India Food Guide
Best Food in India: 25 Iconic Dishes Every Traveller Must Try
By Beauty of Bharat — India travel guide, every place, every flavour.
Guides covering all 36 States and UTs, researched from official sources and checked at publish time. Corrections welcome — see About Beauty of Bharat.
The best food in India isn't one dish — it's a shortlist. Start with butter chicken and chole bhature in Delhi, biryani in Lucknow or Hyderabad, masala dosa in the south, pav bhaji in Mumbai, Goan fish curry on the coast, and a glass of mishti doi or filter coffee to finish. These are the dishes travellers remember for years — and this guide covers 25 of them: what each one is, where it tastes best, and what you'll actually pay.
India's food changes every few hundred kilometres — Mughal slow-cooking in the north, coconut and curry leaf in the south, mustard oil and sweets in the east, street-food genius in the west. We've built this list from our own database of 213 regional dishes, and every recommendation below names the city, the neighbourhood and the rough price. For the full food atlas, explore our India food guide.
Quick Picks: India's Best Dishes at a Glance
| If you want… | Order this |
|---|---|
| The single most famous dish | Butter chicken with tandoori naan — Delhi |
| Best vegetarian comfort | Chole bhature or a crisp masala dosa |
| Best street food | Pav bhaji or vada pav — Mumbai (see our Best Street Food in India guide) |
| Best seafood | Goan fish curry or Kerala's karimeen pollichathu |
| Best for meat lovers | Hyderabadi biryani or Kashmiri rogan josh |
| Best dessert | Mishti doi, bebinca or hot jalebi |
| Best budget hero | Litti chokha or Amritsari kulcha — a full meal under ₹100 |
North India: Tandoors, Dhabas & Mughal Kitchens
The north cooks rich and hearty — tandoor-fired breads, slow-cooked kebabs and creamy gravies. Pair this list with our Best Places to Visit in India guide for a Delhi–Agra–Jaipur food route.
1. Butter Chicken — Delhi
What it is: Tandoori chicken simmered in a silky tomato-butter-cream gravy, invented at Delhi's Moti Mahal in the 1950s — now India's most famous curry worldwide. Where to eat: Moti Mahal in Daryaganj (the original), or Karim's near Jama Masjid for the full Mughlai spread. You'll pay: ₹300–500 for a full butter-chicken meal at a good restaurant.
2. Chole Bhature — Delhi
What it is: Dark, tangy chickpea curry (chole) mopped up with puffy deep-fried bhature — Delhi's definitive breakfast and lunch. Where to eat: Sita Ram Diwan Chand in Paharganj, or Baba Nagpal Corner in Lajpat Nagar. You'll pay: ₹80–150 at a street stall, ₹180–250 sit-down.
3. Amritsari Kulcha — Amritsar
What it is: Crisp tandoor flatbread stuffed with potato or paneer, drowned in butter and served with chole — Amritsar's pride. Where to eat: Kulcha Land or Kesar Dhaba in Amritsar, ideally after the Golden Temple. You'll pay: ₹60–120 for a full plate.
4. Rogan Josh — Kashmir
What it is: Slow-braised mutton in a deep-red gravy of Kashmiri chillies, cinnamon and dry ginger — a Wazwan classic with Persian roots. Where to eat: Ahdoos or Shamyana on Boulevard Road, Srinagar. You'll pay: ₹300–450 in a good Kashmiri restaurant.
5. Biryani — Lucknow, Hyderabad & Kolkata
What it is: Layered, saffron-scented rice with meat or vegetables — Lucknow's delicate Awadhi dum biryani, Hyderabad's fiery green-chilli version, and Kolkata's with its famous potato. Where to eat: Idris or Wahid in Lucknow, Shadab or Paradise in Hyderabad, Arsalan in Kolkata. You'll pay: ₹180–350 for a generous plate.
6. Galouti Kebab — Lucknow
What it is: Melt-in-the-mouth minced-meat kebabs, legend says invented for a toothless Nawab who couldn't chew — they genuinely need no teeth. Where to eat: Tunday Kababi near Akbari Gate, Lucknow. You'll pay: ₹120–250.
7. Dal Baati Churma — Rajasthan
What it is: Hard-baked wheat baatis crushed with ghee, dal and sweet churma — the desert's answer to a complete meal. Where to eat: Laxmi Misthan Bhandar in Jaipur, or any Rajasthani thali house. You'll pay: ₹150–250 for a full thali.
