List of street food of Delhi

One of my readers requested for a list of places to eat in Delhi. I still think that no matter how swanky the restaurant you go to, one has not experienced the city if you have not tried the street food. Here are a list of things to try and places to try from in Delhi. (Please note: The credit for this list goes to indiamike).

I admit, I have not tried all but I'm working on crossing it off my list. If the foodie in you does take you to the places listed. And let me know how the experience was!

1. Kulfi at Dulichand, Chawri Bazaar
2. Kallu ke Nihari: Chatta Lal Miyan, Chawri Bazaar
3. Chatpati Biryani, of Mota Biryaniwala. 701 Haveli Azam Khan, Chowk Chitli Qabar, Chawri Bazaar
4. Israeli cuisine: Sam's, Paharganj
5. Maas Tenga and Thali at Jakoi, Assam Bhawan, Sardar Patel Marg
6. Khurchan and Tomato Paranthas: Parantha gully, Chadni Chowk
7. Firni: Balimaran, Chadni Chowk
8. Bortz and Kompot: Bline Russian Restaurant, Shop 15, DDA Market, opp C block, Anand Niketan. Nearest Metro AIIMS
9. Biryani: Haji Noor Mohammed Biryaniwale, Elaichi Wali Gali, near Turkman Gate. ALSO Manpasand Turkish Kebops and Doner: Anatolia K39 Central Market, Lajpat Nagar II
10. Kashmiri Wazwan cuisine: Dilli Haat
11. Pork extravaganza: Naga Stall, Dilli Haat ALSO Rosang, Safdarjung Enclave
12. Kale Baba ke Kabab: Chawri Bazaar
13. Lemon Bunta: Pandit Vedaprakash Lemon Wale, near Town Hall, Chadni Chowk
14. Rabri Falooda: Giani's Church Mission Street
15. Korean food: Dokebi Nara, Paharganj
16. Chole Bature: Sitaram Diwan Chand, Paharganj
17. Ustaad Moinuddin ke kabab: Galli Quasim Jan, corner of Lalkuan Bazaar, Chawri Bazaar
18. Kulle ki chaat: Hira lal Chaat wale / Jugal Kishore Ramji Lal, Chawri Bazaar
19. Kheer: Bade Miyan, Chawri Bazaar
20. Beef fry, meen (fish) fry: Kerala Hotel, INA Market
21. Haji Noora ki Nihari: Bara Hindu Rao, near Pool Bangash Metro
22. Cakes and such: German Bakery, Paharganj
23. Mutton Curry: Ashok and Ashok, Paharganj
24. Mutton dal, butter chicken and burra: Moti Mahal, Daryaganj
25. Chota Samosas: Scindia House lane, CP
26. Continental lunch: Metropolis, Paharganj
27. Cheesecake: Yum Yum Tree, NFC
28. Mutton Curry and Pulao: Sardar's Meat Shop,
29. Chole Kulche: Lotan ke, Nai Sarak, Barshabulla chowk, ALSO Scindia House
30. Sindhi Thali: Annapurna Bhoj, Church Mission Road
31. Mutton Curry: Moti Dhaba, near Amba cinema, Adarsh Nagar metro
32. Multani moth: Gali number six of Multani Dhanda,near Sheila Cinema, Paharganj
33. Mughlai curries: Al-Zahid Nemat Kada, Sadar Bazar
34. Jalebis: Old Famous Jalebi Wala, Dariba Kalan, Chadni Chowk
35. Kababs: Urdu Bazaar, near Jama Masjid gate 1
36. Milk froth chat: Daulat at Kinari Bazaar
37. Kashmiri kabab: Bulbuli Khana, Bazaar Sitaram
38. Poori-Aloo: Chaina Ram, Church Mission Street
39. Beef Biryani: Jama Masjid gate 1
40. Afghan meal: Krishna Market, Banphul Marg, opp Singh Sabha Gurdwara, Jangpura Metro

Dimsum Bros. - Ambience Mall, Gurgaon

If one wants to try food more evolved than the roadside Momo stands (I have nothing against them, by the way), I would certainly suggest a trip to Dimsum Bros., Ambience Mall, Gurgaon The food will not disappoint you unless, of course, your taste buds have been corrupted by years of Chindian food that is usually served in "Chinese" restaurants in India.

