GRAND MONUMENTS AND TEMPLES OF INDIA TOUR

Dining Choices

Delhi - Jaipur - Agra - Khajuraho - Varanasi

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.

Budget

Chaat - simply put...it's everywhere

Andhra Pradesh Bhavan Canteen - Ashok Road (near Man Singh Road) - for Andhra fare - crowded and noisy but authentic

Karnataka Bhavan - beside Ansal Plaza near Mool Chand - for South India food

Haldiram's - 1454/2 Chandni Chowk (just west of the Fountain) - Yes, THE Haldiram's - the ground floor houses a vast array of sweet and sticky Indian confections, while the first floor has a popular vegetarian restaurant serving fantastic and hygienic chaats

Nangarg - Rajgur Marg Road (Paharganj) - great hole-in-the-wall restaurant serving veg/non-veg - hard to spot but worth looking for

Bitto Tikki Wala (BTW) - Netaji Subhash Place, Pitampura - the best aloo tikki in town with branches all over the city

Amritsari Kulcha Wala - Paschim Vihar Red Light, Near Jwala Heri Market - THE place for Amritsari Kulcha

Egg Parantha Wala - opp. the Surya Hotel, Lajpat Nagar - the guy who owns this shack has been running the parantha biz for ages

Mid-range

McDonalds, KFC, Subway and Pizza Hut are scattered all over the city

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.

Splurge

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

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

Agra

Local Fare

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

Restaurants in Taj Ganj area

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

Khajuraho

The Greenview Restaurant - very colorful place to eat with the best cook in town
Paradise Restaurant - small but cozy restaurant offering delicious, and inexpensive meals. It is also very clean establishment with helpful and friendly staff. Try the breakfast specialty of mango pancakes
Blue Sky - a rooftop dining area offering views over the Western group of temples - excellent Indian cuisine
La Dolce Vita - Italian-theme restaurant, rooftop dining and hearty breakfasts
La Terraza - Italian fare
Mediterranean Restaurant - a Greek delicacy café with rooftop dining
Apsara Radisson Jass - eclectic
Raja Cafe - popular restaurant run by two Swiss sisters - and great Swiss food
Madras Coffee House - specializing in Southern Indian cuisine
Punjab Restaurant - great tandoori
Agrawal Veg Restaurant - great quality vegetarian food, specially alu tamatar and boondi raita. Specialty Jain dishes are served up by friendly waiters
Shivam Restaurant - pure veg

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