Tandoor Ban in Delhi Amid Record‑Breaking Air Pollution Spike

Discover expert opinions

Story 1 - Core impact & operations

Sandeep Sharma, F&B Manager at The Orchid Hotel Chandigarh

Do you believe the flavour and authenticity of tandoor-based cuisine can truly be replicated without traditional tandoors?

Traditional clay tandoors create a unique combination of intense heat, live fire, and smoke that gives tandoori cuisine its signature flavour, aroma, and char. Modern alternatives like electric tandoors, gas ovens, or combi-ovens can replicate appearance and texture to an extent, but they struggle to deliver the same depth of smokiness and rustic authenticity. Skilled chefs can bridge the gap using marinades, smoking techniques, and precise temperature control, yet seasoned diners often notice the difference. While substitutes ensure consistency and compliance, complete authenticity remains difficult to achieve without a traditional tandoor.

Have diners reacted to changes in taste, pricing, or availability since the ban was enforced?

Diner responses following the ban have been mixed. Food enthusiasts and regular patrons have noticed subtle changes in taste, especially reduced smokiness, while casual diners are generally more accepting. Some guests have expressed concerns over slightly higher prices and limited availability of certain classic tandoor dishes due to increased operational costs and menu adjustments. However, transparent communication around health, safety, and environmental benefits has helped ease concerns. Over time, diners tend to adapt, as long as overall food quality, hygiene, and the dining experience remain consistent.

Input by Chef Kishor Singh Sous Chef at Namak Indian Restaurant & Bar, Greenville, US

How has the ban on coal/firewood tandoors immediately impacted your kitchen operations and menu planning?

The ban has had an immediate and tangible impact on daily kitchen operations. Coal and firewood tandoors are central to the workflow of many Indian kitchens, especially for breads, kebabs, and signature tandoori dishes. With the ban enforced, kitchens have had to pause or modify key menu items, adjust cooking timelines, and rethink sequencing during peak service hours. In some cases, availability of popular dishes like naan, kulcha, and tandoori starters was temporarily limited while teams experimented with alternative methods. Menu planning has become more cautious, focusing on dishes that can be executed consistently without compromising quality. There has also been added pressure on staff to adapt quickly, retrain on new equipment, and manage customer expectations during this transition.

Are electric or gas-based alternatives viable for you in terms of taste, cost, and scalability? Why or why not?

Electric and gas-based tandoors are viable to an extent, but they come with trade-offs. From a taste perspective, they can deliver consistency and hygiene, but often lack the depth of smokiness and char associated with traditional tandoors. Cost is another concern—initial investment, higher energy bills, and maintenance can strain margins, particularly for smaller operators. In terms of scalability, these alternatives work better for controlled, high-volume environments like chains or hotels, but are less flexible for small kitchens with space and power constraints. While they offer a compliant and cleaner solution, replicating the traditional experience at scale remains challenging without further innovation and support.

Chef Saurabh Sharma Sarswat, Executive Sous Chef at Namak Indian Restaurant & Bar, Dallas, US

How has the ban on coal/firewood tandoors immediately impacted your kitchen operations and menu planning?

The ban has accelerated a fundamental shift in how the kitchen operates. Rather than disrupting service, it has pushed teams to streamline processes and reduce dependence on a single cooking format. Menus have been revisited with a sharper focus on efficiency, portion control, and faster turnaround times. Some traditionally tandoor-driven dishes were reimagined using ovens, planchas, or pan-searing techniques, opening space for new interpretations and formats. While there was an initial learning curve, the change has encouraged better planning, tighter inventory management, and more predictable output during peak hours. Operationally, it has reduced reliance on manual fire control and improved consistency across services.

Are electric or gas-based alternatives viable for you in terms of taste, cost, and scalability? Why or why not?

From this perspective, electric and gas-based alternatives are increasingly viable and, in some ways, advantageous. While they may not deliver identical smokiness, they allow chefs to control temperature with greater precision, resulting in uniform cooking and reduced wastage. Over time, the cost equation can improve due to lower fuel handling, reduced labour intensity, and better energy monitoring. In terms of scalability, these systems are easier to replicate across multiple outlets, ensuring standardisation without depending heavily on highly specialised tandoor chefs. Although the flavour profile evolves slightly, many diners value consistency, hygiene, and speed, making modern alternatives a practical solution for long-term operations.