Once you enter the restaurants and your senses settle to the sights and sounds that is quite opposite the the loud and busy scene just outside the restaurant, you will want to stick around. So find yourself a nice Earth-brown or Ivory chair, relax, and get ready to experience the magic.

Dimsum Bros has a fairly decent collections of drinks (Rose and Cucumber Vodka, to name just two) to chose from but before you sip your favorite poison, keep in mind that dimsums are traditionally small serving of food served with green tea and Dimsum Bros. will serve you the complementary tea along with your order. So hold the vino for a little while and savour the food like it is meant to be eaten.


Take your time to chose from the list of 35+ varieties of dim sum - steamed, baked, shallow and pan-fried - and do not hesitate to be greedy. Each dimsum served here, thankfully, tastes different from the other.  If you think that the quantity does not justify the cost, remember that this is food art and it does not sell by the dozen.

So now let me recall some interesting bits from the menu. The "Play boy" or Bunny and Pear-shaped dimsums are a delight to the eyes and the Prawn Har Gow, Beijing Chicken dumpling with home made vinegar were really good.

If you are looking for something other than a dimsum, fear not, there are other things to chose from the menu like the Prawns tempura that add a light crunch to the slightly hot Wasabi Mayo and the stir fried chicken in Saki wine that melts in your mouth before your teeth get working on it---Fabulous!

This post, unfortunately, does not contain any pics; no thanks to my comp crashing a few days ago. *grumble* However, the good news is that I'll be making my third trip there soon. I have to. I have not yet tried EVERYTHING on the menu.

Avg. cost: Rs.1600 for a meal for two.
Rating: 4/5

Knight Rider @ CP, New Delhi

When out on a casual night out and when one is hoping not to spend too much on a "just hanging out" evening, Castle 9 in CP is usually where Delhi-ites head. Erm...so, not really. Now it's an ideal place for couples looking to be left alone and a those stretching their pocket money/salary.

So when my friends and I braved the slightly spooky approach to Castle 9 and found ourselves in Knight Riders (by Castle 9, written right under the sign). Anywho, we went in and saw that the decor was a great improvement, the DJ was playing music that was more dancable than what the nightclubs in Delhi usually play and each table had the menu card as the table mat. Yup, nothing like manu/table mats to bring the whole place fall on its nose.

So lets face the facts, average places = average drinks. The Big Ben (gin, vodka, and tequila in OJ) I ordered for was, well, strictly OK. When it comes to drinks, keep the experimentations for someother place, stick to the basic and do not waste a glace on mocktails and cocktails.

Big Ben

When it comes to the accompanying snacks, I am glad to say that it was a whole lot better than the cocktail I was having trouble sipping. Kung Chao Chicken was fairly good, Chilli Bomb was completely avoidable, but do try the Cottage Chilli Cheese. That was the only great part of the eats and drinks that evening. Another thing worth trying was the potato chips with cheese dressing. Handsliced potato wafers were really good and were great with cheese (though I did painstakingly scoop away the cheese dressing later because I am not a great fan of cheese).

Potato with cheese dressing

There are no particular ratings for this joint just because it was very average AND, as we later realised, was not so inexpensive either. :(

Please avoid Knight Riders unless, of course, you are a pair of lovebirds looking for a place to hangout without pairs of prying eyes staring at you or are bunking college.

Absinthe-Pune

My first evening in Pune, I found myself in the swank settings of Westin. My friend's husband's birthday turned out to be just the right occasion for trying Absinthe. I could afford to drink knowing that I was not driving later.

