Shopping in Delhi
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Janpath Market
Aka the Tibetan Market, this touristy strip sells the usual trinkets: shimmering mirrorwork textiles, colourful shawls, brass oms, and dangly earrings and trinkets galore. It has some good finds if you rummage through the junk. Haggle hard.
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Chandni Chowk
Pure pandemonium, this is the old city’s famed shopping strip. Some stores open from around 10am to 7pm, others from noon to 9pm. Winding your way through the jumble of frenzied bazaars is a veritable assault on the senses.
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People Tree
This blink-and-you’ll-miss-it shop sells cool, etching-style T-shirts, many featuring Indian gods, as well as skirts, dresses, shirts (for men and women), shoulder bags, costume jewellery and books.
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Dilli Haat
Located opposite the colourful INA Market, this open-air food-and-crafts market sells regional handicrafts; bargain hard. Tasty on-site food stalls cook up regionally diverse cuisine. Avoid the busy weekends.
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Santushti Shopping Complex
A calm green haven sprinkled with swanky boutiques, Santushti is the antithesis of Delhi's boisterous bazaars. Cigar aficionados will appreciate Kastro's which has fine Cuban cigars, Davidoff mini-cigarillos etc. Meanwhile, Lotus Eaters sells sublime old gold and silver pieces including Ganesh pendants from around Rs1800, while Anokhi (branch also at Khan Market) specialises in quality block-printed textiles, from tablecloths to garments.
For delicious jams and bread (including gluten-free) stop by at Claire's. Those with a fetish for cigars will appreciate Kastro's, 'purveyor of fine cigars and cigar accessories'. Lotus Eaters is worth a look for its small but interestin…
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Sunder Nagar Market
Just south of Purana Qila, this genteel enclave specialises in Indian and Nepali handicrafts and ‘antiques’ (most are replicas). There are two outstanding teashops here: Regalía Tea House (open 10am to 7.30pm Monday to Saturday, 11am to 4pm Sunday); and its neighbour Mittal Tea House (open 10am to 7.30pm Monday to Saturday, 10am to 4.30pm Sunday). They stock similar products and offer complimentary tea tastings. There’s plenty on offer, from fragrant Kashmiri kahwa (green tea with cardamom; Rs110 per 100g), to the finest of teas, Vintage Musk (Rs700 per 100g). The white tea (Rs600/350 per 100g organic/non-organic) is said to contain even more antioxidants than gree…
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Khan Market
Favoured by expats and Delhi’s elite, the boutiques in this enclave are devoted to fashion (including tailoring), books, sunglasses, homeware and accessories. This is the place to find gourmet groceries, from Australian grapefruit to Italian pesto. Avoid Saturday when the crowds can be exasperating. For handmade paperware (cards, diaries, photo albums etc) check out Anand Stationers. There’s a tardis-like branch of Fabindia, Anokhi and the excellent Silverline, which does attractive, reasonably priced silver and gold jewellery.
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Karol Bagh Market
This middle-class market shimmers with all things sparkly, from dressy lehanga choli (skirt and blouse sets) to princess-style shoes. Get spice-happy at Roopak’s (6/9 Ajmal Khan Rd) two neighbouring shops with similar spices (around Rs60 to Rs100 per 100g and well packed). Their namkin (savoury nibbles) are ideal for long train journeys – the roasted green lentils are a healthy alternative to the mostly fried varieties.
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Sarojini Nagar Market
Go wild rummaging here for good-value Western-style clothes (seek out the lanes lined exclusively with clothing stalls), that have been dumped here either because they were an export surplus or from a cancelled line. Check for holes, faulty zips, crooked seams, stains and missing buttons. Bargain hard. Avoid Sunday afternoons or sharpen your elbows.
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Hauz Khas Village
This arty little enclave is packed with designer Indian-clothing boutiques, art galleries and furniture shops. It’s a great place to find superb old Bollywood posters. Try Country Collection for antique and new furniture (they’ll post overseas), and Cotton Curios for handprinted kameez, and soft furnishings.
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South Extension Market Parts I & II
This high-class market is comprised of two enclaves, on opposite sides of the road, each selling designer clothing, jewellery, shoes, handbags and sportswear. Bg's is strictly chick territory, with a glittering treasure trove of costume jewellery and flashy hairclips.
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Main Bazaar
The backpacker-oriented spine of Paharganj is a great place to pick up bargain T-shirts, shawls, leatherware, costume jewellery, essential oil, incense, bindis and even bongs. Although officially closed on Monday, many shops remain open during the tourist season.
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C.Lal & Sons
After sightseeing at Safdarjang’s tomb, drop into kindly Mr Lal’s ‘curiosity shop’. Much loved by Delhi-based diplomats for its dazzling Christmas-tree decorations, it also sells competitively priced handicrafts such as papier mâché, tiles, and carvings.
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Bookworm
Bookworm is one of the better bookshops located around Connaught Place. If you're not too overwhelmed by the sheer volume of books available, it's a great place to lose yourself among fellow bookworms for several hours.
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Ansal Plaza
A modern shopping mall geared towards well-to-do locals, with shops selling the usual designer-clothes suspects, and some costume jewellery and upper-end saris. It contains Geoffreys, an appealing English-style pub.
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Central Cottage Industries Emporium
A multilevel Aladdin’s cave of India-wide handicrafts: woodcarvings, silverware, jewellery, pottery, papier mâché, brassware, textiles (including shawls), beauty products and heaps more.
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Lajpat Nagar Central Market
This market attracts bargain-hunting locals on the prowl for household goods, clothing and jewellery. Look out for the local mehndiwalas who paint beautiful henna designs.
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New Gramophone House
Look out for this place situated on Chandni Chowk, opposite Moti Cinema. It’s a 1st-floor wonderland of vintage Bollywood records (Rs50 to Rs200) and even older gramophones.
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Nalli Silk Sarees
In GK, this venerable sari emporium has four floors of silk varieties, specialising in those from South India. Prices range from Rs1000 to Rs30,000. CP has two floors.
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Planet M
Planet M is an overspilling cornucopia of well-priced music. Spread out over two well-arranged floors, it offers English-language (1st floor) and Indian music (2nd.)
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State Emporiums
These neighbouring state government emporiums showcase products from different states, from Rajasthan to Kashmir. Set aside several hours for these fabulous shops.
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Khadi Gramodyog Bhawan
Best known for its excellent khadi (homespun cloth) clothing, but also worth a visit for its handmade paper, incense, spices, henna and natural soaps.
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Soma
Opposite PVR Plaza Cinema, 1st-floor Soma has brilliant block-printed textiles: anything from scarves to pyjamas, cushion covers to children’s clothing.
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Timeless
Hidden in a back lane (ask around), Timeless has a devoted following for its quality coffee-table books, from Indian textiles to architecture.
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Greater Kailash I: M-Block & N-Block Markets
A two-part upmarket shopping enclave best known for the awesome mothership of Fabindia. Also check out clothes store Anokhi (N-Block).
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