Delhi Food Guide
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New Planning with ChatGPT or Gemini? Paste the plan and we'll price it with real hotels and a car. Price my itinerary Delhi is the first of three stops on The Boutique Golden Triangle 5 nights · with Agra and Jaipur · from £430 per person See it →Delhi's famous dishes are butter chicken, whose invention two Delhi restaurant families are still fighting over in court, stuffed parathas from Paranthe Wali Gali (₹80-150 a plate), Mughlai kebabs and korma at Karim's by Jama Masjid (₹300-600 a meal), dahi bhalle and hot jalebi in Chandni Chowk, and, in winter only, daulat ki chaat, a milk-foam dessert that cannot survive warm weather. The single best area to eat is Old Delhi: the lanes around Chandni Chowk hold the densest cluster of old street-food businesses in India.
The city's food runs from recipes older than the buildings that serve them to restaurants pushing modern Indian cuisine forward. This guide covers the street food worth crossing the city for, the restaurants that earn their prices, and how to eat all of it without regretting it.
Old Delhi: The Street Food Capital
The lanes around Chandni Chowk are not a food court built for visitors. They are a working wholesale district where many stalls have been run by the same family for four or five generations, and the eating is best in the morning, when the frying is fresh and the crowds are thin. Come hungry, eat at four or five places rather than filling up at one, and carry small notes.
If you are here between November and February, find daulat ki chaat in Kinari Bazar: a cloud of sweetened milk foam, saffron and khoya that can only be made in cold, still weather. Khemchand's stall is the known name. It sells out by late morning, which tells you what Delhi thinks of it.
Paranthe Wali Gali
What: A narrow lane of paratha shops, each stuffing flatbreads with everything from potatoes to rabri (sweet milk).
Where: Off Chandni Chowk at the Red Fort end, beside Dariba Kalan and a two-minute walk from Gurdwara Sis Ganj Sahib
Try: Mixed stuffing parathas, served with curd and pickle
Cost: ₹80-150 per plate
Hours: 8 AM - 10 PM
The lane has been serving parathas since the 1870s, and only a handful of the old shops survive. The parathas are shallow-fried in ghee on a tawa rather than baked in a tandoor, which surprises people expecting the northern standard. Tourist-heavy now, but the food has not gone soft: the potato, mixed-vegetable and banana-rabri stuffings are all worth the queue.
Karim's
What: Legendary Mughlai restaurant, founded 1913 by a family that traces its cooking to the Mughal court kitchens
Where: Gali Kababian, near Jama Masjid Gate 1
Try: Mutton burra kebab, chicken jahangiri, seekh kebabs, mutton korma
Cost: ₹300-600 for a meal
Hours: 9 AM - 12:30 AM
Karim's is not a secret and has not been one for a century. It is still the place to understand what Mughlai cooking is: meat, smoke, ghee and patience, served fast in a cramped courtyard of small dining rooms. The original location by Jama Masjid has the atmosphere. Multiple branches exist across the city but skip them.
Natraj Dahi Bhalle Wala
What: Chaat specialist, same two-item menu since 1940
Where: Chandni Chowk main road, near Paranthe Wali Gali
Try: Dahi bhalle (lentil dumplings in yogurt), aloo tikki chaat
Cost: ₹60-100
Hours: 10 AM - 9 PM
Natraj sells two things and has seen no reason to add a third since 1940. The dahi bhalle come cold and silky under sweet curd and tamarind, the tikki hot and crisp from the griddle. That tangy, sweet, spicy layering is what Delhi means by chaat, and this is the reference version.
Old Famous Jalebi Wala
What: Fried sweet spirals, served hot from the wok
Where: Corner of Dariba Kalan and Chandni Chowk
Try: Jalebis with rabri (thickened milk)
Cost: ₹50-80 per serving
Hours: 8 AM - 9 PM
Trading on this corner since 1884, and the jalebis are nothing like the thin, neon spirals sold elsewhere: these are thick, fried in desi ghee, and heavy with syrup. Watch them come out of the wok and eat immediately while the crust still cracks. One serving between two people is plenty.
More Old Delhi Essentials
| Spot | Famous For | Location |
|---|---|---|
| Al Jawahar | Biryani, kebabs | Near Jama Masjid Gate 1 |
| Aslam Chicken Corner | Butter chicken tikka | Matia Mahal |
| Giani's | Rabri faluda | Chandni Chowk |
| Lotan Chole Kulche | Chole kulche | Daryaganj |
| Jung Bahadur Kachori Wala | Spicy kachori | Chandni Chowk |
| Khemchand Daulat ki Chaat | Winter-only milk-foam dessert (roughly Nov-Feb) | Kinari Bazar |
Al Jawahar sits next door to Karim's and locals argue, seriously, about which is better. Trying both across two meals settles nothing and is the correct approach.
Butter Chicken: Born in Delhi
Butter chicken's origin story is genuinely contested, and the contest is now a Delhi High Court case. Moti Mahal's Gujral family says founder Kundan Lal Gujral created the dish at the family's restaurant in Peshawar in the 1930s and brought it to Daryaganj when Partition pushed the restaurant to Delhi in 1947. The rival Daryaganj chain, run by the family of Gujral's business partner Kundan Lal Jaggi, says it was invented at the Delhi restaurant in 1947. What nobody disputes: the dish came out of that one Daryaganj kitchen, born of thrift, with the day's unsold tandoori chicken simmered in tomato, butter and cream rather than thrown away. It went on to become India's most famous export dish, which is why two families are paying lawyers over it.
