Udaipur brings up images of historical buildings, royalty, destination weddings and an abundance of beautiful lakes! But this small city steeped in history is also very rich in its food. The food really reflects the ingenuity of the local people who have made the best use of what is available locally and seasonally. With an innovative mix of spices, flours, lentils and some vegetables, there has emerged bountiful cuisines, that really give you the true flavour of this place! And thankfully, the love of local food among the people of Udaipur has ensured that it remains authentic and unfazed by the ‘globalization’ we see everywhere! So if you really want to get a true taste of Udaipur head to the narrow alleyways and discover all the hidden gems!
1. Masala Papad at Roop Ji Nasta Centre
Address: 57, Singhat Wadiya St, Moti Chohatta, Bada Bazar, Nada Khada, Udaipur
The flavourful crunchy padap severed with the spice potato and kadhi
If you happen to be in Udaipur, try out masala papad and curry for breakfast at Roop Ji Nasta Centre in Bada Bazar area. This is almost like a deconstructed samosa or an open samosa where the casing of the samosa is fried separately and served with spicy potato filling and a sweet kadhi (yoghurt based gravy). Locally, this is called as masala papad. The papad is crunchy and mild which perfectly balances the the spicy potato and the delicate sweetness of the kadhi.
The owner and cook Roop ji, who always greet his customers with a big smile in his face
We found the owner and cook Roop ji a humble and true gentleman. He serves his famous masala papad, kesar chai (saffron tea) and few other breakfast items from the shop that his father started 60 years back. Despite being very busy serving other customers he found time to speak with us with a big smile on his face. His masala papad has made him quite famous among food bloggers, yet he remains very humble and has maintained the taste and quality of his food.
2. Paratha at Sai Baba Paratha Centre
Address: Mehta Ji Ki, Badi Maheshwari St, Old City, Nada Khada, Udaipur
The owner who fry hundreds of parathas each day
If you fancy a mouth-watering heavenly aloo paratha, head straight to Sri Baba Paratha Centre at Nada Khada, old city area in Udaipur. Also recommended by Lonely Planet, this place is quite popular for breakfast among locals, food lovers and travellers.
Freshly made parathas bathed in pure ghee are served with butter, daal (Lentil curry) and a spicy pickle. This place offers a wide range of parathas like aloo, paneer etc. and some seasonal specials such as gobhi (cauliflower), mooli (radish), methi (fenugreek) are only available during winter. Just relish each mouthful and don’t bother with counting calories.
3. Hing (asafoetida) Kachori at Paliwal Restaurant
Address: 26, Jagdish Temple Rd, Old City, Udaipur
This small shop keep serving customers mouth watering kachoris for over 4 decades
There are many places to try hing kachori in Udaipur. However, the quality and tase of the kachoris here put it on top league! Established for over 40 years Paliwal restaurant serves fresh kachoris in the morning which are flaky on outside and soft inside. The filling is made of moong daal and besan (gram flour); flavoured with spices such as hing (asafoetida), saunf (fennel), chilli powder, garam masala (their own secret recipe) etc. The dough of the kachori also gets flavour from the use of methi (fenugreek) and ajwain (carom seeds) in it. Kachoris are deep fried in peanut oil for long time which enhances all the flavours and makes it fluffy and flaky. The hot kachoris are served with a green chutney made from coriander and mint, and a red sweet chutney made from imli (tamarind).
4. Thali at Nataraj hotel
Address: Bapu bazar main road, Udaipur
The simple yet flavourful thali of Nataraj
Udaipur is famous for Mewari thali and there is no better place than Nataraj to savour this flavourful cuisine. The old Nataraj in Bapu Bazar area has been serving Mewari thali for over 50 years and has attracted many food lovers including famous food critics, chefs and travellers. Among them you have the notable, Anthony Bourdain who visited this place almost a decade back. So, if you are a Anthony Bourdain fan then maybe ask the waiters to show you where he sat to dine, and if you are lucky (like us) you may end up enjoying the mega meal on same spot as the man himself.
We were luck to find the table empty where Anthony Bourdain sat to enjoy this thali
Nataraj serves few very simple yet amazingly flavourful and freshly made dishes in their thali like hing (asafoetida) kachori, seasonal vegetable fry (we got fried okra) dry potato curry, daal, moong ki sabji (mung bean curry), paneer curry, along with freshly made phulka (a type of Indian flat bread) and rice. For desert they serve warm and soft gulab jamun and homemade yogurt.