Westin's drink menu had to varieties of Absinthe---the original and more popular Green Absinthe with 70% alcohol content and the Black Absinthe with 85% alcohol content. I decided to try the Green Fairy. It came with a word of caution from the waiter. "Great choice, ma'am but it's very potent." Um...I saw no problem there! So the girls, my friend and I ordered our green Absinthe and waited in giggly anticipation when we saw the waiter arrive with 2 shot glasses of the lovely green drink.

He placed our glasses with butter-knife-like spoons with 2 sugar cubes placed above it and poured Absinthe over the sugar cubes so that the drink trickled down to our glasses sweetened. they he lit the cubes on fire which then lit the drink below. So far, I was loving the show and drama! the waiter then poured ice-cold water over the flaming sugar cubes and the the entire glass lit up like a big firefly. Awesome!

After happy cheers, we clinked the glasses and took a sip. It tasted like toothpaste. Colgate gel toothpaste to be precise. I was not prepared for the minty and slightly sweet taste but I still drank it in anticipation of some crazy mind games. It never came. I felt slightly tipsy and very relaxed but that could easily have been attributed to the very, very busy and tiring day I had that day and I would have unwinded just the same had been drinking diet Coke. Now this is from someone who does not drink much. I wondered how disappointed the hardcore drinkers might have felt. 

Nonetheless, I can now happily cross out Absinthe from my list of drinks to try.

Playing with Food at "Mamagoto"

If you are a frequent visitor at Khan Market, you need not be warned that one needs to be prepared for a long wait even to reach the "reserved" seats at almost any eating joint at Khan Market on weekends. So,

despite our reservations at "Mamagoto" for 9:30 PM, we got our table only at 10 PM. Something that I was not very happy about. However, since this was not my first trip there, I know for sure, they make-up the delay with great service and I was not wrong.

Mamagoto serves Asian cuisine with very interesting twists. Thankfully, the "twists" are not very outlanding for those are quite non-experimentive by nature. Besides their food, I have always loved how Mamagoto makes up for it's small and tight space with fun art and colours that somehow takes your mind off the person at the next table sitting uncomfortable close...almost like somebody who was forcing his way into your dinner group.

Nonetheless, the great addition to their menu are some really good cocktails and mocktails; though the list is kind of short. I decided to try out the "Mamagoto Breezer" this time.

Drinks: 

Mamagoto Breezer was vodka with Cranberry and Pineapple juice finished off with Peach essence. It was a tad too sweet but it tasted great after all that ice watered it down by the end of my meal. I would recommend it to others but for those who are not very fond of drinking what tastes like sugar syrup at first go, request the waiter to watch the sweetness.

That's me and my Mamagoto Breezer

Appetizers: 

Water chestnut spring rolls served with chilli-black bean jam. It wasn't bad but I have had better. The Water chestnuts in the roll do add an interesting crunch and texture as you bite into them so it's a good dish to try at least once. The accompanying jam, is well, redundant as they seem to refuse to stick to the rolls and add their flavor no matter how mild.

Mixed vegetables tempura was really nice to just eat as a separate dish since the batter was light and crispy. It would make one feel a whole lot less guilty of choosing this over Indian pakodas any time just by the way it looks. But no. It is not really a healthy treat if you are on a diet.

Dinner:

I ALWAYS order Hawkers noodles when I eat here (it is a habit I'm trying to come out off). The Phad Thai (flat noodles) that are slightly sour in taste are accompanied by crunchy sprouts and a wedge of lemon. It is great to eat with any other dishes or like we did last night, order something to balance the sourness like Schewan Chicken (curry).

This time, my friends and I decided to skip the desserts here and head to our frequent joint. However, since I have tried the desserts here, I do not think anybody is really coming here to satisfy their sweet tooth over their choice of 5 desserts on the menu. You can let the desserts be and not miss it. 

Avg. Cost: Rs. 1100  for meal for two.

Rating: 3.5/5

Location: Besides the now famous branch in the middlelane of  Khan Market, Mamagoto is located on 2nd floor of Select City Walk and a new branch is coming soon to Pacific Mall, Tagore Garden.