West India: Street-Food Capital & Coastal Kitchens
Mumbai's streets, Gujarat's sweet-savoury snacks and Goa's coconut curries — the west feeds you from dawn (fafda-jalebi) to midnight (pav bhaji). Our Best Street Food in India guide goes deeper into these lanes.
8. Pav Bhaji — Mumbai
What it is: A sizzling tawa of mashed vegetables in butter, scooped up with soft pav — born as a late-night mill-workers' meal, now Mumbai's icon. Where to eat: Sardar Pav Bhaji in Tardeo, or the beach stalls at Juhu. You'll pay: ₹120–200.
9. Vada Pav — Mumbai
What it is: A crisp potato vada tucked into pav with garlic chutney — Mumbai's burger, eaten standing at a stall. Where to eat: Ashok Vada Pav near Kirti College, Dadar. You'll pay: ₹20–40 — the cheapest legend on this list.
10. Misal Pav — Pune & Kolhapur
What it is: A fiery sprouted-bean curry crowned with farsan, onion and lemon, mopped up with pav — Maharashtra's spiciest breakfast. Where to eat: Bedekar in Pune, or any Kolhapuri joint for the extra-hot version. You'll pay: ₹60–120.
11. Dhokla — Gujarat
What it is: Steamed fermented gram-flour sponge — soft, sweet-sour, tempered with mustard seeds and curry leaves. Where to eat: Das Khaman in Ahmedabad, or any old-city farsan shop. You'll pay: ₹40–80 for a generous plate.
12. Goan Fish Curry — Goa
What it is: Kingfish or prawns in a coconut-kokum curry — tangy, fiery and unmistakably Goan, served with red rice. Where to eat: Beach shacks in South Goa, or Ritz Classic / Viva Panjim for the local-approved version. You'll pay: ₹250–450 for a fish-curry rice plate.
13. Bebinca — Goa
What it is: Goa's legendary layered pudding — coconut milk, egg yolk and sugar, baked layer by layer (seven or more) until caramelised. Where to eat: Panaji's old bakeries and any Goan sweet shop. You'll pay: ₹80–150 a slice; warm with vanilla ice cream is the move.
South India: Dosas, Coconut & Filter Coffee
The south runs on fermented batters, coconut and curry leaf — lighter, tangier and often spicier than the north. Breakfast here (dosa, idli, pongal) is the best breakfast in the country; fight us on it.
14. Masala Dosa — Karnataka & Tamil Nadu
What it is: A paper-crisp fermented crepe wrapped around spiced potato, served with sambar and coconut chutneys — the world's most perfect breakfast. Where to eat: Vidyarthi Bhavan in Bengaluru, Ratna Cafe in Chennai. You'll pay: ₹60–150.
15. Appam & Stew — Kerala
What it is: Lacy, bowl-shaped rice hoppers with crisp edges and soft centres, dunked into coconut-milk vegetable or fish stew. Where to eat: Kochi's heritage cafés, or an Alappuzha backwater homestay where it's breakfast. You'll pay: ₹120–220.
16. Chettinad Chicken — Tamil Nadu
What it is: A fiery, black-pepper-heavy chicken curry from the Chettiar merchant kitchens of Karaikudi — among India's most aromatic. Where to eat: Madurai or Karaikudi heritage restaurants. You'll pay: ₹200–350.
17. Bisi Bele Bath — Karnataka
What it is: "Hot lentil rice" — a one-pot hug of rice, dal, vegetables and sambar powder, finished with ghee. Where to eat: MTR in Bengaluru, where it has been served since 1924. You'll pay: ₹80–140.
18. Karimeen Pollichathu — Kerala
What it is: Kerala's pearl-spot fish marinated in spices, wrapped in a banana leaf and slow-roasted — smoky, tangy, unforgettable. Where to eat: Lakeside restaurants in Kumarakom and Alappuzha. You'll pay: ₹350–550.
19. Filter Coffee — Tamil Nadu & Karnataka
What it is: Strong peaberry coffee dripped through a brass filter, frothed with hot milk and served in a dabara-tumbler — India's best coffee ritual. Where to eat: Old coffee clubs in Chennai and Kumbakonam; India Coffee House in Bengaluru. You'll pay: ₹30–60.
East India: Mustard Oil, Fish & the Sweet Capital
The east is India's sweet tooth — Bengal and Odisha turned milk into an art form — with fish curries and fire-roasted rustic staples alongside.
