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December 9, 2014

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As rich in culture as it is, Delhi is also a treasure chest of gastronomical jewels. From spicy street food to sophisticated fine dining, Dilli has something to satiate every palate and to please every pocket. Any attempt to compile a comprehensive list of places that serve great food in the National Capital will be hopelessly futile, given that every locality of Delhi has at least one ‘world famous samose wala’ that you will be excitedly dragged to every time you visit somewhere  new. What we have here instead, is a checklist of sorts. A checklist of almost legendary food places that have been around for many years, that every foodie in Delhi must visit! How many of these places have you been to? What other places would you recommend be added? In no particular order,

Khan Chacha, Khan Market:

Khan Chacha has branches all over town, but we recommend you visit the one in Khan Market for the best experience. Even though the original outlet with old world charm has since been closed, the kababs and chicken tikka rolls are as delicious as ever.

Karim’s, near Jama Masjid:

You cannot call yourself a true non- vegetarian foodie unless you’ve been here.  Drenched in history and aromatic spices, this place is a must visit for the mutton barra, seekhs, and for the adventurous, the brain curry.

Wenger’s, Connaught Place:

Arguably the best bakery in Delhi, unarguably the most legendary. Freshly baked and well priced, food at Wenger’s always manages to serve up a smile.

Keventers (now Shake Square), Connaught Place:

Right next to Wenger’s is what used to be the supremely popular milk shake corner, Keventer’s. The name has changed, and unfortunately so has the quality of the shakes. However, do try out the chocolate shake if you’re there in the cool glass bottle that it is so well known for.

Kake Da Hotel:

Congested and visibly unhygienic, KDH has a devoted fan base that will put up with the poor maintenance and long waiting lines for the delicious chicken and mutton curries with a chilled soft drink. Also popular is the keema kaleji. Also check out Anand restaurant tucked in the back alleys of Connaught Place for amazing chicken curry and biryani.

Paranthe wali galli, Chandni Chowk:

The entire lane of fried goodness, with its smells wafting near and far, should definitely be visited even if for the sheer experience of it all.

Natraj Dahi Bhalla Corner, Chandni Chowk:

‘Best dahi bhallas in Delhi.’ Enough said.

Moti Mahal, Daryanganj:

So here’s the thing about this one, it is the original Moti Mahal and claim to have invented butter chicken. Granted, the butter chicken here is phenomenal, but apart from that, it doesn’t really offer much. The Moti Mahal Deluxe chain is often preferred by regulars, what do you have to say?

 

Saravana Bhavan, Connaught Place:

Famous enough to attract tourists and locals alike and delicious enough to keep them waiting patiently in queue, Sarvana Bhavan serves some of the best vegetarian South Indian thalis.

Andhra Bhavan, Connaught Place:

Popular for its Hyderabadi Dum Biryani which is only available on Sundays, Andhra Bhavan gets very crowded, but is definitely worth the effort. Also worth trying is the South Indian thali and mutton fry.

Bittoo Tikki Wala:

Spread all over Delhi, BTW is many people’s go-to for tikki, raj kachori and the likes.

Delhi Haat, INA/ Yashwant Singh Place:

Which place is your pick for the most scrumptious momos in town?

Gulati, Pandara Road:

Let’s say that if you’re in the mood for some exquisite Mughlai and North Indian, and you don’t mind paying a bit more than you would have had to at other places in this list, head over to Gulati without a second thought.

Al Bake, New Friends Colony:

This place has been the reigning shawarma king for quite a long time now, and for good reason!

Chache Di Hatti, Kamala Nagar/ Bhille Di Hatti, Kamala Nagar/ Baba Nagpal Corner, Lajpat Nagar:

Let the chhole bhature wars begin! Where do you go to satisfy your chhole bhature cravings?

Bombay Bhel Puri, South Extention:

This small but immensely popular bhel puri stand puts all other local bhel puri vendors to shame! Try it out with banta soda from the very next stand.

Art of Spices/ Nizam’s Kathi Kababs:

Let’s have a Battle of the Rolls! Which place in Delhi serves up the most lip smacking rolls?

Indian Coffee House:

No list of ‘legendary’ food places in Delhi would be complete without this rusty old place on the second floor of Mohan Singh Place. Though the insides are completely dilapidated and the food is far from great, sitting in the open air, sipping on the ‘special’ coffee and whiling away hours with the beautiful Lutyen’s architecture in the background is an experience hard to replicate anywhere else!

Today, one of the topmost colleges of the University of Delhi, Shri Guru Tegh Bahadur Khalsa also features among the top colleges for commerce in India. Situated at the north campus of the university, the college boasts of a 5 building structure with a world class sports stadium along with a lawn tennis and a basketball court. As you enter the Guru Tegh Bahadur Road from the northern side of the campus, you will see the college’s gate right at the start, at the back of which is the standing structure of the college.

Being a student of this college, one might be accustomed to the daily hustle bustle, speaking in franker words; the college always looks like a party place with almost everyone dressed up in formal clothes. If you really want to enjoy such an environment and are bored of your boring college routines, you should visit SGTB Khalsa College and especially its standout area, ‘jannat’. Jannat is located at the centre of the college and is a hub of almost all the activities that take place in the premises. From the art society displaying various art forms to the photography society featuring its best photo shoots, from the dramatics society’s street plays to the Music society’s foot-tapping performances, Jannat sees it all through the year. The name comes from the fact that the place is beautifully maintained and also has an exquisite lawn.