Where to try the original: Moti Mahal, Daryaganj (the 1947 original on Netaji Subhash Marg, still open)
Modern interpretations:
- Indian Accent, deconstructed, upscale
- Gulati, rich and creamy, Pandara Road
- Daryaganj, the rival claimant family's chain, outlets across NCR
Best Restaurants by Category
Fine Dining
Indian Accent, Modern Indian using local ingredients creatively; the tasting menu is the case for Delhi as a fine-dining city. ₹4,000-6,000 per person. The Lodhi hotel, Lodhi Road. Book weeks ahead.
Bukhara at ITC Maurya, Famous for dal bukhara, simmered overnight, and sikandari raan. Old-school luxury with no cutlery and no apologies. ₹5,000+. Diplomatic Enclave.
Dum Pukht at ITC Maurya, Slow-cooked Awadhi cuisine, the biryani sealed under a pastry lid. ₹4,000+.
Mid-Range Excellence
Gulati, North Indian classics done well. Butter chicken, mutton, kebabs. ₹800-1,200. Pandara Road, where every restaurant in the row is decent and Gulati is the one with the queue.
Moti Mahal, Original butter chicken. Classic Punjabi. ₹600-1,000. Daryaganj.
Khan Chacha, Kebab rolls, a Delhi fixture since 1972. The rumali-wrapped tikka roll is the order. ₹400-800. Khan Market.
United Coffee House, Grand 1942 dining room, chandeliers and bow-tied waiters, North Indian and Continental. Go for the room as much as the food. ₹1,000-1,500. CP.
Casual & Affordable
Saravana Bhavan, South Indian chain, reliable dosas and thalis. ₹200-400. Multiple locations.
Naivedyam, South Indian temple-style food, dim and quiet. ₹300-500. Hauz Khas.
Andhra Bhawan Canteen, Government canteen attached to the Andhra Pradesh state house: unlimited thali for around ₹150, served fast to a room that turns over in minutes. Ashoka Road. Go before 1 PM or queue.
Best Cafes
For Coffee
- Blue Tokai, India's best-known specialty roasters, who started the country's single-estate coffee wave. Multiple locations.
- Third Wave Coffee, Reliable pour-overs. Hauz Khas, GK.
- Perch, Wine bar and coffee. Khan Market.
For Brunch & Ambience
- Diggin, Garden seating, pizzas and cakes. Anand Lok and Chanakyapuri.
- Cafe Turtle, Quiet, bookshop cafe above Full Circle bookstore. Greater Kailash-1 and Nizamuddin East.
- The Big Chill, Continental comfort food and a dessert counter with a following. Khan Market, CP.
Vegetarian Delhi
Vegetarians eat better in Delhi than almost anywhere: most of the street-food canon is vegetarian by default, and no restaurant will blink.
South Indian: Saravana Bhavan (chain), Naivedyam (Hauz Khas), Sagar Ratna (multiple)
Rajasthani: Rajdhani (thali, Connaught Place), Suruchi (thali, Karol Bagh)
Street food: Chole bhature, pav bhaji, dosa, chaat, all vegetarian. For chole bhature the famous name is Sita Ram Diwan Chand in Paharganj, serving one dish since 1950 to a queue that has never shortened.
Fine dining: Indian Accent has a vegetarian tasting menu, Bukhara has dal bukhara
Most non-vegetarian restaurants have extensive vegetarian sections. You'll never struggle.
Food Areas by Neighbourhood
| Area | Best For |
|---|---|
| Old Delhi/Chandni Chowk | Street food, Mughlai, kebabs |
| Paharganj | Chole bhature (Sita Ram Diwan Chand, since 1950) |
| Pandara Road | North Indian restaurants |
| Khan Market | Cafes, upscale dining |
| Hauz Khas | Cafes, casual bars |
| Connaught Place | Mix of everything |
| Defence Colony | Modern restaurants, chains |
Food Tours
Old Delhi rewards a guide the first time: the best stalls have no signage in English, the lanes are a maze, and knowing what was fried when is half the game. Do a tour on an early day of your trip, then go back alone for the places you liked.
Recommended Tours
Delhi Food Walks, Focused street food tours, Old Delhi specialty. ₹2,000-3,000.
Intrepid Urban Adventures, Well organised, smaller groups. ₹2,500-4,000.
Airbnb Experiences, Various hosts, read reviews carefully. ₹1,500-3,500.
What to Expect
- 3-4 hours of walking and eating
- 8-12 different tastings
- Local guide with stories and context
- Usually starts morning (best for fresh food)
- Water provided, but bring more
DIY Alternative
Walk from Chandni Chowk metro to Jama Masjid, stopping at:
- Paranthe Wali Gali (parathas)
- Natraj Dahi Bhalle (chaat)
- Old Famous Jalebi Wala (sweets)
- Karim's (kebabs/biryani)
In winter, start instead at Kinari Bazar for daulat ki chaat before it sells out, then eat the list in the same order.
Tips for Eating in Delhi
Food safety:
- High-turnover stalls are safer (fresher food)
- Eat fully cooked, served-hot items
- Avoid pre-cut fruit from street vendors
- See our safety guide for details
Timing:
- Street food breakfast: 8-11 AM
- Lunch: 12:30-3 PM
- Dinner: 8-10:30 PM (restaurants), street food closes by 10 PM
- Winter (November to February) is Delhi's eating season: daulat ki chaat appears, gajar ka halwa turns up on every sweet counter, and queuing outdoors stops being a punishment
Budget:
- Street food meal: ₹100-300
- Casual restaurant: ₹300-600
- Nice dinner: ₹800-1,500
- Fine dining: ₹3,000-6,000
Reservations: Essential for Indian Accent, Bukhara, and weekend dinners at popular spots. Book through Zomato app.
For neighbourhood dining options, see our neighbourhoods guide.