Itineraries for Your Trip to New Delhi
3 Days in New Delhi for Foodies
Delhi—home to more than 30 million people—is a multi-layered city with a long, turbulent history that's bound up in its food culture. There's Old Delhi and its storied, generations-old eateries serving Mughal-era delicacies; rich Punjabi gravies, evident of the surge of Punjabi refugees from Pakistan after partition; and residential enclaves filled with transplanted communities and dishes from the Northeast or Afghanistan.
In the two years I lived in Delhi, each day presented a new gastronomic adventure, whether that meant flagging down a chaiwallah for a cup of masala milk tea or indulging in a five-star gourmet dinner. You may not have years to explore the city’s legendary food scene, but three days is enough to get you started.
Braving Delhi in the stifling summer heat (April-June)? Try the Alphonso mango.
If you only have time for one thing, make it a food tour through Old Delhi or Purani Dilli.
Start with a small-group food tour through Chandni Chowk, Old Delhi's bustling, pedestrian-filled marketplace that's a street food mecca. Try sticky-sweet fried jalebi with spiced rabri (creamy North Indian dessert), or a savory chaat (street snack) like samosa chaat or kulle ki chaat. Most tours visit Khari Baoli, known as Asia’s largest wholesale spice market.
For dinner, hop on the yellow line and head four stations to Rajiv Chowk, the closest metro stop to Connaught Place, the circular sets of Georgian-style shopping arcades with bars and restaurants. Beeline to Veda, a quiet, elegant restaurant specializing in traditional North Indian food.
On your second day, head to state-run canteens scattered throughout the city known as bhavans—they're one of Delhi’s best-kept secrets for regional food from India’s 29 states. Some popular ones are Goa Niwas in Chanakyapuri for coconut-infused seafood dishes, Tamil Nadu House for South Indian thali, and Andhra Bhavan for spicy biryani and a classic breakfast.
Then, head to Hornbill in Safdarjung Enclave—home to many communities from India’s Northeast, including Manipur, Assam, and Nagaland—for traditional Naga cuisine. You’re a short walk from the atmospheric Piano Man Jazz Club to end the night with a live music and craft cocktail.
For a final send-off, indulge in a boozy lunch—or Sunday brunch—at 1911, the ritzy restaurant at the Imperial Hotel and named for the year the capital of British India transferred from Kolkata to Delhi. It’s near Janpath Market, where you can browse handicrafts for sale.
If you’re worried about how you’ll cope back at home without a daily dose of Delhi cuisine, take a private cooking class so you can recreate your favorite recipes after your trip ends.
