GRAND INDIA TOUR

North India tandoori to South India dosa - great food options

Delhi - Varanasi – Agra – Jaipur - Mumbai - Goa - Badami - Hassan - Mysore - Ooty – Cochin - Munnar – Periyar - Kumarakom - Alleppey - Kovalam

Delhi

From street food stalls to fantastic international restaurants, Delhi offers the widest variety of food available in all of India. Due to its distance from the ocean and lack of fresh fish, it's a meat-eaters and vegetarian paradise.

Club India Cafe - 4797 Second Floor, 6 Tooti Chowk, Paharganj - marked by a cramped stairwell, this is a clean and bright little haven of peace with a birds-eye views of the chaos below. The menu spans the gamut and the Japanese food will surprise you

Karim's - Jama Masjid, Gali Kababian - Mughal-style meat (mutton and chicken), served up since 1913 and still going strong

Moti Mahal Deluxe - 37 Central Market, Punjabi Bagh West (outlets, too) - famous for their tandoori chicken, North Indian food, and gargantuan naan

Sagar Ratna Shop - 24 Defence Colony Market – considered the best place for authentic South Indian food, Sagar does justice to the reputation. The menu features dosas, idlis, vadas, uttapams, rasam and thalis

Saravana Bhavan - 46 Janpath (near Connaught Pl) - a Chennai chain of pretty good South Indian thalis

Sri Balaji Restaurant - 17A/41 W.E.A. Gurudwara Road, Karol Bagh - a great value - serves North and South Indian fare

Khan Chacha - 50 Khan Market – A Roomali Rolls and Kababs restaurant serving chicken, mutton, paneer and aloo rolls. Very popular with Delhiites

Bukhara at Maurya Sheraton – Regularly tops the charts as India's best restaurant (and certainly among the priciest) - the roast lamb and the Bukhara Dal here are legendary. Reservations recommended.

Chor Bizarre at the Hotel Broadway - 4/15A Asaf Ali Rd - franchised worldwide, the original restaurant serves Kashmiri food in an eclectic surrounding thieves market. The buffet is laid out inside an old car! Interesting at the very least

Naivedyam at East Patel Nagar opp. Jaypee Siddharth Hotel - offers quality South Indian meals and service at great prices

Punjabi by Nature - Rajouri Garden MGF City Square Mall - Delhi's best-known Punjabi restaurants

Varanasi

Nice Cafe - Bengali Tola - great home cooked food by a mom and her family. Eat in their home kitchen - very clean and friendly with reasonable prices. Check out the garlic / cheese nan and the pancakes!

Filocafe - free WiFi and electrical outlets available to all, offers 45 types of teas, real espresso coffee and creative varieties of fresh juices and munchies.

Aum Ayurvedic Cafe - Ayurvedic and organic food, vegan and vegetarian, friendly atmosphere, free WiFi

Megu Cafe - has excellent vegetarian Japanese food made by a Japanese woman who settled in Varanasi a number of years ago

Open Hand Shop & Cafe - the bakery has daily fresh bread, cakes, pies & various pastries. Also serving set breakfast, salads, breadrolls and fruit salad. The espresso-based coffees and fresh fruit smoothies are the main attractions. Free Internet

Flavours Cafe, Lanka - great coffee and desserts. Strong filter coffee and lighly accented lattes with a quiet ambiance make for a needed break from the city. Free wireless is also a plus.

Brown Bread Bakery - good bakery run by Indians and Nepalese. Breads and pastries made from so called organically grown ingredients. Also a nice range of cheeses. There's a huge menu including Continental, Italian, Tibetan, Chinese, Thai and Indian classics

Zaika - Indian / Chinese dishes; try the sweet-corn-pakoras

Moti Mahal Delux - one of the best Indian and Mughlai restaurants in the city

Benarasi Delicacies

Shiv Lassi Bhandar - Lassi with layers of Malai and Rabri. Superb Stuff!
Kashi Chat Center - good assortment of exotic chats. Try out the Aloo Tikia Chat!

