Things to do in Delhi
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Big Chill
Khan Market has two film-poster-lined branches of BC, packed with chattering, well-manicured folk. The menu is a telephone directory of continental, Indian and other dishes. Have you ever seen so much cheesecake on a menu? Who’s to quibble when it’s this good?
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Saravana Bhavan
Massively popular, Tamil Saravana has a fast-food feel, but food is by no means junk: dosas, idlis and other southern specialities, accompanied by lovely fresh chutneys. Inventive sweets include cucumber-seed ladoos (sweet balls). Finish with a South Indian coffee. Arrive early or queue!
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All American Diner
Make like it’s 1950s USA and head down to the cherry-red booths and bar stools of the All American, to eat stars-and-stripes classics, from buttermilk pancakes to hot dogs, and work the jukebox. Or try the Habitat’s cheap-and-cheerful food court Eatopia, with good chaat, Chinese and Indian food.
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Park Baluchi
Although service gets the thumbs down, this enchanting, greenery-surrounded restaurant, set in the Deer Park, offers unusual barbecue dishes, such as banarasi seekh kabab (minced vegetables and cheese) or murg potli (flambéed marinated chicken breast and minced mutton). Avoid weekends if squealing kiddies get your goat.
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Sam’s Café
On Vivek Hotel’s ground floor and (more atmospheric) rooftop, Sam’s does cracking breakfasts and is a tranquil place to hang; usually packed with travellers. The pizzas are a good bet.
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Red Fort (Lal qila)
The massive Red Fort (Lal qila) stands rather forlornly, a sandstone carcass of its former self. When Emperor Shah Jahan paraded out of the fort atop an elephant into the streets of Old Delhi, though, he and the fort that he built were a grandiose display of pomp and power.
The walls of the fort extend for 2km and vary in height from 18m on the river side to 33m on the city side. Shah Jahan began construction of the massive fort in 1638 and it was completed in 1648. Shah Jahan never completely moved his capital from Agra to his new city of Shahjahanabad in Delhi because he was deposed and imprisoned in Agra Fort by his sly son Aurangzeb.
The Red Fort dates from the very pe…
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Gurdwara Bangla Sahib
The Gurdwara Bangla Sahib is an important Sikh shrine and a constant hive of activity. Topped with gold onion domes, it was constructed at the site where the eighth Sikh guru, Harkrishan Dev, spent several months in 1664. This guru dedicated most of his time to helping the destitute and sick and was revered for his healing powers. At the back of the gurdwara (Sikh temple) is a huge tank, surrounded by a graceful colonnade. The water is said to have curative properties. Devotional songs are sung throughout the day.
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Haldiram’s
With a clean, bright cafe-restaurant upstairs, this is a handy spot for a top-notch thali (Rs98) or some tasty South Indian cuisine. Downstairs is great for namkin (savouries) and mithai (sweets) on the dash. Try the soan papadi (flaky sweet with almond and pistachio).
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Gulati
Gulati maintains a largely North Indian focus. Stand-outs to try include the tangri kebab (charcoal-grilled chicken drumsticks) and dum aloo (stuffed potatoes).
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Café Coffee Day
A fine place to loll and natter over endless cups of hot brew and brownies. The icy granitas will quench even the most savage summer thirst. There are citywide branches galore.
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Metropolis Restaurant & Bar
This hotel’s rooftop restaurant is pricey but it has choice and pizzazz.
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Jama Masjid
India’s largest mosque can hold a mind-blowing 25,000 people. Towering over Old Delhi, the ‘Friday Mosque’ was Shah Jahan’s final architectural opus, built between 1644 and 1658. It has three gateways, four angle towers and two minarets standing 40m high, and is constructed of alternating vertical strips of red sandstone and white marble. The main entry point is Gate 3.
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Karim’s
Down a lane across from the Jama Masjid’s south gate (No 1), legendary Karim’s has been delighting Delhiites with divine Mughlai cuisine since 1913. The chefs prepare brutally good (predominantly nonveg) fare: try the burrah (marinated mutton) kebab . During Ramadan it only opens after sunset.
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Salaam Baalak Trust
Near the Hotel Namaskar in Paharganj, Salaam Baalak Trust provides shelter, food, education and other support to Delhi’s homeless street children. You can help by sponsoring a child for Rs28,500 per year, funding individual projects, or donating clothes, toys, blankets, books and computers. Volunteer English teachers, doctors, and computer experts are welcome. Another way you can help is by taking a tour with a street child.
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Shalom Med Lounge Bar
This lounge-style bar-restaurant, with its rustic wooden furniture and whitewashed walls, dares you to down an 'Angry Fijian' (crème de banana, Baileys & Malibu) or other similarly-exotic beverages. The 'happiness comes when you feed your soul first' menu is true to its word, with blissful Mediterranean fare like shish taouk (spiced chargilled chicken). Entry is via a back lane.
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Paratha Wali Gali
Head to this foodstall-lined (some with seating) lane off Chandni Chowk for delectable parathas (traditional flat bread) fresh off the tawa (hotplate). Stuffed varieties include aloo (potato), mooli (white radish), smashed pappadams and crushed badam (almond), all served with a splodge of tangy pickles.
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United Coffee House
Oozing old-world charm, this classic 1940s restaurant – all chandeliers and flock – is a splendid spot to slow the pace. Popular with travellers and Delhi denizens alike, it has a long menu covering everything from pizza to paneer (cottage cheese). Try the butter chicken. It’s great for an afternoon drink too.
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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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Sound & Light Show
Each evening (except Monday) this one-hour show gives Red Fort history the coloured-spotlight and portentous-voice-over treatment. It’s great, if only to see the red fort by night. Tickets are available from the fort’s ticket kiosk. Bring mosquito repellent.
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National Gallery of Modern Art
This gallery occupies the maharaja of Jaipur’s former place, and includes all the great modern Indian masters, with beautiful works by Amrita Sher-Gil, the Tagore family, and India’s most famous contemporary artist, MF Husain. Photography isn’t allowed.
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Jantar Mantar
Comprised of curious terracotta-red structures, Jantar Mantar is the earliest of Maharaja Jai Singh II’s five observatories, constructed in 1725. It’s dominated by a huge sundial and houses other instruments plotting the course of heavenly bodies.
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Naivedyam
A smashing South Indian restaurant with a temple-like feel, lined in dark wood with gold trimmings. The food’s good too; king of them all is the tangam paper masala dosai (pancake stuffed with spiced potatoes). Finish with divine filter coffee.
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Diva
Chef Ritu Dalmia’s molto chic Italian restaurant is an intimate space on two levels, with white tablecloths, plateglass windows, and a wood-fired oven behind glass. Cooking is superlative, imaginative and delicious. Avanti!
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Chor Bizarre
A dim-lit, atmospheric place, filled with eccentric clutter, Chor Bizarre (meaning ‘thieves market’) offers particularly delicious Kashmiri cuisine. It caters mainly to tourists, and also has folk dance displays from 7pm (Rs115 per person).
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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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