5. Dal Bati and Churma At Dhabalogy
Address: Nathdwara, Rajasthan 313202, India
Dal-bati from Dhabalogy
Dal bati churma is the signature dish of Rajasthan and is best eaten at someone’s home or at select few restaurants in Udaipur. One such is the new shining star of Udaipur food scene Dhabalogy, which is located around 20kms outside the city on national highway number 58. The place has some great retro vibe – tasteful yet quirky rustic interiors and
serves some amazingly tasty and authentic Rajasthani cuisine. This place is now slowly becoming one of the ‘must visit places in Udaipur’ not only to have a great meal but also to enjoy the nice ambience.
Talk of the Town - Tasteful yet quirky rustic interiors of Dgabalogy
One of the best dishes of this place is dal bati. The bati is a whole wheat flour dough ball baked over charcoal or traditionally over dung cake. The balls are delicately e flavoured with methi leaves (fenugreek), ajwain (carom seeds), cumin seeds, chilli and turmeric power, yogurt and salt.
In the Mewar region, Urad (Black gram) dal is used in the dish and is cooked with onions, ginger, garlic, green chilli, hing (asafoetida), cumin seeds, chilli and turmeric power and garam masala and finished with dollops of ghee.
To way to eat dal bati is to first crush the bati into small pieces, add a dash of ghee and then mixed with the dal, add a squeeze of lemon juice and devoured with pickles and sliced onions.
The churma which is the sweet component of this dish is prepared from baked whole wheat flour dough ball crushed and roasted with plenty of ghee, jaggery and a hint of cardamom.
6. Gulab Jamun At Lala Misthan Bhandar
Address: Jagdish Temple Rd, Old City, Ghantaghar, Silawatwari, Udaipur
Gulab jamun from Lala Misthan Bhandar
Established for almost 125 years, Lala Misthan Bhandar is one of the oldest shops in Udaipur serving sweets to its residents. From their wide range of sweets, the gulab jamun remains the favourite among locals and tourists. These are soft, relatively small with nicely balanced sweetness (not overpowering) and taste best when eaten warm.
7. Methi Key Gotay and Kadhi At Gayatri Restaurant
Address: Maldas St, Moti Chohatta, Bohrwadi, Udaipur
The small family run shop and a plate of methi key gotay
Located inside a small alley way off the Maldas Street in Udaipur, this restaurant has been serving a unique snack to its customers for over 40 years. Typically found in Gujarat, methi key gotay are small crispy fritters which are made from a batter of besan (gram flour) in which generous amount of dried Kasuri methi (fenugreek) are mixed along with garam masala, chillies, ginger, garlic, ajwain (carom seeds), sugar and salt. The fritters are soft and fluffy but dense inside and has a crunchy outside. Freshly fried fritters are served with a lukewarm sweet kadhi (yoghurt based).
8. Rabdi At Raju Bhai Rabdi Wala
Address: Shop Number 1, Nani Gali, Old City, Silawatwari, Udaipur
Raju bhai and his delicious rabdi
Stone’s throw away from famous Jagdish temple in Udaipur lies this famous rabdi shop - Raju Bhai Rabdi Wala! Raju bhai keeps serving his customers rabdi while fresh milk keeps simmering away on low flame in big pans. Ask for the special rabdi and Raju bhai will take a portion of sweet cold rabdi from fridge and will mix it with the hot malai and thickened milk from the simmering pan - a perfect balance of sweetness with a hint of warmth. Try to go before noon to try this as in evening the shop only serves cold rabdi!
Besides being a famous rabdi wala, Raju bhai also volunteers as an animal rescuer. Self-taught from watching videos on Nat Geo and Discovery, Raju bhai has rescued numerous snakes before releasing them back in wild for the last two decades. He even runs camps in villages to raise awareness among people on the importance of preserving wildlife.And according to him people’s viewpoint towards wildlife preservation is changing.Quite an interesting personality indeed.
9. Pohe At Jagdish Shri Restaurant - Namkeen
Address: Arzia House, RJ SH 50, Near Jagdish Temple, Rao Ji Ka Hata, Udaipur
Pohe from Jadish Shri Restaurant
Located few meters inside the alleyway just opposite of Jagdish temple, Jadish Shri Restaurant is famous and popular among locals for Poha (flaky rice) for breakfast. The pohe from this restaurant is light and fluffy and has a perfect balance of savoury, sweet and tanginess. The pohe served here is warm and fresh, which is the best way to enjoy this breakfast dish. The pre-soaked poha is sauteed with with coriander, fennel, back mustard seeds, turmeric, and then garnished with sev (small noodle like crunchy savoury snack made from chickpea flour dough), spicy boondi (small crunchy balls made by frying pea flour batter), chat masala, chopped onion, fresh coriander and dash of lemon juice. The softness of the warm poha and the crunchiness of the sev, boondi and onions is like a marriage made in heaven.