20. Machher Jhol — West Bengal
What it is: Bengal's everyday fish curry — light, mustard-oil based, with potato and green chillies, eaten with steamed rice. Where to eat: 6 Ballygunge Place or Oh! Calcutta in Kolkata. You'll pay: ₹250–400.
21. Kosha Mangsho — West Bengal
What it is: Mutton slow-braised in caramelised onion until the gravy turns dark and glossy — Bengal's celebration dish. Where to eat: Golbari in Shyambazar, or Peter Cat in Kolkata. You'll pay: ₹300–450.
22. Rosogolla — West Bengal
What it is: Spongy chhena (fresh cheese) balls soaked in light syrup — the sweet that made Kolkata India's dessert capital. Where to eat: Nabin Chandra Das or K.C. Das in Kolkata. You'll pay: ₹20–40 a piece.
23. Mishti Doi — West Bengal
What it is: Sweet curd caramelised with jaggery and set in earthen pots — dense, creamy, faintly smoky. Where to eat: Any Kolkata mishti shop; look for the clay cups (bhaar). You'll pay: ₹40–80.
24. Chhena Poda — Odisha
What it is: Baked, caramelised fresh-cheese cake — India's answer to cheesecake, traditionally wrapped in sal leaves and slow-baked overnight. Where to eat: Sweet shops in Puri and Bhubaneswar. You'll pay: ₹50–100.
25. Litti Chokha — Bihar
What it is: Wheat balls stuffed with roasted gram (sattu), fire-roasted and dunked in ghee, with mashed-vegetable chokha — rustic, smoky, filling. Where to eat: Street stalls around Patna; every litti wala has loyalists. You'll pay: ₹40–80 for a full plate.
Eating Your Way Through India: Honest Tips
Five rules that keep every food trip delicious and trouble-free. Follow the queue: a busy stall with locals waiting is the safest review system in India. Watch it cooked: food made fresh in front of you — tandoors, tawas, dosa griddles — is almost always safe. Drink smart: bottled or filtered water everywhere; street-cut fruit and raw salads are the riskiest items, skip them. Mind the spice curve: "medium" in Andhra or Chettinad would be "extra hot" in Delhi — start mild, order up. Go vegetarian freely: roughly half of this list is vegetarian, and India's veg food — thalis, dosas, chaat — is a cuisine in itself, not a compromise.
Watch & Feel: India's Food in Motion
Photos tell you what a dish looks like — video tells you what it feels like. Two food walks to make you hungry: a flavour-packed tour through Old Delhi's legendary lanes, and seven regional street foods from across the country. Press play and start tasting.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the most famous food in India?
Butter chicken, biryani and masala dosa are the three dishes most travellers know — and all three deserve the fame. Butter chicken is the global ambassador of Indian curries, biryani is the celebration dish eaten from Lucknow to Hyderabad, and masala dosa is South India's gift to breakfast lovers everywhere.
Which city has the best food in India?
Delhi wins on range — Mughlai restaurants, Old Delhi street food and every regional cuisine in one city. But foodies should also hit Amritsar for Punjabi dhabas, Lucknow for Awadhi kebabs and biryani, Hyderabad for biryani, Kolkata for Bengali sweets and fish, and Mumbai for street food. Each city has its own crown.
What is the national dish of India?
India has no official national dish. Khichdi — the humble rice-and-lentil one-pot — is sometimes proposed for the title, but most Indians would vote for biryani or butter chicken as the people's favourite. The honest answer is that no single dish represents a country with this much regional variety.
Is Indian street food safe for travellers?
Mostly yes, with simple rules: eat where locals queue, choose stalls that cook food fresh in front of you, skip raw salads and street-cut fruit, and drink bottled or filtered water. Chaat, vada pav, dosas and tandoori items made to order are generally safe — it's pre-cut fruit and tap water that cause most trouble.
Which Indian dishes should vegetarians try?
About half the dishes on this list are vegetarian: chole bhature, masala dosa, pav bhaji, dhokla, dal baati churma, bisi bele bath, appam with vegetable stew, plus every regional thali. India's vegetarian food is a full cuisine in itself — paneer, dal, chaat and dosa varieties alone could fill a separate trip.
Every Place. Every Flavour.
This list is just the beginning. Beauty of Bharat covers all 36 states and union territories — 550+ destinations, offbeat places and regional dishes, each with its own page. Hungry for more? Dive into the stalls and lanes with our Best Street Food in India guide.
Explore all 36 states on beautyofbharat.com