Five Places You Must Eat At In Delhi

Every time I visit Delhi, I come back to Bombay having put on atleast 2 kgs if not more, courtesy all the amazing restaurants and food joints the city has! There are just way too many and if I had to write about all my favorites, this list would never end. So what I’ve done instead is picked out atleast the 5 places you should absolutely try in Delhi. And no, I haven’t included restaurants serving Butter Chicken in this list, because let’s face it, Delhi has a lot of good restaurants that serve fantastic butter chicken(psst..Gulati is my favorite btw). So here are my personal picks from restaurants and food joints in Delhi:

SodaBottleOpenerwala

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I personally love Parsi cuisine and had heard a lot about SodaBottleOpenerwala from my friends in Delhi, so  during one of my visits to Gurgaon I made it a point to visit this busy restaurant in Cyber Hub.  Coming to the food, they have the usual favorites such as Berry Pulav, Baida Roti, Sali Mutton and Dhansak among other items on the menu. The beverages on offer  range from Irani Chai to Pheteli Coffee and coming to the alcohol, you can find quite a few unusual cocktails such as Dikra-Kiri (Rum and fresh sugarcane), Parisiana (Vodka, plum and oranges) and Daaru Wala Vimto (Rum with 5 berries).

From its quirked out décor to little details like serving food in aluminum crockery and brass tiffin carriers, SodaBottleOpenerWala gets full marks on the ambience. Apart from the traditional Parsi fare, do try the Bombay Rasta Sandwich, Bacon Kheema Macaroni and the Sekanje Bin (a drink made out of mint and dried plum)

Approximate cost for two: Rs. 1500

Location: 3,Cyber Hub, DLF, Cyber City, Gurgaon

MI Food Center: 

This is like Delhi’s answer to Bademiyan (Bombay). A tiny non pretentious place with absolutely no frills but definitely high on taste. The place has no seating, but that shouldn’t get in the way of some lip smacking food now should it?! Meat eaters will love this place. It serves some of the best Mughlai food such as mutton Kebabs, Khemeri Roti, Seekh kebab rolls and Chicken Changezi. If you don’t mind standing or sitting in your car then you must definitely try out this place tucked away in Meher Chand Market. Also just in case you are struck with some inspiration while eating there and feel like cooking up something once you go back home, this place sells raw meat as well!

You must absolutely try their Mutton Korma, Chicken Malai Tikka Roll and Kheemeri Roti.

Approximate cost for two: Rs. 500

Location: 43, Meher Chand Market, Lodhi Colony, New Delhi

Cha Bar:

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This one is for all the tea aficionados , well the name kind of speaks for itself. A small café in the Oxford bookstore at C.P, this place is a tea lover’s wonderland with its mind boggling range of teas, each served  in their own dedicated  stylized set of cups and teapots! They also keep a small but delicious range of finger foods one can have along with the teas. Only drawback- the seating is very limited as people who come here usually like to read leisurely while sipping on a cup of cha and more often than not you may find it difficult to get a table.

You must try the Bollywood Masala Mix Tea, the English Tea Sandwich and Cha Samosas there.

Approximate cost for two: Rs. 500

Location: N-81, Oxford Bookstore, Connaught Place, New Delhi

Thai High:

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How does dinner with a view of the Qutub Minar sound? I’m guess abso-fucking-lutely fantastic! Thai High is a hidden gem, and when I say hidden I mean it. The food tastes good (well as good as Thai can get in Delhi) and definitely one of the better places to eat Thai cuisine in Delhi. I am recommending this place more for the ambience and setting than the food.

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The approach is a little tricky and it can get a bit difficult to find the restaurant, so put your Google maps to some use and go find this place. A hidden place that opens into a grand terrace with the view of the Qutub Minar, the best meal to have here would be dinner, simply because of how beautiful the view is at night. As the name suggests the restaurant serves Thai cuisine. 

Do try the Yam Phak Krob, Satay Kai and Som Tam. Cocktail lovers will be happy to know that the drinks are quite potent. They don’t scrimp on the alcohol here!

Approximate cost for two: Rs. 2000

Location: 1091/1, Ambawatta Complex, Kalka Das Marg, Mehrauli, New Delhi

Yeti – The Himalayan Kitchen:

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This place really makes me wish it was in Bombay as well. Awesome people who own Yeti, are you listening?  Yeti has to be one of my favorites from all the places I have eaten at in Delhi and Gurgaon. Serving the tastiest Himalayan (Tibetan, Bhutanese and Nepalese) cuisine, just one visit is not enough for the Hauz Khas eatery.

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While the Momos and Thukpas are delicious you must also stuff your face with the Shabalay (Tibetan meat filled deep fried pie) Tshoem (Bhutanese buttery curry with meat) and the Mothuk (momo soup) there. Everything that I ate was non vegetarian but they do have a lot of vegetarian options on their menu as well.

Approximate cost for two: Rs. 1200
Location: 2^nd Floor, 50 A, Hauz Khas Village,Delhi

Please add below some of your recommendations, so that the next time I'm in Delhi I could hit up those restaurants as well!