Rakesh Kumar Sharma, Executive Chef at IRA by Orchid Noida

How has the ban on coal/firewood tandoors immediately impacted your kitchen operations and menu planning?

In our hotel, we use a gas tandoor, and since the opening of the property, we have not operated a charcoal or firewood tandoor. As a result, the ban has not had any immediate impact on our kitchen operations or menu planning. Our existing gas-based setup already complies with regulations while allowing us to maintain consistency, efficiency, and quality across our offerings.

Are electric or gas-based alternatives viable for you in terms of taste, cost, and scalability? Why or why not?

A gas oven is a practical and easy-to-use solution for us. It helps maintain the texture and flavour of breads and kebabs while offering precise heat control and consistency. While the smoky flavour is slightly reduced compared to traditional methods, careful preparation and seasoning allow us to recreate and balance the original taste effectively.

From an operational standpoint, gas ovens offer significant advantages in terms of safety and cost efficiency. With a reliable pipeline supply, kitchen operations run more smoothly and challenges are easier to manage. This also makes gas-based systems highly scalable across multiple professional kitchens.

Overall, we see the gas tandoor as a future-oriented choice—one that balances taste, safety, and efficiency without compromising on quality. It provides our chefs with creative freedom while supporting more sustainable and streamlined operations.

Story 2 - Culinary authenticity & customer experience

Sandeep Singh, Founder, Rubystone Hospitality

Do you believe the flavour and authenticity of tandoor-based cuisine can truly be replicated without traditional tandoors?

The tandoor offers more than heat and cooking—but also airflow, clay composition, and live fire (an entire ecosystem). Tandoors are traditionally operated between 400 and 480 degrees Celsius, allowing for instant surface oxidation/fumigating of moisture within meat and bread while preventing it from escaping; this is something a convection oven or an electric tandoor simply cannot do as proficiently. As well, these porous types of tandoors continue to absorb fats and spices over time, building up a 'seasoned memory' that enhances all subsequent dishes prepared within them.

Modern methods utilising gas and electric tandoors or ceramic grills may produce aesthetically similar products (textural and attractive), yet they lack the distinctive 'flavour' obtained through burning wood or charcoal produced by tandoor fires. While some resemblance may be possible using these methods, the essence of traditional tandoor cooking, such as the blistered pockets of naan bread along with mineral notes from the clay, cannot fully able to be fully imitated. What is achievable is 'evolved authenticity', the preservation of core flavours, while adapting to the environmental and regulatory evolution of today's consumer demands.

Have diners reacted to changes in taste, pricing, or availability since the ban was enforced?

Responses from diners have been mixed. Regular diners seem to focus on small adjustments in smoky flavour and cooking time with food (especially on items such as naans and kebabs), whereas casual diners tend to place more emphasis on how food looks and the overall dining experience. Equipment upgrades and ongoing training for existing employees have caused some upward pressure on prices, but with increased transparency around what customers will get, there has been a reduction in customers' resistance to these changes. On a different note, limited quantities of particular tandoor items are generating higher demand and a sense of value due to scarcity. Overall, there is an increased acceptance of innovation, with diners moving toward the acceptance of safety, sustainability, and creative reinterpretation of menu items for good reason; moving forward, customers view these types of changes favourably and are open-minded rather than seeing innovations as a compromise.

Vikas Deep Rathour Executive Chef The Imperia by Dhaba, USA

Do you believe the flavour and authenticity of tandoor-based cuisine can truly be replicated without traditional tandoors?

Traditional tandoors are not just cooking equipment; they are central to the soul of tandoor-based cuisine. The intense radiant heat, live fire, and clay walls of a traditional tandoor create a unique interaction between smoke, heat, and marinated ingredients that is extremely difficult to replicate fully with modern alternatives. While electric tandoors, gas ovens, and combi-ovens can come close in terms of texture and consistency, they often lack the subtle smokiness, char, and depth of flavour that define authentic tandoori dishes. Authenticity is as much about the sensory experience as it is about technique. That said, innovation has allowed chefs to adapt—using controlled smoking methods, spice layering, and finishing techniques—to preserve the essence of tandoori flavours, even if the process itself evolves.

