Best Street Food in Kashi & Best Places to Eat & Drink

What comes to your mind when you think of Varanasi? You must be thinking about the Varanasi Ghats, Kashi Vishwanath Temple or the narrow alleys of the city. For us, Varanasi or Kashi is also about food.

Starting from lip-smacking chats to the sweet seduction of desserts and thandai, Varanasj is a place for food lovers. As food- loving Bong, we are simply in love with the street food of Varanasi. So we decided to write down about our recommendations for the best things to eat in Kashi along with the best places to eat in Varanasi.

1) Kachori Sabzi

Kachori Sabzi is the most popular breakfast food all around Varanasi. For breakfast, ditch the usual bread and omelette and dive into the culinary pleasure of having the rounded. fluffy Kachories served with hot sabzi. Kachoris arr basically puris stuffed lentils served with a flavourful gravy made of potatoes. The kachoris are fried right before your eyes and served hot.

Kachori Sabzi is our favourite breakfast food while in Varanasi. The area around Kachori Gali has a lot of street -side stalls serving this crispy and savoury delight.

Best place to eat in Kashi

Ram Bhandar in Chawk and Madhur Milan near Dashaswamedh Ghat(6:30 AM to 11:00 AM) are the best places.

2) Tamatar Chaat

A spicy chat made with tomatoes, hing, ginger, spices and in addition boiled potatoes I had to wriggle myself in a queue only to later realise its worth. The spicy flavour will first kick in to be later substituted by the tangy flavour of tomatoes.

Best Place to eat in Kashi

Kashi Chat Bhandar is definitely the best place to have Tamatar Chat. There are other roadside vendors as well

3) Chooda Matar

Chooda Matar is another of our favourite street foods in Varanasi. This is actually Poha with a Varanasi twist. Flattened rice is soaked in Desi Ghee and then stir- fried with fresh green peas and various spices. The dish is quite filling and it serves as a great evening snack.

Best Place to eat in Kashi

Kashi Chat Bhandar, Deena Chat Bhandar

4) Malaiyo

My personal favourite, this is a dish you will find only in winters. Made from milk froths and garnished with almonds and pistachios and served in earthen kulhads it will simply melt in your mouth. You can find it best while going to Dashaswamedh Ghat.

Best Place for Malaiyo Varanasi:

You can find shops selling Maliyo anywhere in the lanes of Varanasi during the season (between November to February). For the best and authentic Maliyo head towards the Chaukhamba Gali. The shop is Markandey Sardar, Chaukhamba Gali, opposite Gopal Ji Mandir in Chaukhamba gully.

Malaiyo is usually available in the morning till 11 AM.

5) Banarasi Paan

Anyone who's watched the Bollywood movie Don is aware of the famous lyrics of the movie that mention the Banarasi Paan. It's a street food item that's meant to be chewed and spit out. The composition consists of a betel leaf wrapped around various fillings. Paan in Varanasi comes in two varities - spicy and sweet. The spicy version of the paan is slightly bitter in taste and needs to be spit out whereas the sweeter paan can be swallowed whole. For people who have never tried paan before, it's best to start off by trying out the sweet paan. 

Best Place for Banarsi Paan

Keshav Paan Bhandaar near Ravidas Gate, Lanka road.

Chaurasia Tambul Bhandar at Chowk

6) Lassi

I think that the lassi in Varanasi is a bit different from other parts of the country. I have always heard of Punjabi lassis, but the thick and creamy lassi in Varanasi also tastes like heaven. There is a lassi shop every two minutes in Varanasi and most of them are simply great. Creamy and thick, flavoured if you want, the lassis are usually served in earthern pots and topped with a generous amount of Rabri and malai along with pistachios.

For flavoured Lassi, I think Blue Lassi is the one- stop place in Varanasi. The shop is recommended by Lonely Planet and is always seen full of people. The shop is located in a narrow lane in Kachori Gali. The road in front leads to the Manikarnika Ghat. And while you are enjoying a glass full of lassi, you will see a procession carrying a dead body towards the Manikarnika Ghat for cremation. This is one of the few places in Varanasi where you can see the dead while enjoying your drink!

Best Place to Drink Lassi in Kashi:

Blue Lassi Shop, Kachori Gali near Manikarnika Ghat

Pahalwan Lassi, Ramnagar and Ravidas Gate, Lanka. 

7) Jalebis

Well, well! Jalebis are another loved sweet dish in Varanasi. Though Jalebis are not my personal favourites, sweet , juicy and crispy jalebis are sold in Varanasi like hotcakes. Have them along with Kachori sabzi or with Rabri, Jalebis can make you happy anytime.

Best Place to eat in Kashi

Madhur jalpan serves some great jalebis.

8) Baati Chokha

Baati chokha is one of the popular foods found on the streets of Kashi. Baati is a type of Indian Bread with a filling of chatpate sattu and is served with Chokna which is a mixture of mashed potatoes, tomatoes, baked brinjal and spices. You can find Chokha almost everywhere on the streets of Kashi as well as plush resturants.

In the Next blog. I will write about 15 Things to do in Varansai