What can tell you more about the diversity of India than its cuisine? Every state, neh, every street has a speciality dish and street food lovers swear by them.
Be it the puchka from the Dilipda’s Puchkas or the Irani samosas from Rio cafe in Secunderabad, Kebabs from Bade Miyan in Mumbai or Sheermal in Chowk, Lucknow – every street food gets imprinted to form a core memory that one can pull out and reminisce over in the years to come.
Whether it’s bunking college or a first date, an office break or chilling in between tuition, no matter the age group, we won’t be remiss in saying that we LOVE our street food. We cannot resist the urge of digging into these roadside delights. Be it sweet or salty, Street Food in India has something for everyone.
And so, without much ado, let’s try and see what three cities have to offer and the best places to eat them. Fret not, we will be following up with more street food and food streets in our next blogs.
Delhi
Imagine matar-kulchas, a plate full of the delicious combination of delicious kulchas with Matar, garnished with chopped onions, tomatoes and served with some pickle. Bliss at every street corner, just like Ram ladoos and aloo tikkis. You can head to Chawri Bazaar for some lip smacking bedmi kachauri and daulat ki chaat and of course, kulfi at kuremal.
Parathas at Moolchand, mutton curry at kake di hotel in Cannaught place and rajma chawal in shankar market.
A little bit of Tibet is at Yashwant place for some chicken momos or chicken thupka. Head to Chandni Chowk’s parathewali galli for some khurchan parathas and stop by Chaina Ram Sweets for samosas and mithais. And how can we forget dal gosht and nihari served with khameeri roti at Ballimaran?
If you are someone who loves something sweet, go for a shahi tukda in Jama Masjid and don’t forget to taste the butter chicken at Aslams.
How can this list end without the mention of chole bhature and kulfi from Roshan di Kulfi?
Mumbai
We thought to start the list with the ubiquitous vada pav, but then, spicy pani puri popped into our heads and we were like, you always make way for the queen! Try some at Girgaum chowpatty, you will thank us.
If you are a seafood lover, head to Crawford market for some pomfret fry or crab curry. The Khau Galli stretching out from SNDT college to Cross Maidan offers a plethora of delicacies – from Shawarma to grilled Bombay sandwich. Pocket friendly and a gastronomical delight.
Vada Pav at Kirti college canteen or for the original, try out Vaidya’s stall, platform no 1, Dadar station. Kunj Vihar and Rajmata in Thane are two other places to savour this beauty. And when you are in Thane, do not miss out on tasting the Misal from Mamledaar, Court Naka.
If you are a fan of puri bhaji, head out to Pancham Puriwala in Fort and get a treat, not just for your food, but to your heart as the owner has some interesting stories to share.
Pav Bhaji… how can we miss this one? Cannon Pav Bhaji outside CST station is a landmark by itself. If you want to wash it all down, head towards Haji Ali Juice Centre and remember to try their custard loaded with fresh fruits and dry fruits.
Looking for a bit of Gujrat in Mumbai? Go to Zaveri Bazaar for some ingenious pudlas and khichiya papad.
If you are a non-vegetarian, you simply have to visit Mohammad Ali Road for their Bhuna Gisht and kebabs.
Kolkata
Where do we begin? With breakfast maybe? A Bengali’s quintessential favourite breakfast – Kochuri and torkari, head out to Tasty corner in Mandeville Gardens
For Kolkata street food, like the papri chaat, dum aloo phuchkas and dahi phuchkas visit Maharaja Chaat Centre at Southern Avenue.
Love kathi rolls? You need to visit Zaika at Park Street for some rolled out deliciousness. Paper thin rotis stuffed to the gills – joy.
Have a working lunch? You should be lucky to be around Fairlie Place for some mouth-watering luchi-alu dum. You can also try kachoris, rice and fish curry. The Stock Exchange Road offers some wonderful chilla and dal pakori.
Ghugni chaat at Dacre street is to die for. This street boasts of some stellar food ranging from fish roll, schezwan chicken, chowmein to jhal muri.
For the non-vegetarian heart, try out the dragon chicken at Lord’ More. Before we miss out, remember you simply have to have the samosas (singaras) at Tiwari brothers in Burrabazaar and kochuri at Ganguram’s.
Wash it all down with mishti doi or the unique Bdoodh cola from Balwant Singh Eating House.
These are just three cities. We will be covering more. We understand the craving one feels while travelling. The missing is major and the answer is in The Hawking St. in Noida – where we have brought foods from the best food streets of India.
