Varanasi Street Food Guide – Divine Delicacies.

We had a friend from Banaras. Every time she whines about how badly she misses Banaras food in Bangalore. She never found our Panipooris and golgappa enough and loved our Dosas most. I argued with her, wondering what was so great about Banaras food until I went to the spiritual and food heaven of Varanasi – She is right

Varanasi street food is unmatchable.

Index

• Facts about Varanasi food
• Must-try street food in Varanasi
• Best cafes to eat

Facts about Varanasi food

• Banaras is old, and some of their food joints are old too. They have the highest reputation and serve the best authentic Banarasi food.
• Typical Banarasi breakfast is bread toast or Kachori poori with Channa sabji or Jalebis.
• Not every streetfood is unhygienic. With a little bit of research and our food guide, you can devour local delicacies. When in doubt, take a food tour as we did.

The concept of meals for lunch isn’t common in Banaras.

• Our walk narrator Anupam explained that the ladies of the house come out late in the noon for daily grocery shopping and prefers to eat snacks instead of lunch. So chats and fried snacks are any time of the day food.
• Chai is served in Kullad(clay pots) mostly. These are one-use cups. So you can either throw it in the bin or take it home.
• Street food is always vegetarian. Since it is a holy place and many Jains visit it, most street foods are prepared without onion and garlic.

• Uttar Pradesh is India’s highest milk-producing state. The deserts made with Buffalo milk are orgasmic.
• Bhaang is legal in Varanasi. It is consumed with Lassi or Thandai. If it is your first time, have patience after one drink before you gulp another one to make you dizzy.
• Cafe culture in Kashi is strong. Southern parts of Kashi near Ghats are highly influenced by foreign tourists. Israeli Shakshuka to Japanese Sushi, Korean Kimchi, Brown bread, Cinnamon rolls and Vegan food options are available.
• Indian cheese is called Panner. But these cafes have Gouda, Mozzarella, Cheddar and many more types of cheese.
• The Chaat and Bajji shops aren’t just made for tourists. At Pandey Ghat, we eat Bajjis for three days at the same time in the same place. A few nearby residents came every day and the bajji maker handed them their usuals without even asking!

The South Indian influenced famous Varanasi food

I never knew I would like to eat Dosa outside south India because they are its masters. The number of Dosa and Idli shops in a North Indian town shocked us. Slowly, we realised that Varanasi receives many South Indian travellers, and there is a big community of Telugu and Malayalis living in the city. So Dosas are super popular in Varanasi. 

Best Varanasi street food & where to find them

• Golgappa
• Kachori with Channa Sabzi for breakfast.
• Malai toast for breakfast.
• Bajjis and cutlets
• Malaiyyo
• Samosa Chaat
• Jalebi for breakfast
• Tamatar chat
• Laal Pedha
• Palak Patta chat
• Chuda Muttar
• Aloo Tikki
• Parathas
• Lassi
• Thandai
• Kullad tea with Aloo Bhujiya
• Paan

Malai toast for breakfast.

Malai means the topmost layer of milk. Varanasi’s buffalo’s milk is thicker than usual. So when boiled and served, the cream is super tasty and thick. It spread on a bread toast with sugar sprinkles is high-calorie healthy food and a treat to the taste buds.

The best place in Varanasi for Malai toast is Lakshmi Chai Waala.

The Smokey flavour of burning charcoal adds a different taste to the toast.

This shop isn’t a place to eat, a phenomenon to be felt and observed. Their square bread is custom made by a particular baker. Their white butter is obtained locally. The toaster is an open basket with coal, so you get that charry smell along with the taste of bread. They have other types of toasts like Underground toast, where the butter and chat masala is stuffed by cutting the edges of square bread. Chai here is a must after hogging the toasts.

Malaiyyo -the milky mist of Banaras

The foamy-light milk product mixed with crushed almonds, pistachio and saffron, is the best Varanasi desert. Sometimes they add a few rose petals or strawberry flavour. While I love the simple ones with crushed pistachios. The best time to taste this is winter because the foam rises and stays the same in lower temperatures better than in summers. If you want to try it in summer, make sure you eat during breakfast to have the best of all Malaiyyo.

Best place in Varanasi for Malaiyyo – Opposite Balaji Kachori and next to IDBI Bank in Ghagrani Gali.

Tamatar chaat

There is a hint of cashew,hing, ginger, lots of softened tomatoes and potatoes with lots of Garama Masala floating in ghee sprinkled with crunch namkeens – Tangy to spicy. This chat is Banarasi’s favourite for all the right reasons. 

Best place in Varanasi for Tamatar chaat – Vishwanath Chaat Bhandar & Deena Chaat

Palak Patta chaat

The Palak leaves deep-fried with besan batter with a twist of sweet curd chutney and spicy chilly chutney. Hing, cumin powder and turmeric powder dominate the taste and the Palak. The curd chutney beats the crunch and spiciness of chilly red powder.

Best place in Varanasi for Palak Patta Chaat – Deena Chaat Bhandar.

Chuda Muttar

This is a revised version of vegetable poha. Suppose you are done with the fried street food of Kashi; two bowls of this must be your breakfast/dinner because it is all about non-spicy, tasty snacks. It is made of flattened rice soaked in desi ghee and cooked with spices, green peas, & saffron. The milk cream is sometimes added for taste, and crushed black powder is good for digestion. We have tasted it in three places, but-

Best place in Varanasi for Chuda Muttar – Deena Chaat Bhandar.