10. Doodh and Jalebi At Trivedi Upahar Grah
Address: Surajpole Circle, next to Udaipur hotel, Udaipur
Freshly made cruncy jalebi with doodh
Established at the time of independence of India, this age-old sweet shop is famous for its doodh-jalebi. This is a combination of cow’s milk (doodh) served with freshly made jalebis which are made in ghee and socked in thick sugar syrup which is flavoured with saffron and food colour. The hot milk and warm fried jalebis bathed in sugar syrup are a mouth-watering combo! You dunk the crunchy jalebi in the warm milk and enjoy the textures and flavours mixing in your mouth! Divine!
11. Cold Coffee At Sai Sagar Coffee And More
Address: Shop No 3, Bombaya Bazar, Fateh Sagar Lake, Udaipur
Cold coffee from Sai Sagar coffee house with Fateh sagar lake and sunset as backdrop
Located by the Fateh Sagar lake in Udaipur, this coffee house made it way to fame with the cold coffee it has been serving over the years. The setting of the beautiful lake no doubt elevates the coffee experience. They roast and grind their coffee beans themselves. They make their coffee by mixing the coffee powder with chilled milk and sugar and finish with a scoop of ice-cream, a sprinkle of chocolate chips and a dash of chocolate syrup! No wonder the coffee is creamy and rich!
12. Lemon Tea At Pandit Ji Ki Lemon Tea
Address: Saheli Marg, opp. Saheliyo Ki Bari, Udaipur
The magical lemon tea of Pandit ji
Pandit ji from his small tea stall serves this lemon tea with a dash of magic! The heavenly lemon tea is perfectly balanced with mint, lemon and a dash of Pandit Ji’s secret masala! A perfect beverage for a hot day or a rainy evening or anything in between!
13. Mirchi Vada (Stuffed Chilli Fritter) At Dhabology
Address: Nathdwara, Rajasthan 313202, India
The must have street food of Udaipur - Mirchi vada
The one street food that no one should miss in Udaipur is mirchi vada. Unlike most other places, mirchi vada is Udaipur comes with a filling of potato. The filling is spicy with a hint of tanginess, the stuffed mirchi (chilli) is then dipped in gram flour batter and deep fried. The quality and taste of the mirchi vada varies from shop to shop based on the type and quantity of spices used to prepare the potato filling. Dhabology serves some good ones which are worth a try. The splices used in the potato filling in Dhabology is very delicately balanced with each ingredient not overpowering the other. Spicy and slightly tangy the vada should be enjoyed with chutney when served hot!
14. Imarti At Shyam Misthan Bhandar
Address: Hatipole Road, Jatwari, Udaipur
Freshly made warm imarti from Shyam Misthan Bhandar
Almost similar in shape but thicker than jalebi in size, imarti is a common sweet sold in many sweet shops in Udaipur and around Rajasthan. Best eaten fresh and hot, imarti is made from a batter of finely blended paste of soaked urad dal (black gram) and corn flour with some orange food colouring. The skilled hand of halwai (confectionery) then turns the batter into flower like shapes over hot ghee, these are fried till golden brown and dipped in thick sugar syrup often coloured by food colour or saffron. Perfectly made imarti should be crunchy on the outside and soft inside and should retain just prefect amount of syrup to prevent it from running dry. The imarti made by Shyam Misthan Bhandar comes very close to being a perfect imarti by definition and quality, which is evident by the quick sell out each day.
15. Rabdi Malpua At Shyam Misthan Bhandar
Address: Hatipole Road, Jatwari, Udaipur
The unique Rajasthai bardi malpua
Apart from imarti, Shyam Misthan Bhandar is also popular for rabdi malpua. Though traditionally malpua is made by soaking the deep-fried thin pancakes in sugar syrup, Rajasthani rabdi malpua is not soaked in sugar syrup. As the name suggests, rabdi malpua is made from a thin batter made from rabdi (slow cooked thickened milk) mixed with sugar, plain flour and food colouring. The thin batter is then fried in ghee till golden brown. The sweetness in rabdi malpua comes from the thickened milk and sugar. The rabdi malpua served by Shyam Misthan Bhandar are thin, fluffy, crispy in outside and only slightly sweet.