The Big F Awards 2026 Winners
New Delhi, Delhi, India: The 13th edition of The Big F Awards concluded at The Westin, Gurgaon, bringing atogether accomplished professionals, emerging talent and enterprising brands from across India’s culinary and hospitality landscape. More than a celebration of achievement, this year’s edition reaffirmed the platform’s core principle: recognition must be earned through a credible and rigorous evaluation process.
At the heart of The Big F Awards is a jury-led approach designed to place merit ahead of visibility, reputation or commercial scale. The awards follow a structured and independent evaluation process, with entries assessed through successive rounds of screening and scoring against defined parameters including originality, execution, consistency, quality and sectoral relevance. The framework is designed to ensure that every participant is assessed on the strength of their work, rather than their profile, popularity or market presence.
The jury for the 13th edition comprised Chef Nita Mehta, Chef Manisha Bhasin, Chef Ashish Bhasin, Chef Sabyasachi Gorai, Pawan Soni, Diwan Gautam Anand, Siddharth Jalan, Zorawar Kalra, Sameer Bawa, Khurafati Nitin, Sourish Bhattacharya, Rocky Singh and Anirudh Singhal. Bringing together experience across cuisine, hospitality, media and business, the panel applied a common evaluation framework to assess the nominees and arrive at the final results.
Importantly, the process is built to create a level playing field. Commercial size, public visibility and geographical location do not determine recognition. The platform actively seeks to bring deserving work into consideration, including independent ventures, emerging professionals, newer businesses and establishments that may not always receive the same visibility as larger or more established names.
The awards also maintain a clear separation between participation and recognition. There are no nomination fees and no pay-to-participate mechanisms, reinforcing the principle that an award should be a result of merit rather than commercial participation. Winners are not disclosed in advance, with the final results remaining confidential until they are announced at the awards ceremony.
Speaking after the ceremony, Pawan Soni, Host, The Big F Awards, said, “Thirteen editions have reinforced our belief that credibility cannot be created through a trophy or an announcement; it comes from the process behind it. This year, in the 6-month long process the jury evaluated nominations with the same discipline across categories, looking closely at the work, its consistency, execution and relevance. What stood out was the diversity of talent—from established names to smaller ventures and professionals receiving national recognition for the first time. That is precisely what we want The Big F Awards to stand for: a platform where deserving work has an opportunity to be recognised on merit, irrespective of visibility or scale.”
The 13th edition saw participation from independent ventures, established organisations, chefs, restaurateurs and emerging businesses across multiple regions and formats. The broad participation model reflects the awards’ continued effort to identify and recognise excellence beyond conventional industry circles.
The recipients included Megu, who won League of Legends Awards, followed by Nisaba in the Noteworthy Newcomer category. Inja received the Restaurant of the Year distinction, while Best Cocktail Bar, Cocktail Menu of the year and Best Debut Bar were presented to AaBbCc.concept. Further honours went to Porus Arora for Restaurateur of the Year and Sahil Sambhi for Nightlife Entrepreneur of the Year.
Highlights from the evening included Chef Manish Mehrotra, Chef Harpal Singh Sokhi, Rocky Mohan, Chef Manisha Bhasin, Siddharth Jalan, and Zorawar Kalra, amongst other dignitaries attending the presentation ceremony.
As The Big F Awards closes its 13th edition, its focus remains unchanged: to build recognition around work that stands up to scrutiny. The platform will continue to expand its outreach for the next edition, bringing a wider pool of professionals, establishments and businesses into a process where credibility, consistency and merit remain at the centre of recognition.
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