Koregaon Park’s Newest Restaurant FARRO Goes Back to Basics

There’s a lot to say about FARRO, but it’s best to start with the grain itself. An ancient staple that travelled from Egypt to India, Italy, and the Middle East, farro, commonly known in India as khapli, makes up the crux of this new Koregaon Park diner, both in name and philosophy. Chef Vardaan Marwah and entrepreneur Aman Talreja have built a space that is both deeply personal and historically aware, travelling through time with a precise, ingredient-driven approach to cooking.

The Space

The interiors lean into an elemental aesthetic: lime-plastered walls in soft beige, curvilinear forms, and earthy textures that are deliberately calm. A striking highlight wall, lined with handmade clay cups, nods to traditional craft, while Za Works’ murals display a slightly coloured take on ancient cave paintings.

Above the outdoor section, actual farro grains hang from the ceiling. Wood, terracotta, and plenty of foliage keep things airy and warm, creating an atmosphere that’s rooted in the past but far from old-fashioned.

The Food

FARRO’s menu is arranged into three sections—einkorn, emmer, and spelt, referencing the varying sizes of the grain. The dishes, though spanning diverse geographies the grain has touched, are also stirred with personal significance for the chef. “[They] are inspired by my childhood favourites and family recipes and carry so much warmth,” says Marwah.

The Nani’s Mutton Kheema Pao is a wonderful case of this—a deeply dear recipe turned into fine dining with parmesan foam, a crunchy poached egg, and buttery brioche. It maintains the intimacy of home cooking but isn’t afraid to turn it on its head. The Chef’s Favourite Chips function similarly as a messy, wonderful tangle—nachos reimagined in gold, purple, and white, topped with ezme, tahina, chickpeas, avocado, and a signature FARRO masala.

Even when a dish doesn’t draw from Marwah’s own life, it is stacked with a distinctively Indian experience that can’t help but strike a chord with its diners and still surprise them nevertheless. The Avocado Bhel for example, takes apart the familiar street snack and rebuilds it with charred corn, pickled apple, puffed sorghum granola, and a spiced mango sorbet that brings sweetness and acidity in equal measure. The Kashmiri bakery-inspired Bread and Butter is another such example, typically the first to grace the table, and featuring sun-dried tomato and black fermented garlic butter.

The Drinks

The restaurant’s cocktail menu, 11, features an eclectic mix of spirits and spices, each of the eleven drinks built with a clear narrative and inspired by a region farro has shaped. Saturn Vine takes cues from ancient Roman feasting culture, with tequila reposado, basil, cherry tomato, orgeat, and a red wine float that ties it all together.

 

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Geisha No Hana is all about balance—white rum, gold rum, yuzu, grapefruit, pineapple—crafted to capture the refined, layered beauty of a geisha’s performance. And my personal favourite, Sone Ki Chidiya is an edible tribute to India’s wealth of flavours with coconut gin, kokum, tamarind, mango, sweet lime, saffron.

The Dessert

The dessert menu doesn’t appear tied to the restaurant’s overarching story, but that hardly matters when the execution is this sharp. Conceptualised by Marwah and sous-pastry chef Priyamvada Atmakuri, these are desserts that call attention. Chef’s Kiss, layers red berry sorbet (made with a mould of the chef’s actual lips!), chocolate cremeux, grain cookie, and raspberry snow, while the Burnt Milk Ice cream leans into toasty, caramelised notes with Kerala vanilla.

 

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Both chefs explained each plated delicacy to us like they couldn’t be prouder. The duo rolled their eyes, when asked if they’d seen The Bear, but their dynamic certainly shares that same frenetic brilliance as Sydney and Carmy. Nowhere near as chaotic as on the show, of course, there’s an undeniable energy in their approach—a deep focus, a refusal to cut corners.

The two are truly cooking up a storm in Koregaon Park’s dining scene in spite of all the restaurant’s austerity. Every decision at FARRO, from the menu’s structure to the careful restraint in its dishes, points back to the grain that inspired it all. It’s a restaurant that respects history, both culinary and personal, while making a case for simplicity done right.

Luxebook Recommends: Nani’s Mutton Kheema Pao, Charred Maghrebi Prawns, Chef’s Favourite Chips. Sone Ki Chidiya.

Shop 1/2, 357/1, Lane No. 6, Meera Nagar Garden Society, Meera Nagar, Koregaon Park, Pune, Maharashtra 411001.