Street Food in Delhi

What to eat on the street in Delhi, which neighbourhoods to eat it in, and roughly what it should cost.

What street food in Delhi is known for

Delhi street food is a merger of Mughal kitchen traditions in the old city and Punjabi refugee cooking that reshaped the capital after 1947.

Dishes to try

• Chole bhature - fried bread with spiced chickpeas, a breakfast that replaces lunch.
• Parathas stuffed with everything from radish to cashew, in Paranthe Wali Gali.
• Kebabs and nihari around Jama Masjid, best in the early morning for nihari.
• Daulat ki chaat - a winter-only milk foam dessert that appears for about three months.
• Chaat: aloo tikki, papdi and golgappa, sold on nearly every market corner.

Where locals actually eat

• Chandni Chowk - the dense historic core; go on foot and go hungry.
• Jama Masjid lanes - meat, kebabs and nihari.
• Lajpat Nagar and Amar Colony - Punjabi chaat and rolls.
• Majnu ka Tilla - Tibetan momos and thukpa.

What it costs

Chaat runs 40 to 80 rupees a plate, chole bhature 80 to 150, and a kebab plate 150 to 300. A serious street food crawl costs under 600 rupees a person.

Eating safely here

Stick to stalls with constant queues, take golgappa water only where turnover is high, and be cautious with chutneys thinned at open stalls. Winter is the easiest season for street eating here.

Vegetarian and vegan notes

Chandni Chowk is overwhelmingly vegetarian; the Jama Masjid lanes are the meat quarter. Vegan is harder because ghee and paneer are everywhere, though chana and most chaat bases are dairy free if you skip the curd.

Common questions