The college’s newly opened multi-storied air-conditioned library (also half of the college’s class rooms have air-conditioning system in place) has books on almost all the topics available to mankind. The topmost floor of the library is glass-walled and honestly speaking, looks like a squash court. But, such silent is the premises of the library that one can sit there the whole day in solitude reading, well, just books. As you head your way out from the library, you will see cafe coffee day’s ‘cafe day express’, welcoming you to try its hot coffee along with exotic vegetarian and non-vegetarian snacks. Though, if you prefer something more sub-continental, you can head straight using a narrow passage to the college’s canteen. There, you will find all the mouth watering foods from aloo-ki-tikki to North Indian Thaali. Though the odd thing about the canteen is that the bill you get features the name of Miranda House instead of the college’s own name. Too much affinity, I guess.

Anyway, taking out the rhetoric, the college is almost perfectly located, with the Kamla Nagar market, the Guru Tegh Bahadur Nagar market and the Hudson lane at just a walking distance. At these 3 places, you can find almost anything including hostels, rented-out flats, exotic cafes, road-side fast food joints and much more. If you are visiting for the first time, it is recommended that you do visit the Tom Uncle’s Maggie point and the Wood Box cafe.

So, once you are here at the North Campus, SGTB Khalsa is a college you must surely visit and since the fest season is near, you should also attend the college’s annual fest ‘Lashkara’ which features almost all the punjabi celebrities from the music world.

In spite of North Campus taking away most of the public eye, the allure of South Campus can’t be ignored. South Delhi is covered with hangout spots for all kinds of people, with colleges like LSR, Gargi, Venky or JMC and places like Hauz Khas Village or Satya Niketan.

Being an outstation student, I had always been hunting for places to hangout for the past two years and now that I have lived in South Delhi for almost three years, I’ve exhausted almost all of the places from my bucket list, and I think I’m in a position to bring out a list of places you should definitely visit at least once before graduating.

Satya Niketan

Never mind the narrow, crowded lanes of Satya Niketan (popularly Satya). Can be called the ‘Knags’ of South Campus, Satya, located opposite Sri Venkateswara College, is one such place where in you will find pocket friendly food joints like Big Yellow Door or simply BYD (My favorite!) and QD’s or stalls selling momos, maggi, Chowringhee rolls and what not. You’ll always find students of Venky, JMC, MNC and ARSD, chilling out in one or the other cafes of Satya.

Hauz Khas Village

No matter how pocket-pinching this place is, it has always been DU students’ treasure. Full of wide ranging cafes; Raasta, Social Offline, Fork You and Amour, to name a few, this place is one of the biggest crowd-pullers (but be sure to check out the price list before placing the order). Hauz Khas fort makes it all the more famous among the college-going crowd.

Central Market, Lajpat Nagar

I couldn’t find any other market in South Delhi that brags of having so many cheap restaurants where you can hang around with your friends. Youngsters prefer the street food vendors selling gol-gappas, aloo chaat, pav bhaji and much more over the restaurants.

Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) Campus

If you’re a big time foodie, then this is the place to be. The dhabas and canteens; 24×7 Food Court, Ganga Dhaba, North Eastern Dhaba, serving Chinese cuisine, Library Canteen, serving South Indian cuisine and Mughlai Junction inside the JNU Campus perk as favored hangout spots for both, the students staying inside the campus as well as for others. The JNU Night Canteen is what people eagerly look forward to! Don’t forget to visit the Parthasarathy Rocks (PSR), a hillock in the campus itself!

South Campus Canteen

South Campus Canteen is a little less of a paradise for students looking for hygienic and affordable food. With minimal prices, the menu ranges from South Indian to Chinese and North Indian food. The quantity is wholesome and plenty for an individual. Even though the entry is restricted in the campus around elections, one can find ways to sneak in and grab a quick bite.

Featured image credit: tushky.com

Shaily Sharma
[email protected]

With inputs from Geetika Varshney

After years of living a life where discipline existed, where procrastination was a sin, where deadlines were not just some dates, and where listening to parents and doing as they said always seemed to be the right thing, we finally landed into college!

A day in the life of a college student usually begins with the snooze button on the alarm clock being hit a million times until they realise the likes of 8:00AM lectures exist. While some of us manage to get out of our beds (just for the sake of attendance), others just accept the fact that attending the first lecture is just not their cup of tea. Even after missing out on the first one, our WhatsApp is flooded messages of speculation and proxy requests and ways of dodging this cruel world. And most of the times, the conversation is ended with, “Aaj rehne de, kal se saari classes attend karenge!”

Throughout the college life, most of our valuable time is spent exploring various food joints and hang-out spots around the campus. While the tongue searches for the tastiest food, the eyes scrutinize the menu for the cheapest rates. On the other hand, outstation students usually grab bites from their friends’ tiffin boxes which carry home-made food.

Low attendance has a direct consequence of lack of notes, which are given the least of attention until an internal/external exam gets scheduled for the next day. This is the time when photocopiers feel like stars with students lined up in front of their shops with their bundle of notes to be photocopied. The nights before exams prove to be a raging battle between the drowsing eyes and the untouched books. Every room’s door in the hostel is knocked, at the middle of the night to ask for Maggi, coffee, milk, fruits or any other thing that’ll help them to make it through the night.

Amidst the race of meeting deadlines for the in-time, parties and treats, friends and friendships and a bit of lectures and studies, college life goes on and becomes the best part of one’s life!

Featured image courtesy: Dailymail.co.uk

Shaurya Sahai
[email protected]