Three Authentic Places To Eat In Delhi, India

Unusual, Characterful and Quirky Restaurants In Central Delhi

Aug 20, 2009

Eating out is often a necessity when visiting cities, especially when there is no kitchen with the hotel room, or costs are cheap! Here's three places to try in Delhi.

For visitors passing through Delhi on the way to other parts of India, for example the mountains and monasteries of Ladakh, choosing somewhere to eat out in Delhi becomes a neccessary challenge. There are many places to eat in Central Delhi – from crowded street vendors through Indian (and Western) fast food bars to very upmarket cafes. This article lists three tempting places to try while staying in Delhi – all are near Connaught Place, making eating out in central Delhi easy.

Authentic Indian Fast Food at Haldiran's Cafe on Connaught Place

Forget McDonalds, KFC et al, and go for authentic Delhi fast food instead! Haldirams started life as a packaged sweets and savouries business in, before opening up shops in Delhi in 1982. Nowadays, they are opening up a chain of fast food restaurants serving authentic Indian cuisine from all regions of India with the most recent cafe being on Connaught Place. Although this isn't a western fast food joint, its a very far cry from a street vendor moved indoors – Haldiram's long pedigree of hygiene and cleanliness in the packaged snacks business (they supply many of the West's large supermarkets) translates to a high standard in the restaurant.

Choose from such delights as puri (a large air-filled type of pastry), noodles or for the brave (or those with an iron stomach used to Delhi – the ice cream). The ordering system may seem chaotic at first but it's fairly simple – customers choose what they want from the menu, order and pay at a counter, then take the receipt to the relevant counter(s) to receive their food and drink. Finding seating may be harder – it's very popular with locals, but keeping an eagle eye out for a vacating table usually gains a seat quickly!

Splash Restaurant, Minto Road, near Connaught Place

Visitors wanting a restaurant meal could do worse than try Splash on Minto Road. The restaurant caters to western and local diners alike, but it is more usual to see Indian parties dining than groups of westerners. The decor is unremarkable, except for the central area surrounded by fish tanks and disco ball overhead! The menu changes frequently, but features a wide variety of both Indian and Chinese dishes, with vegetarians and meat-eaters both well catered for. The beer range is also good - with no less than 6 strong beers (including Kingfisher Strong, Cannon 10000, Barron 10000 and the Singaporean Tiger beer) being listed - however, not all of them are available all the time!

Chor Bizarre, Asif Ali Rd, New Delhi

As the name suggests, there is more than a little "bizarre" about this restaurant. From a four-poster dining table, to the antiquated car at the far end of the room (the hotel guests' breakfast is served on top of it in the mornings!) and the numerous oldie-worlde film star pictures on the walls, this is a home to kitch. Rated by local newspapers as one of the top restaurants in Delhi, its prices and ambience are to match (though its still very affordable by western standards). Black Label is a good choice of beer here – being far less gassy than the ubiquitous mild Kingfisher – and the range of dishes on the menu is as eclectic as the decor. In particular diners should look out for the Kashmiri "Wazwan" dishes – literally meaning "Chef's Shop" – this is one of their specialities.

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