Restaurants in Uttar Pradesh
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A
Brown Bread Bakery
Not only does this place lead the way socially and environmentally – it supports a local school, runs a women’s empowerment group, uses organic produce wherever possible, and refills your water bottles for you (Rs5) – but the food is also terrific. The fabulous menu includes more than 20 varieties of cheese and more than 30 types of bread, cookies and cakes as well as main courses from around the world. The ambience is spot on too, with seating on cushions around low tables and live classical music performances in the evenings. Admittedly, it’s pricier than most, but part of the profits go to the charity Learn for Life.
reviewed
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B
Open Hand
A cafe-cum-gift shop with fresh coffee and a range of cakes and snacks plus good-quality clothing and textiles at fixed prices.
reviewed
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C
Madhur Milan Cafe
Popular with locals, this no-nonsense restaurant serves up a range of good-value, mostly south Indian dishes, including dosa, idli and uttapam, and paratha. Thalis start from Rs25, and they have lassis.
reviewed
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D
Lucky Restaurant
A convivial place to hang out with reliable food and a rooftop section.
reviewed
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E
Pizzeria Vaatika Cafe
Sit in the shady garden terrace overlooking Assi Ghat while you munch your way through top-notch pizza baked in a wood-fired oven. None of that thick-crust nonsense here – it’s all thin and crispy, as every pizza should be. Don’t forget to leave some room for the delicious apple pie.
reviewed
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F
Lotus Lounge
A great place to chill, this laid-back, half–open-air restaurant, with broken-tile mosaic flooring and wicker chairs, has a terrace that juts out over Mansarowar Ghat. The menu’s a mixed bag, with fresh coffee, salads, pasta, curry and even Tibetan momos (dumplings).
reviewed
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G
Canton Restaurant
The AC dining room of Hotel Surya’s excellent restaurant has a colonial elegance, and on warm evenings you can eat out in the garden. The menu is probably a bit ambitious – there are Indian, Chinese, continental, Korean and even Mexican dishes – but the food is good, with some unusual offerings, such as fish Portuguese.
reviewed
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H
Shankara Vegis Restaurant
Another Taj Ganj old-timer, this rooftop vegetarian restaurant does a shockingly good thali (Rs90) and comes with a laid-back atmosphere, a view of the Taj (just about) and games like chess and carrom (a table-top game in which fingers are used to flick playing pieces across a powered board and into corner pockets).
reviewed
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I
Stuff Makers
Hotel Kamal’s rooftop terrace, complete with fairy lights, has an excellent view of the Taj from some tables, and of a tree from others. The menu has the usual unimaginative mix of Indian, Western and Chinese dishes.
reviewed
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J
Joney’s Place
Open at the crack of dawn, this pocket-sized, brightly painted, travellers’ institution whipped up its first creamy lassi in 1978 and continues to serve visitors veg snacks, pancakes, toasted sandwiches and the like.
reviewed
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K
Tunday Kabab
Tucked away down a small street in the bustling Aminabad district, this renowned local kebab shop serves up delicious plates of mutton biryani, kebabs and tandoori chicken. The mutton kebab here is fantastic. Consider coming along early to give yourself time for a wander around the bazaar here, a prime location for picking up chikan (delicately embroidered muslin cloth). Rickshaw drivers know how to find this place. There’s a more centrally located branch in Sapru Marg with the same menu at slightly higher prices, but it’s nowhere near as popular.
reviewed
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L
Shahenshah
Watch young chefs frying up their creations from a couple of stalls set around a half open-air seating area with plastic tables and chairs and a high corrugated iron roof. This is no-nonsense, cheap eating, but it’s popular with the locals so there’s a nice atmosphere. The menu includes uttapam,paratha ( flaky bread made with ghee and cooked on a hotplate), a few Chinese dishes, pizza and some absolutely cracking dosa.
