Street food sensations: top dishes to try in India

India is truly a culinary paradise, with a cuisine as rich and varied as the country itself. Street food in India is a significant part of the national diet, fueling countless residents of the urban population as they go about their daily business. Whether having some tiny morsels for quick bites or a full, rich meal, exploring the Indian street food scene makes for an energetic and memorable experience.

Indian street food: a city-by-city guide

When you’re out there discovering Indian street food, expect rich and sometimes complex (yet ultimately delicious) flavors — and, at times, mild sensory overload— as you absorb the wide range of sights, sounds, smells, and sensations that accompany your experience.

Here are some snapshots of what you can expect from the street food vendors in several of the country’s best-known and most intriguing cities.

Mumbai favorites

If you’re in the most populous and fast-moving of all India’s cities and need a swift solution to a growling stomach, it’s hard to go wrong with the many vendors who congregate on Mohammed Ali Road. (While it’s quite popular and can get very busy, it’s still a must-visit for anyone investigating Indian street food.)

While the staples you’d expect (tikka masala, butter chicken, nihari, and numerous tandoori oven dishes) are here, the seekh kebab is an intriguing highlight: Most often, it’s richly spiced meat — usually lamb or chicken (or beef, as the market has a strong Muslim representation) — cooked on skewers over coals to bring out a delectable flavor. Simply presented with onion, salad and a squeeze of lemon on the side, it’s fresh and delicious.

Vegetarians, fear not: You can get a version with cauliflower, beans, carrots and potatoes, among other veggies, at various kebab vendors. And there are plenty of other vegetarian dishes at Mohammed Ali Road, including chana masala, vegetable shawarma, and many meatless paneer dishes.

Pav bhaji is another must-try dish: made with tomato, potato, onion, and spice, it’s mashed with plenty of butter and served with soft rolls for scooping. Also, vada pav, sometimes known as the Mumbai burger, is an unmissable blend of potato, coriander, mustard seeds and masala spice, deep-fried in patties and eaten on a bun with various chutneys as the primary topping.

As some alternatives, consider Marine Lines Khao Gully for intriguing Indian-Chinese fusion cuisine, the North Indian street food vendors at Chembur Camp, and the wide variety of regional specialties and culinary innovations available around Mithibai College.

Kolkata: Indian street food from the City of Joy

While legendary for street food in general, Kolkata is quite well known for its Chinese neighborhoods, especially Tiretti Bazaar. If you want to experience Tiretti at its best, go early, as many of its treats are sold out by 9am. The stalls and street kitchens here sell everything from noodle soups and toufu kok (meatballs filled with minced fish and pork in a simple broth topped with soy) to stuffed bao buns and fried dishes like mee kou pan.

Other Kolkata specialties include fried pakora (usually chicken, or potato-vegetable combinations), South Indian masala dhosa and sambhar, pav bhaji (spicy vegetable curry), and Momo dumplings. And don’t miss the chance to try the famous kathi rolls — grilled spiced meat, onion and egg all wrapped up in a warm paratha. These are available in the New Market and many other spots throughout the city.

Lucknow: kebabs, chaat, and more

Chowk is one of Lucknow’s major street food hubs, and it’s all about the kebabs. Many Lucknow kebabs are patties made from minced lamb, green papaya, onion, ginger and dozens of other spices. For a sweet finish, look out for nimish, a kind of whipped panna cotta with delicate flavors of saffron and rosewater.

The family of fried dough-based dishes known as chaat is also immensely popular here and includes everything from papri chaat (fried wafers prepared with potatoes, chickpeas, tamarind chutney, and dohi) to aloo tikki (similar ingredients, but without the chutney or dohi and more like a hash brown in consistency). Then there’s panipuri — little hollow pillows of crisp dough (puri) pierced and filled with spiced tamarind water (pani), chutney, chickpeas, onion and spices. The result is a crunchy mouthful that explodes with flavor. And don’t forget nihari stew or kulfi — the latter sometimes known as “Indian ice cream” and often made in flavors that combine sweet and savory (for example, pistachio and saffron).

Kochi: a diverse culinary experience

In Kochi, French, Dutch, and Portuguese influences — coupled with the locally abundant seafood, coconut, and spices — create a perfect Indian street food combination. Look out for toddy shops, not so much for the fermented coconut water “toddy” but for the incredible spicy seafood dishes and the rich and fragrant Keralan beef fry.

You can also expect to see common street food staples in Kochi including idli, dosa and parrota – all of them ideal for a quick snack on the go. Of the items more directly associated with the city, consider trying unniyappam (fried rice-flour fritters filled with banana, coconut, jaggery, and cardamom), netholi (deep-fried anchovies served with lemon or spicy chutney), or banana and jackfruit chips.

The street food of Delhi

If you’re looking for outstanding Indian street food in Delhi, Chandni Chowk is a great place to start. The pace here is frenetic, ensuring the food is freshly prepared for the throngs of hungry customers. Lanes are bursting with historic eateries where local specialties have been prepared by the same families for generations. Chandni Chowk’s most famous dishes include paratha flatbread, cooked on a hot griddle and served either plain or stuffed with spiced vegetables such as potato or cauliflower. There is a clutch of venerable old paratha vendors – some founded in the 1870s – on the aptly-named Gali Paranthe Wali or Paratha Street.

Of course, Delhi has many street food markets, and virtually all are worth your time for one reason or another. Consider checking out the following: Connaught Place (where you’ll find great mutton curry and rajma), Yashwant Place (for Indo-Tibetan curries and spicy noodles), and Ballimaran for chicken kofta, dal gosht, and nihari, among other specialties.

Chennai’s South Indian delicacies

A great selection of southern Indian specialties awaits you in Chennai (though there’s a fair amount of North Indian street food vendors in the city’s markets, as well). Anna Nagar is one of the best areas in town for sampling the local favorites, and idlis are perhaps the most popular snack in Chennai — steamed white rice cakes served with a sambar (spicy tamarind dal) and chutneys for dipping.

Several other street food hotspots in Chennai are well worth your time: for outstanding samosas and lassi, try the vendors at Mount Road. At East Mada Road, the street stalls serve particularly excellent bhaji (spicy onion fritters). And if you’re interested in Burmese and Indo-Burmese cuisine, head for Burma Bazaar and try the atho (boiled noodles, cabbage, and onions served with tamarind, fried onions, chili flakes, and other seasonings). Also, if you’re taking your leisure by Marina Beach in Chennai, you have to try sundal, a spicy treat involving chickpeas, onions and coconut.

Make it happen

Is your mouth watering yet? Then get in touch with our local experts in India, who are ready and waiting to organize your journey into the world of Indian street food. Send them a little bit of info and let them take some of the strain out of planning your trip. And for more ideas on what to see and do in the world’s most populous country, have a look at our India page.