Rabri/Malai S - fresh rabri and malai in the evening - fantastic! One of

Madhur Jalpan - a shop that has been frequented by more than two prime ministers of India! In a small alleyway but the sweets are to die for

Agra

Petha (very sweet candy)
Dal Moth (spicy lentil mix)
Chaat at Double Phatak Chaat (near Sikandra)
Bhallas and Panipuri at Sadar and Belangunj
Samosa and Kachori - everywhere
Treat Restaurant - South Gate Taj Mahal - breakfast, lunch and dinner
Silk Route Restaurant - 18-A/7-B Fatehabad Road (Opposite Howard Park Plaza)
Only Restaurant
Journey's Place - early a.m. for pre-Taj visits
Kamat Hotel Rooftop Restaurant - view of Taj, beer available

Jaipur

Chokhi Dhani & Apno Gaon - Two excellent places to enjoy Rajasthani food served in the traditional mode
Natraj - On MI Road - excellent local vegetarian fare - specialty is the Rajasthani Thali
Loharu House - the house of a Royal Family in Civil Lines - advance custom orders only
Four Seasons - C Scheme - top notch vegetarian
Rawat Mishthan Bhandar - Polo Victory Cinema - a famous hangout - the Pyaz ki Kachori (spicy onion dish) is a "don't miss" (a spicy onion dish)
Laxmi Mishtan Bhandar - famous for their Rasmalai
Yankee Doodle Shakes and Ice Cream
Jal Mahal at MI Road - ice cream parlour
Milky Way near St. Xavier School - popular ice cream parlour
Chitra Cafeteria - behind Amber Towers, Sansar Chandra Rd - wholesome vegetarian food with an excellent lunch buffet
Little Chef's Rasoi - C Scheme near Deer Park - awesome authentic Jaipur food
Anokhi Cafe - C Scheme - organic home-baked cakes (the carrot cake is a winner!) & freshly prepared sandwiches, pastries, savoury snacks
Niros - MI Road - a 60 year old restaurant serving mostly Indian and Indo-Chinese dishes
Jal Mahal - MI Road - a popular ice-cream parlor
LMB - 100 Johari Bazaar - good North Indian restaurant
Moti Mahal Deluxe - 5 Kama Mansion, MI Road - authentic Indian tandoori food - specialities include butter chicken, tandoori chicken, dal makhani and hand churned kulfi

Mumbai

Mumbai is much more of a town where you would ask "what to eat" rather than "where to eat". It's history of cuisine is rich and ancient. From Irani cafes to street stalls it's much more adventurous to stick to the "middle" rather than "elite" restaurants for the true flavors of Mumbai gastronomical heritage. Here's a few suggestions:

Chaats - great snack food

Vada Pav - a mashed potato (vada) patty sandwich (pav) with liberal helpings of chutneys

Pav Bhaji - mashed vegetables cooked in spices, topped with butter and served piping hot with pav

Bhel Puri - comprised mostly of puffed rice and assorted spices with a few chutneys - a fav at Juhu

Pani Puri - the vendor hands you a plate - he takes a puri (it looks like a brown golf ball), makes a small hole in it, and dips the puri into two jars - one a water tangy tamarind sauce, the other a spicy minty sauce - top it off with some condiments and places the puri on your plate. Pop the whole thing into your mouth. The outcome is an explosion of flavors.

Bhurji - a mash of eggs and chopped tomato, onion, chili, and lots of oil, with pav

Other Specialty Foods

Irani Cafes - Persian styled cafes opened by 19th century Persian migrants from Iran. These cafes were created specifically as places for commuters to pass time waiting for connections and, thus, have a unique lazy atmosphere. The joints are best known for their "Irani Chai", "Bun-Maska/Maska Pav" (bread and butter) and Egg Omlette. Also are popular their assorted snacks, like Kheema-na-Patice, samosas, mava-na-cakes, etc. One of the the best dish which is almost always on the menu is Kheema (prepared from ground meat) and pav (bread).

Thaalis - a complete meal arranged on your plate, with a roti or chappati, rice, and many different varieties of curries and curd. Ordering a thali is a popular option when you are hungry and in a hurry as it is usually served blazingly fast. Most mid-level restaurants have a thali on the menu, at least during lunch hours. Occasionally, they are "unlimited", which means that some of the items are all-you-can-eat.

Authentic Marathi Cuisine - the ethnic cuisine of native Mumbai-ites - some notable dishes include Sabudana Wada, Batata Wada, Missal, Kanda Poha, Zunka Bhakari, Kokam Sarbat and Solkadhi

Goa

Beaches are lined with food shacks/restaurants serving up spectacular seafood and Western fare. Alcohol is served in most places as well.

