HARIDWAR TO HIMALAYA TOUR

Places to Eat

Some spectacular vegetarian fare in Haridwar and Amritsar, Tibetan-influenced food in Shimla and Manali, and westernized food in Chandigarh. All around great dining options on this tour.

Delhi - Haridwar - Shimla - Manali - Chandigarh - Amritsar

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

Haridwar

Haridwar is purely vegetarian; alcohol is banned.

Hoshiyarpuriwala - a wide variety of North Indian delicacies and specialty desserts

Chotiwalas Asli - known for the "Chotiwalas Special" - a super-filling concoction of paneer and veggies in a creamy tomato base, topped with cheese and yogurt

Hotel Alpana - new and clean, nice place to relax

Spice N Nice - veg delicacies from Punjabi, South Indian, Chinese, and Continental Cuisines

Dada Boudir Hotel - an awesome Bengali eatery

Mohan Puri - the most famous food shop at Harki Pauri - busy all the time

Kreams n Kountry - Pao Bhaji is the house specialty and serves up great Rajma Chawal, veg burgers and chaats along with ice cream

Shimla

Shimla offers a wide range of cuisine - oddly enough, though, there's only a few offerings of authentic Himachal fare. Still, Shimla has many small restaurants and local shacks along with modern hotel restaurants with most of them found near The Mall.

The Devicos (5 The Mall) - Open for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Serves good South Indian vegetarian food, kebabs and snacks.

Baljees (26 The Mall) - Among the town's oldest eateries, Baljees offers delicious Western and Indian fare as well as fantastic desserts.

Cecil, Chaura Maidan (in the Oberoi) - Open 24 hours serving a good selection of European and Asian dishes. Chandeliers and wood-paneling add to the old-world elegance. The perfect setting for a quiet dinner.

Silver Oak (Circular Road) - Serves Mughali and Chinese. Although the food is not highly recommended, it has a nice decor in a comfortable atmosphere.

The Lutyens Room, Springfields, Chota Shimla (opposite Tibetan School) - Continental and Indian food.

Ashiana & Goofa (The Ridge) - Open for lunch and dinner. One of the few restaurants to serve authentic Himachali cuisine - run by Himachal Tourism. The food is cheap and served fresh and hot.

Restaurants at The Mall:

Cafe Coffee Day

Barista Coffee Bar

Embassy

Fascination

Himani

India Coffee House

Nalini

Solitaire

Manali

Manail offers a vast selection of dining options. Manali Market (opposite the Manali Bus Stand) is the easiest place to find restaurants. The Mall Road, another good place to find food, offers a variety of eating options ranging from stalls and dhabas to fancy restaurants. Deeper into the lanes of the town, one can find more local/special type fare catering to special tastes and habits ranging from Tibetan food to Vaishnavi Dhabhas.

Old Manali is one of the best places to hang out in the evening. It has a great collection of restaurants/bars and shops and is less-frequented than the busy Mall Road while also being a favorite among the foreign traveller.

Bob Dylan's Cafe a.k.a. Roasted and Toasted - in the heart of Old Manali - serves delicious cookies and sandwiches. With a great menu and reasonable prices, it remains one of the most popular evening time destinations. But the added plus - a free and comfortable movie theater - movies to enjoy with your food. Considered a "Must Visit"

Pizza Olive - Old Manali - serves "the best" pizza in town but known for its tiramisu

Green Forest Cafe - Hadimba Temple Old Manali Road - a very popular destination for both locals and foreigners who come to snack on Tibetan soups, veggie dumplings (momos), sandwiches, etc.

Drifters' Inn and Cafe - Old Manali - great food, wi-fi access, friendly atmosphere

Lazy Dog - Old Manali - great food and ambience, multi-cuisine menu

Moondance - opposite Bob Dylan's - a multi-cuisine menu with good food and ambience

Apple Blossoms - Manali Heights Resort (near log huts area) - offers local Himachal menu along with multi-cuisine fare

Johnson's Bar and Cafe - The Mall Road - a great place to hangout in the evening with good food and service

Chopsticks - opposite the Bus Stand - great Tibetan food

Valley View Restaurant - Snow Valley Resorts - valued for the beautiful views and tasty buffet

Madras Mess - South Indian meals

Il Forno - ~100 m beyond the Hadimba Temple toward New Manali - original Italian pizzas prepared by an Italian cook. Prices are higher than Indian average but still cheap for Italian pizza

Cafe Zeppelin - Kothi village (13km from Manali en route to Rohtang Pass) - the last Cafe once you leave Manali heading toward the Rohtang Pass. They serve good pizzas, pastas, sandwiches and momos

Chandigarh

Barbeque Nation
Hot Millions
Nik Baker's
Manor Restaurant - authentic indian dinner and sizzlers
Tehal Singh's - famous Butter Chicken of Punjab
Chawla's - a great chain
Sagar Rathna- South Indian veg
Black Lotus at the Taj Chandigarh - exceptional Chinese fare cooked by a Beijing chef
Orchid Lounge - excellent Thai cuisine
Nando's Chicken

Amritsar

The Golden Temple has a dining hall serving free basic meals to all - a definite must for visitors.
Country Inn & Suites - serves great Indian, Italian, Continental and Chinese food
My Kind of Place - pizza, burgers, and chips
The Brothers or Bharavan the Dhaba - traditional, Chinese and continental food
New Punjabi Rasoi - the most popular restaurant in town - serves tasty masala dosas
Neelam's - pizza
Kesar Da Dhaba - good Punjabi food made in pure ghee
Bubby Dhaba - authentic Punjabi food