reviewed
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M
Lakshmi Vilas
This no-nonsense, plainly decorated restaurant is the place in Agra to come for affordable South Indian fare. Treats include idli (spongy, round, fermented rice cake), vada (doughnut-shaped, deep-fried lentil savoury), uttapam (thick, savoury rice pancake) and more than 20 varieties of dosa (large savoury crepe, Rs46 to Rs250), including a family special that is 1.2m long!
reviewed
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N
Eden Restaurant
Hotel Pradeep’s rooftop restaurant, complete with garden, manicured lawn and wrought-iron furniture, is a lovely place for a candlelit evening meal. Note that staircase-weary waiters will be very appreciative if you order at the ground-floor restaurant behind the lobby before heading up to the roof. The good-quality Indian menu is the same in both restaurants.
reviewed
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O
El Parador
Fancy a buffalo steak, followed by waffles for dessert? Not far from the station this established restaurant, run by a Nepali family, offers something different. It's pricey but with homemade pasta, chicken souvlaki, crepes and Tibetan momos, it's worthwhile. Dine on the rooftop terrace amid the herbs or in the quaint first-floor restaurant.
reviewed
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P
Dasaprakash
Highly recommended by locals for consistently good South Indian veg food, Dasaprakash whips up spectacular thalis (with bottomless refills), dosa, and a few token continental dishes. The dessert sundaes are tempting but pricey (from Rs90). Comfortable booth seating and wood-lattice screens make for intimate dining.
reviewed
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Q
Taj Cafe
Up a flight of steps and overlooking Taj Ganj’s busy street scene, this friendly, family-run restaurant is a nice choice if you’re not fussed about Taj views. There’s everything from south Indian and meat curries to pizza and Korean. And the thalis here are better value than at its rooftop rivals.
reviewed
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R
Khana-Khazana Restaurant
By day this AC hotel restaurant serves up a tempting array of continental snacks such as burgers, pizzas and club sandwiches. In the evening there's an interesting variety of Indian, Chinese and continental veg and nonveg dishes including sizzlers, pasta, tandoori kebabs and Bengali fish curry.
reviewed
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S
Varuna Restaurant
As you’d expect from Varanasi’s best hotel, this is one of the city’s top restaurants. Elegant without being stuffy, Varuna’s specialities include classic North Indian and Afghan dishes, the sumptuous maharaja thali and tandoor kebabs. There’s live sitar and tabla music every evening.
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T
Muman’s Royal Cafe
Even if you don’t step inside this popular family restaurant, don’t miss its excellent chaat (spicy snack) stand at the front where mixed chaat s are served in an aloo (potato) basket. Inside you can dine on chicken Mughlai, tandoor kebabs and pizza.
reviewed
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U
Brindavan
Don’t be put off by the filthy shared stairwell: this 1st-floor place is smart and clean and has a huge window along the far wall allowing you to eat overlooking the street scenes below. The excellent-value south Indian menu includes more than 20 varieties of dosa.
reviewed
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V
Shanghai Surprise
This smart subterranean restaurant specialises in Thai, Chinese and an attempt at Japanese cuisine -everything from tom yum and nasi goreng to lemon chicken. Prawn and duck also feature on the menu and while the flavours aren't straight from the Orient, the food is tasty.
reviewed
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W
Mughal Room
On the top floor of Clarks Shiraz Hotel, you can dine in style with a distant view of the Taj and Agra Fort, although you won’t see anything at night. There’s live classical music here every evening and the food is thoughtfully prepared Indian, Chinese and continental.
reviewed
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Friends
This bright, slimline cafe-restaurant is very popular with Allahabad’s 20-somethings. An extensive veg and nonveg multicuisine menu includes tandoori, sizzlers, pizza and a range of oh-so tempting desserts. Fresh coffee (from Rs25) is also available.
reviewed
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X
Moti Mahal Restaurant
Downstairs is a sweet and snack shop, upstairs is a low-lit AC restaurant serving up tasty, well-presented food. Try the Lucknow dum aloo (potatoes stuffed with nuts and paneer in a tomato-based sauce) followed by kulfi faluda.
reviewed
