Lakeside Fine Dining at Tribute, Udaipur

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Food is such an important part of the tours we do. Normally, when I and Sarah tour some place we check for some of the best restaurants that we could find. Even before we had thought of Udaipur, I had a word with one of my friends Zeyd on Udaipur. Since he is originally from Udaipur, we had a long chat on how Udaipur would be a great place for us to holiday and travel. It was then, that he had recommended me Tribute restaurant that offers lakeside fine dining. So, the first thing that I noted in my diary was this place. I’m glad that he did because it was definitely worth the experience.

The funny thing that happened to us is that a lot of people including Zeyd told us that Udaipur is a small town. Hence, two or three days would be enough to cover it all. However, after we settled in our Airbnb homestay in Udaipur, we realized that we had a very tight schedule. The funny part is that we had more than a week, but we had so many activities to do. So, the only way we could squeeze in some restaurant reviews is to do it after evening hours.

So, the moment we returned home after completing our activities we decided to take an hourly break. Then we would freshen up again and head towards our dinner destination. Tribute restaurant was on our recommendation list. So we had no option but to head here on our first lakeside fine dining experience. This was the night before we actually went to Sajjangarh Biological Park and the Monsoon Palace.

The Journey:

One of the major issues that we had with going to Tribute restaurant is that it was our first night in Udaipur. Hence, we had little knowledge about the roads and the nightlife. It was already around nine but we booked an Uber. Tribute restaurant was quite a distance from our homestay location, but I was memorizing all the roads as we pass.

Internally, I was on an alert mode because I was with my wife in an Uber driving through unknown streets in a city that I am visiting for the first time. However, in few minutes we reached our destination and all my fear had vanished in thin air. It was now time for some lakeside fine dining.

First Impression:

The first impression was definitely good. Although, I believe that they should add more lighting I am overall happy with the décor. Tribute has two options: AC and outdoor lakeside seats. Since we were interested in lakeside fine dining we chose the obvious: the outdoor seats.

Okay, before I begin with the food menu and the photo tour, let me start with some trivia and history. When the menu was provided, Sarah was busy looking at the food items on the list, but what stuck me was the history. It was then, that I came to know why this restaurant is named Tribute. So, let me tell you why.

The restaurant has a fine equine décor and is a ‘tribute’ to ‘Chetak’, Maharana Pratap’s legendary horse. Chetak is known for its heroism and loyalty. Hence, the restaurant has the tag line: The Horse Who’s Devotion Defied Death.

A Quick Bite from the History:

It was during the Battle of Haldighati that Chetak jumped and planted his hooves on the face of the war elephant of Man Singh I of Amber allowing Maharana Pratap to strike a deadly blow. However, during this move, Chetak was wounded severely in one of its legs. Despite the injuries, Chetak led Maharana Pratap to a safe location across the river and helped him escape the battlefield and eventually succumb to his injuries.

Can you spot Chetak in the painting below based on the history information I mentioned above? If you do, please mention it in the comment section.

Okay back to the lakeside fine dining experience. So, in terms of location, the restaurant is located right at the edge of the old city. It does not have the City Palace view like some of the other lakeside fine dining restaurants in Udaipur offer. However, it still provides a great experience when you come here for dinner.

The vibe was very romantic and relaxed which is more important than the view. The beautiful red table lit with antique lamp instantly makes you fall in love with it. On the other side of the lake was the old city and the Chandpole Bride at a distance with lights underneath it was looking beautiful. Udaipur certainly serves as one of the best places for winter honeymoon in India. Hence, you can always visit this restaurant for a lakeside dining experience.

Since we are not foodies, we usually skip the starters and go for the main course. However, we chose to go for kebabs here. They have a great menu that covers soups, starters, ethnic and international main course meals, and desserts. However, we ordered Laal Maans (the Red Meat) along with Plain Naans (flat breads) based on recommendation. The papads came in complimentary so that’s a good thing on the part of the restaurant. While the food was getting ready we took our turns to click pictures.

The food as recommended was really good. So, we had a great time enjoying our meal while we were busy wondering how to take pictures in such low light conditions. The music in the background was an added bonus. Also, I would like to mention that the service was excellent. Having worked in the hospitality industry I am keen on how good or bad the service is. I was good to see some great service here.

Unfortunately, since we came late we no other option but to spend very little time at the Tribute restaurant and cut short our lakeside fine dining experience. It was important to sleep early as we had planned our Sajjangarh Biological Park and Monsoon Palace tour the next morning. However, couples visiting Udaipur must definitely give this place a try and make the most out of the evening meals.

Hope you liked the mini tour of our dinner at the Tribute restaurant.