Old Delhi Street Food Tour: An Insider’s Food Walk
There are lots of Old Delhi food walks, but you can easily do a street food tour on your own. These are my go-to places, where I eat, and where I take I take my friends.
Get ready to eat like a king (literally, this is the food the Mughal emperors ate) amidst the crazy mayhem that is Old Delhi.
Self-Guided Street Food Tour of Old Delhi
Delhi is the food capital of India, and Old Delhi is its epicentre. Many of these food stands have been in the same family for multiple generations, some as far back as the 17th century.
You’re going to be blown away by the freshness, diversity and deliciousness of the street cuisine. This tour will take you through Chawri Bazar all the way over to the most famous mosque in Delhi, the Jama Masjid.
1. Starting Point at Chawri Bazar Metro Station
A good place to start from is Gate 2 of the Chawri Bazar metro station. This will put you right in front of the first stop on your Old Delhi street food tour.
This exit is Hauz Qazi, the busiest junction in Chawri Bazar, which is a very busy and historic market. Head down Chawri Bazar Road, slightly to your left as you exit the metro.
I recommend using the Delhi metro to get to Chawri Bazar. It’s a chaotic area, and traffic is usually a nightmare. The Delhi metro is one of the best systems in the world. Don’t hesitate to use it.
Most of these street food stands don’t have bathrooms. You may want to use the one at the Chawri Bazar metro station before you begin. It’s pretty clean.
2. Ashok Chaat Corner
This chaat stand has been here for over 70 years. It’s a local favourite, and with good reason. They make delicious traditional chaats.
They are most famous for pani puri, but I can’t guarantee they’re made with filtered water, so I recommend papdi chaat, which is what I usually get. Aloo tikki is really good too, but I don’t eat it often because it’s fried.
Ashok Chaat Corner is located directly across from Gate 2 of the Chawri Bazar metro station.
3. Kuremal Mohan Lal
From Ashok Chaat Corner, walk toward the metro and take the street that is immediately to the left of Chawri Bazar Road. It is called Sitaram Bazar Road.
Walk about 100 metres and turn right onto Kucha Pati Ram lane. Kuremal Mohan Lal will be on your right. This is one of the most famous eateries in all of Delhi.
The specialty is whole fruit kulfi. Kulfi is India’s version of ice cream. Usually it is served on a stick, but Kuremal Mohan Lal uses the pulp of fresh fruit in the kulfi, stuffs it back into the whole fruit, and serves it sliced.
For the best tasting kulfi, get whichever fruit is in season (mango in summer, pomegranate in winter). The kulfi is a little pricey by street food standards, but worth it.
There are other shops with very similar names in the same area. The one you want is at 526 Kucha Pati Ram, Chawri Bazar and has a yellow and red sign with the full name.
4. Hira Laal Chaat Corner
There are several good stand in Delhi for kuliya chaat, but Hira Laal Chaat Corner is the very best.
Chunks of fresh fruit are stuffed with a spicy mixture of chickpeas, pomegranate seeds, lemon juice and black salt. It sounds weird, but it tastes amazing. It’s also the healthiest thing on this Old Delhi street food tour.
To reach Hira Laal Chaat Corner, go back to Chawri Bazar Road and walk down toward Jama Masjid for almost 200 metres.
There’s no English signage and the stall is very nondescript, but ask any local and they can tell you exactly where it is. It’s on the corner with a small lane.
5. Jain Coffee House
Keep heading across Chawri Bazar Road about 70 metres until you see the Punjab National Bank ATM on your left.
Head down this lane and into the first alley with a courtyard. Jain Coffee House is in there. I think there’s a granary there, or there used to be a granary.
This humble establishment has been here since 1948. Back in Mughal times, this part of Delhi was the red light district. The cold coffee and fruit sandwiches are what to order here.
The sandwich portion is big – ask for a half order if you’re not famished.
6. Shyam Sweets
Head back to Chawri Bazar Road and keep going in the direction of Jama Masjid. Shyam Sweets will be on the left in about 60 metres.
Shyam Sweets is one of the oldest sweet shops in Old Delhi. Try one of the seasonal specialties like gajar (carrot) or mung dal halwa in winter, and ghiya (bottle gourd) ki barfi in summer.
If you’re there early enough you can get a traditional Old Delhi breakfast: bedmi puri with aloo sabzi (small puffy breads with potato curry), or nagori with halwa (small crispy discs filled with halwa). They serve breakfast until 12:00 or 1:00 pm.
7. Abdul Ghani Qureshi Kabab Corner
From Shyam Sweets head straight across Chawri Bazar Road to the end at Jama Masjid. Take a right and follow it around to the south side of Jama Masjid, where it becomes Urdu Bazar Road. Abdul Ghani Qureshi Kabab Corner is across from Gate 1 of Jama Masjid.