Badami

Geeta Darshini on Station Road

Hassan

Dildar Hotel
Dolphin Int'l Bar & Restaurant
Gokul Veg Restaurant
Harsha Coffee Center
Hotel Bindu
Hotel Gurudev Int'l
Redfern Restaurant

Mysore

While Mysore is famous for Mysore Pak (a buttery sweet), don't miss out on the Mysore Dosa - you'll not taste any dosa like it on your south India travels. Mysore has some great eateries...here's a few

Shilpashri Rooftop Restaurant - Ghandi Square. a foreigner hangout
Bombay Indra Bhavan - Sayyaji Rao Road
Bombay Tiffany's - Sayajji Rao Road
Indra Sweet 'n Spice - Kalidasa Road
Green Leaf - Kalidasa Road, V.V. Mohalla
Nalpak Restaurant - Gokulam Main Road
Shri Shanthi Sagar - Udaya Ravi Road
Hotel Mylari - Udaya Ravi Road
Hotel RRR - near the Woodland Theater - fantastic chicken briyani
Hotel Vybhav - New Sayajji Rao Road
Mughal-E-Durbar - New Sayyaji Rao Road
Biryani Paradise - Near Mysore Medical College
Shree Devi Restaurant - Rajkamal Talkies Road
Hotel Annapoorna - N. S. Road

Ooty

Ooty is compact so it's easy to find a restaurant. Here's a few suggestions:

Preethi Vegetarian Restaurant
Hotel Saravanas
Earl's Secret
C-Store
Irani's Tea
Hotel Blue H - best non-veg hotel in Ooty
Krishan Prabha

Cochin

For the past 600 years, Kochi has catered to many vistors from around the world including Arabs, Chinese, Portuguese, French, English, Dutch, Russians and Japanese. This has made the city a melting pot of various cultures, and this diversity is evident in the cuisine. A short list of options:

Arctic Circle - Sizzler specialties

Ayela & Keshai - very good seafood restaurant serving Kochi, Thai, Vietnamese and Japanese. It has a fresh seafood selection court, with the fish cooked in front of the guests

24 Carat - popular upscale and romantic multi-cuisine restaurant

Cornucopia - cricket theme restaurant famous for its wide selection of Continental, Greek, and Mediterranean cuisines

Golden Dragon - pure Chinese without any Indianisation. Serves alcohol.

Hon. East India Company - historical themed restaurant famous for its classic paintings and heritage photo galleries as well as its food. The evening buffet is one of the largest in town offering the best of English, Kerala and North Indian cuisine

Lokah World Cuisines - offers nine international cuisines from an American Wild West theme to Vietnamese seafood, Italian pastas and Arabic grills. This restaurant has a family hall, a smoking lounge, a street food area and French cafe along with bakery.

Itty's Place - an eco-friendly restaurant made completely with bamboo, coir and wood having 3 sit-down options. Specialty items include gelato, Italian pizzas, pastas and subs

Spice Route - themed around historical spice route with focus on traditional Persian foods.

Somewhere Else Cafe & Restaurant - serves a wide range of coffees and mocktails, sizzlers, steaks, grilled wraps, burgers and desserts.

Munnar

Bamboo Hut - wide range of food
Saravana Bhavan - good chain of veg thaalis
Silverspoon Restaurant - does a great value buffet breakfast
TreeTop Restaurant - multi-cuisine restaurant
Camp Noel - at an elev. 2,075 meters (6,800 ft) its the highest altitude restaurant in Kerala
Patel Gujarati Restaurant - Gujarati and Marwari meals
Purohit Restaurant - Bombay, Jain, Gujarati, Rajasthani, Punjabi and South Indian food

Periyar

Most any hotel you stay at in Periyar will serve food. A glut of restaurants can be found in Kumily, just a few kilometers away.

Kumarakom

Some popular Kerala items:

Appam - a local bread prepared with fermented rice and coconut. It is slightly sweet and is an excellent combination with meat dishes or stew.
Kappa - tapioca boiled with rock salt and then sauteed with grated coconut, onion, red chilly and curry leaves to make a solid meal commonly eaten with spicy curries.
Karimeen (Pearl Spot) - the most exotic freshwater fish of them all and a culinary delight.
Seafood - it would be difficult to find such varieties of spicy and exotic preparations of seafood anywhere else in the world

Alleppey

Seafood - since time spent in/around Alleppey will most likely be aboard a houseboat or on the backwaters, fresh seafood is the area's specialty.

Kovalam

There are many restaurants along the beachfront boardwalk and through the meandering lagoon lanes behind the boardwalk. The catch-of-the-day is usually laid in front of them in the evening. Overall, great seafood with an emphasis on relaxation and listening to the surf.