Aloo Tikki

This is a common chat across North India, but Banarasis know how to make it. Mashed potatoes mixed with garam masala powder is made into balls and flattened to place on a large tawa until both sides of it get crispy. The beauty of it is no batter or dough gives crunch to the dish. Potato is the sole here – crunchy from the outside superfast from the inside. After 15 minutes, the potato flats are put in place, topped with lots of chutneys, tomatoes and coriander leaves along with fresh namkeen. 

Best place in Varanasi for Aloo tikki – Kashi Chaat Bhandaar.

Parathas

Varanasi’s parathas are the best for breakfast, lunch, or snacks because of the desi ghee they use. The vegetable stuffed parathas are filling but don’t make you feel heavy. The best dip for the Gobi and Aloo Paratha is curds prepared with buffalo milk and local pickles.

Best place to have Parathas in Varanasi – is Diljeet Cafe.

The cafe is on the 4th or 5th floor. You don’t have the river view, but the neighbourhood view is amazing. Especially in the evening, kids flying kites are out in the terraces playing. Their two dogs make your time in the cafe even more lovely.

Banarasi Lassi 

India’s highest milk-producing state obviously produces India’s best lassi. (Punjab’s lassi is still a strong contender to Varanasi Lassi, though). This drink is any time drink of the day irrespective of the season and time. You find hundreds of lassi shops all over Varanasi and each has its unique twist to its drink. Many places offer Lassi with Bhaang. If you know how to handle the “Bhaang-ness” , go for it.

A random shop near Dashaashwameda Ghat

Best places in Varanasi to have Lassi – Blue lassi and Shiv Prasad Lassi Bhandar in Ram Nagar.

Thandai

The king of all “soft drinks/cold drinks” in India must be Thandai. The concoction of various dry fruits or seasonal fruits mixed with milk and sometimes with only water is a delight for Varanasi’s summer. This is local’s “go-to drink” in every season. They say there is no party like Shivratri in Varanasi. So the Thandai makers say that the sales are five times more than they do during peak tourist season. Some Thandai makers specialise in particular fruit and make only that always. In comparison, others who are masters of multiple flavours prepare different Thandai each day. The real party begins when you add a ball of Bhaang to Thandai, and you begin to float in the air.

Best Place in Varanasi to have Thandai – Pakhak Ji’s Thandai shop next to Narayan Mistan Bhandar in Thateri Bazar

Kullad tea in Kashi

Every time I saw a local Chai seller, the clay pots AKA kullads called me “Come to Mama” Being a chai fan, sipping tea in those serpentine lanes was a few minutes of being in heaven. Asking for “Adrak Waali” and ” Elaichi waali” Chai would always start conversations with the chai seller.

Most Chai we had in Varanasi was super good, so I can’t specify a place. Still, I would vote for Lakshmi Chai Wala to be the best chai maker in Varanasi.

Paan

Whenever I heard Amitab Bachhan’s “Paan Banraswaala” song, I wondered about the hype about Banarasi paan! After all, it is beetle leaves with some ingredients,” I thought until I had real paan in Varanasi. What makes Banaras paan the best and most famous is the kind of local beetle leaves they use and the curd mixed with lime. Each paan maker is particular about the kind of beetle nuts & ingredients they use. The right amount of saunf, tobacco, nutmeg, tutti frutti, cardamom, and grated coconut – A tiny paan shop with small steel boxes containing at least 20 different ingredients a miniature grocery shop display.

Usually, for me, the lime is what makes paan irritating. Banrasis add thick curds to dilute the lime with the tastiest milk products. So the paan doesn’t give you a dizzy feeling but still kicks you a little.

Banarasi Meetha Paan in making

Best cafes in Varanasi

The Indianised Monalisa in the background at Monalisa Cafe

One of the world’s oldest living cities, considered the epitome of spirituality and salvation, has a highly hipped cafe culture. Since British time, Varanasi has been one place foreigners have loved to come to. The Beatles, Emilia Clarke, and Morgan Freeman have wandered in this holy city. Hundreds of backpackers flock to the city searching for yoga, spirituality, the vibe and marijuana. Observing the trend, Banaras people learnt to comfort and cater for them. So hostels and cafes have filled Southern Varanasi on the west bank. Korean Kimchi, Israeli Shakshuka, Japanese Sushi, Dutch Gouda cheese, French croissants, German brown bread, and even Vegan food are available. Though we stuck to Kachoris and Malaiyo most, we sat in cafes sipping coffees and eating noodles at the end of the day. Some of our favourite cafes are

Continental cuisine served in ancient Havelis

• Filocafe – A cafe in a haveli’s interior and fresh coffee is what we loved most. Ask for less sweet dishes since most food we tried there was overly sweet.
• Monalisa Cafe – The sidewalk cafe is super chic with low height seating on which you can almost sleep and serves tasty noodles and good coffee. 
• Diljeet cafe – After climbing almost three floors, the cafe with two Indie dogs and a view of the compact town from above is worth it. Their Parathas and Chai are a must-try.
• Brown bread bakery – Their shelf display made me wonder if I was in Europe or India. The variety of cakes and bread is a lot for a historical town Varanasi. Their carrot cake was tasty and worth the money.
• Sree cafe: The cafe near the most important Dashaashwameda ghat serves you tasty local food like pooris. The cosy interiors with lots of great photographs from Kumbha Mela and their handsome dog make me recommend this place for breakfast.
• Chulha Chauka – For healthy , tasty meals with Tawa rotis, panner sabzi and sweets.

Which is your favourite Banaras food? Let us know in the comment section below.