Have diners reacted to changes in taste, pricing, or availability since the ban was enforced?

Diners have been perceptive and vocal about the changes. Regular patrons, especially those familiar with traditional tandoori flavours, have noticed subtle shifts in taste and aroma, particularly in signature items like tandoori chicken and naan. While many appreciate the efforts restaurants have made to comply with regulations and maintain consistency, there has been an initial sense of nostalgia and disappointment among purists. Pricing has also seen a marginal increase due to higher operational costs, equipment upgrades, and longer preparation times, which some diners have questioned. However, transparency from restaurants has helped manage expectations. Over time, availability has stabilised, and diners have become more accepting, prioritising safety, sustainability, and hygiene alongside taste. Ultimately, the emotional connection to tandoor-cooked food remains strong, and diners continue to seek authenticity—whether through traditional methods or thoughtful modern adaptations.

Chef Avinash Gupta Head Bakery and Pastry Chef at SEED & BLOOM, Abu Dhabi

Do you believe the flavour and authenticity of tandoor-based cuisine can truly be replicated without traditional tandoors?

The traditional tandoor is fundamental to the character of tandoor-based cuisine. Its clay structure, live fire, and extremely high temperatures create a distinctive interplay of smoke, char, and caramelisation that is difficult to fully reproduce with modern equipment. Electric or gas-based alternatives can deliver consistency and safety, but they often fall short on the subtle smoky aroma and blistered textures that define authentic tandoori breads and kebabs. While skilled chefs can approximate these flavours using techniques such as controlled smoking, spice layering, and post-cook charring, the experience is more of a reinterpretation than a true replica. Authenticity, in this sense, is not only about taste but also about process, tradition, and emotional connection.

Have diners reacted to changes in taste, pricing, or availability since the ban was enforced?

Diner response has been mixed but vocal. Regular patrons with a strong attachment to traditional tandoori flavours have noticed slight changes in aroma, texture, and overall depth of flavour in certain dishes. Some have expressed disappointment, particularly with classics like naan and tandoori chicken. Pricing has also inched upward at some establishments due to equipment upgrades, increased energy costs, and slower preparation times, prompting questions from value-conscious customers. That said, many diners have shown understanding, especially when restaurants communicate the reasons behind the changes. Over time, availability has stabilised and expectations have adjusted, with a growing section of customers prioritising health, compliance, and sustainability alongside taste.

Chef Ananya Banerjee, Globetrotting Chef | Author | Culinary Influencer

Do you believe the flavour and authenticity of tandoor-based cuisine can truly be replicated without traditional tandoors?

The flavour and authenticity of tandoor-based cuisine is widely considered very difficult to replicate perfectly without traditional clay and coal/wood-fired ovens. Traditional tandoors — especially clay ovens heated by coal or wood- produce very high, uneven radiant heat that chars naan, rotis, kebabs, and tikkas in a way that creates deep caramelisation and a signature smoky char.

Modern gas or electric tandoors can reach similar temperatures, but they lack the same smoke profile and heat dynamics, so the flavour and texture of the dishes tend to be cleaner but less intensely smoky.

Have diners reacted to changes in taste, pricing, or availability since the ban was enforced?

- Although this ban is very recent (e.g., Delhi’s new ban on coal/firewood tandoors under pollution control measures), there are already several themes emerging. Diners and food lovers notice a difference in aroma and taste, describing the newer gas/electric versions as “less smoky” or “cleaner” but missing that traditional tandoori depth.

- Smaller eateries and street vendors are concerned about the financial burden of switching to gas/electric tandoors. Many of these alternatives are more expensive to install and operate, and some worry this may lead to higher prices for customers over time.

- Smaller establishments may modify or reduce tandoori items if they can’t fit compliant equipment into their kitchens

Story 3 - Business & policy perspective

Hemant Vishnu Angane, Corporate F&B Manager, Suba Hotels Limited