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It is said by locals that Lucknow’s cuisine has declined since the glory-days of the Nawab rulers but, if that is so, then it must have been truly spectacular, for it is certainly excellent today! In eateries like Chhote Nawab, which translates as
'Little King' and is considered by many visitors to be the best restaurant in the entire town, you can sample dishes such as eggplant curry and mustard chicken kebabs, accompanied by Warq-e-Sada bread and is highly recommended if you can manage to find the place - one of Lucknow's best-kept secrets... A clue for you, though, it is inside an international hotel… Lucknow, capital of India’s Uttar Pradesh State, is a great place to visit if you like to travel on your stomach, so to speak.
A local invention to try is the famous Basket chaat at the Royal café. This dish, made with noodles, yogurt, tamarind chutney, onions, coriander, pomegranate seeds, is quite delicious. |
Biryanis are a popular cuisine in Lucknow, the most famous being served with a fragrant raita at Wahid's Biryani and eaten on a bench - there are no tables and just a bucket of water to wash your hands in. Lucknow cuisine is typical. Lucknow cuisine is tasty. Cuisine of Lucknow is rich in content. Lucknow cuisine is loved by the locals as well as by the tourists.
If Tandoori chicken is a favorite, you'll be happy to try the delicious offering at Dastarkhwan and, less common in this part of India, let alone Lucknow city, is Sindhi food but the one restaurant that does serve it offers fried fish with salt rubbed on the outside, a nice white flesh with good consistency and great flavor. Fish is not all that common in Lucknow cuisine, it being a landlocked State. Keema chops are also on the menu - heart-shaped patties, containing ground meat.
The local chaat is mainly steamed green peas with spices, onions and tomatoes. It is fresh and straightforward. Speaking of chaat, look for a red cart to be found in front of the headquarters of the Congress Party at around four o'clock every day, manned by Shuklaji who is probably the best chaat-maker in the entire world, according to many discerning chaat fans. Try his Aloo Tikki, Mattar Chaat - a fried pea patty, best eaten with a little lime - or Dahi Puri, a puri shell stuffed with potato in thick yoghurt and served with the most wonderful tamarind chutney, made by Shuklaji's wife. You should not leave Lucknow, capital of India’s ‘Golden City of the East’ without trying this man’s chaat!
Local mutton Kebabs vary in quality but the better ones are a specialty of Lucknow cuisine and India is the richer for them. You will be able to see by their popularity with the locals, which kebab houses are the ones to frequent…
If you enjoy sweet things, the local Kulfi, or almond ice-cream, will wow you – served with strange, slippery, almost transparent sweet noodles. Try the Gulab Jamun or a Halwa made from carrots at any of the Radhe Lal chain of sweet shops and don't miss Kulcha, large flaky kind of cookie. |