These are some of the best chicken and mutton seekh kababs in Delhi. Skip this place if you’re vegetarian.
A secret family spice blend is mixed with the ground meat, and then cooked on giant skewers over a big street-side grill. Kababs are served with melted butter, mint chutney and raw onion. Order rumali rotis to go with your kababs. It’s a killer combination.
You’ve got to order and pay for your food and wait for it out front. I’ve been told there is a seating area behind the shop but I’ve never seen it.
Some food stands seem to have multiple locations. Many Old Delhi eateries have been in the same families for generations. Sometimes a family member opens a new location (usually because of a disagreement), resulting in several locations with very similar names. It can get confusing.
8. Haji Nadeem Shahi Sheermal
Walk back along Urdu Bazar Road the way you came. When you are directly across from Gate 1 of Jama Masjid, take a left down that street, it is Matia Mahal Road. Haji Nadeem Shahi Sheermal will be down about 15 metres on your left.
Sheermal is a sweet flatbread made with saffron and topped with dried fruits and nuts. You’ll see it at different places in Old Delhi, but the ones here are really good.
Sheermal are baked in a tandoori oven and dipped in ghee once cooked. If you don’t have much room left, get one or two to go. They are great with coffee or tea the next morning.
This area is known as Bazar Matia Mahal and it’s another very old bazar, dating back to the 1650s. While the Red Fort was being constructed, Mughal ruler Shah Jahan lived in a palace in this bazar. A couple of arched stone gates from that palace are still standing.
9. Rehmatullah Hotel
Just a tiny bit down Matia Mahal Road is Rehmatullah Hotel. This is one of the few places in Delhi that makes mawa jalebis, black jalebis. Mawa jalebis are softer and thicker than the orange ones and have a mild flavour. You can also get black gulab jamun here.
Rehmatullah Hotel is one of the best restaurants in Old Delhi. It’s very popular with locals, but it hasn’t caught on to the food tours yet.
10. Cool Point
We’re going to end this Old Delhi street food tour on a sweet note. Across the street from Rehmatullah Hotel is one of Old Delhi’s favourite dessert shops, Cool Point.
Cool Point is very famous for something called shahi tudka, which is a rich dessert made of bread crumbs, rabri (thick custard), nuts and dried fruit.
Shahi tudka is a dessert from the Mughal era and translates to ‘royal bite.’ In the summer I always order shahi tudka with mango kulfi.
You’ll see variations of this dessert around Old Delhi, but Cool Point has the best. They make their own bread for the bread crumbs and were the first in the area to offer the dessert.
Is Delhi Street Food Safe to Eat?
The quick answer is yes, but you need to exercise some caution. I lived in Delhi and ate street food all the time. I still return each year and eat it regularly.
I’d be lying if I said I never got sick, but it’s only been 5 times in almost 10 years, and I’m a regular street food eater. To be fair, most of the times it was something stupid I did, like eating a yogurt drenched chaat in the middle of monsoon season.
Don’t eat street food during summer or monsoon season. Food spoils very quickly in these months. Even Delhiites avoid street food at these times.
Always look for busy stands where the locals are. They know where the best food is. This is how I found a lot of my favourite food stalls.
Use sanitizer wipes, and keep your hands as clean as possible because a lot of street food is eaten with hands. Only drink bottled water. You can read more about how to safely eat local here.
Organized Street Food Tour of Old Delhi vs Self-Guided Food Walk
Should you take a guided Old Delhi food walk? Taking an Old Delhi food tour is awesome, but you don’t have to take one to experience the street food scene.
The truth is you will get more information on a guided tour – you can’t replicate going on a food crawl with a local guide on their own turf. But it’s not mandatory. Doing it on your own is manageable, especially with this guide.
If you decide to take a guided Delhi food walk, I recommend Delhi Food Walks or A Chef’s Tour.
Know Before You Go on Your Old Delhi Street Food Tour
- Bring cash and small bills preferably. Not all places will take electronic payments.
- Only drink bottled water.
- Late morning or noon is the best time to start. All the street food stands will be open.
- Wear comfortable shoes and dress conservatively.
- Use hand sanitizer wipes to keep hands clean.
- Chawri Bazar is closed on Sunday. Some food stands won’t be open.
Last Words on Old Delhi Street Food Tour: An Insider’s Food Walk
I am a true believer that the best food in Delhi is on the streets. This is where the freshest, most delicious and cheapest eats are. The diversity and flavours will put your taste buds into overdrive.
Use this guide for your tour, but don’t hesitate to stop at other Old Delhi street food stands that looks interesting. Just make sure the place is busy with locals.
