A Day of Street Food in Delhi, India
Intro
Delhi is quite an incredible place. I traveled here for the first time in December 2024. Not knowing what to expect, and coming in with an open mind, I was excited for what I was about to experience. I picked Delhi for the culture and the food (specifically the street food). Some say it is behind its time a bit compared to the metropolitan city of Mumbai or the tech hub of Bangalore. I say that its got real charm. The type of charm that takes a bit of getting used to, but once you do, it won’t take long to develop a fondness that will last long after you return home.
In the heart of the chaos lies Delhi’s old city, a maze of narrow streets lined with merchants selling all goods imaginable. From traditional wedding garments and bangles to bread, fresh veggies, spices, and most importantly, street food, you can find it all tucked away in these packed halls. I opted for a head first dive into the deep end by choosing to explore Old Delhi for my first full day in India.
Breakfast in Connaught Place
I met my guide for the day, Rohan, at Saravana Bhavan, a well-known South Indian breakfast spot. This cafe isn’t in Old Delhi, but in Connaught Place, the heart of Delhi’s downtown. We started with a nice plate of food filled with curried potatoes and dosa, but the standout favorite here was the sweet rice pudding deal they serve with green chili chutney. Great energy boost to kickstart the day.
Next, I was surprised by Rohan and brought to Ugrasen Ki Baoli, one of India’s famous stepwells, for a wild view of how water was collected and accessed before modern plumbing. It was stunning. Right nearby the stepwell sits an unknown destination that I’d imagine most tourists don’t get to see, a literal outdoor and completely manual laundromat run by traditional Dhobis. When small hotels and big families don’t have the capacity to wash their own laundry, they outsource to the Dhobis who run a wild operation washing clothes in barrels, underground pools, and baths, hanging them up to dry in the streets outside the facility. It was truly an incredible operation.
A Culinary Crash Course in Old Delhi
Now it was time to venture into Old Delhi. First stop, a wholesale vegetable market. Restaurant and street cart owners all over Old Delhi venture here in the mornings to procure their veggies for the week. From chilies to potatoes and carrots, cauliflower, onions, garlic, you name it, you can find it here. This isn’t your favorite neighborhood farmers market though. You’ll find plenty of goats roaming the stalls for their share of the day’s veggies. Truly a sight to see.
“First foodie stop is nearby” he says. We ducked left off a main road where Rohan led us to a shop pulling their own sugar in the back and mixing it into a hot wok. We watched as they slowly added sesame seeds for a uniquely flavored toasted sesame brittle. Great palate teaser. I ended up buying some as a gift for friends back home, if it makes it that long without me getting to it first.
Next, a stop at a street cart seemingly in the middle of a crowded alley at Khemchand Daulat Ki Chaat. Where a man, who hand churns milk for 4 hours every morning, creates a meringue-like treat that he whips into a bowl of refreshing fluffiness, topping with saffron for an extra flavorful pop. Unlike anything I’ve ever had.
Nearby in Old Delhi’s famous “bread street” is Pt. Gaya Prasad Shiv Charan Paranthe Wale, which specializes in parathas, a typical daytime food. Get them stuffed with anything you want. We chose 1 of mixed veggies and one sweet one stuffed with sweetened runny cheese. Doesn’t sound great but it slapped.
For a quick food break, we stopped at a Sikh temple on Chandini Chowk’s main street to take in some cultural history. I learned one of the Sikh religion’s values is acts of service. Because of this, you’ll find hundreds of volunteers who help make thousands of free meals for the people every single day. It’s a crazy, but organized operation. I even got to pitch in and help the women by rolling bread dough. Must say…I’m a natural.
Okay on to more food. A quick rickshaw ride through main Chandini Chowk street brings us to Shiv Mishthan Bhandar for 2 different puffed bread dishes that are hard to explain. One was a whole wheat style bread with a unique texture served with light potato curry. The other was a bigger, softer bread that I can’t properly describe. A chewy, cheesy inside makes it the best thing I’ve had this day (so far). It was served with a darker chickpea curry that elevated its flavor.
Onto a walk through of Asia’s largest spice market where the scents are so strong you need a face covering to prevent you from inhaling straight chili dust. Prepare to sneeze. We ventured up to a secret rooftop for an unbeatable view of Old Delhi and it’s surrounding area. An elevated look at chaos down below.
The net stop takes the cake for me. A place called Kake Di Hatte makes the best butter naan I think I’ll ever have in my life. A 2 foot diameter disc of layered, crispy, and chewy heaven served with a clay pot of boiling dal makhani, which was also incredible and balanced the flavor of the naan with perfection. I don’t think anything can top this experience for me. If you do nothing else in Old Delhi, come here.
Tibetan Village
That was it for Old Delhi. 3-4 hours there will make Time Square in NYC on New Year’s Eve seem like a desert. Now it was time to venture into Delhi’s Tibetan neighborhood for a unique taste of more typical Himalayan food. An order or 2 of chicken momo (dumplings, steamed or fried) will put you into a different world than you were just 30 minutes before.
If you venture into this Tibetan neighborhood, you’ll notice lots of places selling something called laphing. Laphing is a type of Tibetan street food made of a large rice noodle wrap stuffed with meat and crispy bits of noodle. We made our stop at Laphing Express, and damn I could eat 20 of them.
Last and final stop at the modern Ama Café for coffee and a final goodbye to Rohan, who was an amazing host for the day. Sad to leave this moment, we parted ways and I headed back to the hotel for a well deserved early ending to the day.
Wrapping Up: A New Perspective
For Westerners, Old Delhi is a shock to the system. A different way and quality of life than any of us are used to. If you’ve traveled to these types of environments before, you know what I’m talking about. If you’re new to this atmosphere like I was, you’re in for a wild ride. Whatever you do, keep an open mind. At one point, this part of the city was a center for global trade. Merchants from all over Asia and Europe traveled to Delhi to exchange goods and spices. This practice still exists in real time in Old Delhi every day. It’s really a sight to see.
