cranium. But that's another list, for another day.
From HT Brunch, June 28, 2025
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