Eateries covered in the market in part 1

1. Talib kabab corner
2. Abdul Ghani Qureshi kababs
3. Javed Nihari
4. Zahra chai

In a nutshell: 

Walking in the lanes of Zakir nagar was not just about eating food but experiencing the hustle bustle, the aroma of different kinds of food, the patiently waiting guests at every eatery (we experienced no push/ shove, no aggression), the crazy traffic where one reaches a destination faster by walking than in e rickshaws or cars. 

Address & other details: 

1. Talib kabab corner
2. Abdul Ghani Qureshi kababs
3. Javed Nihari
4. Zahra chai

Instagram : Javed Nihari 

Facebook: Javed Nihari 

Meal for 2: ₹200 onwards 

Cuisine type :  vegetarian also, predominantly non vegetarian 

Disclaimer: All restaurants / eateries reviewed by YUMMRAJ were visited by YUMMRAJ himself & he has paid for the full Bill & tips also. http://www.yummraj.com does not have even one featured / sponsored reviews. YUMMRAJ believes in going to a restaurant in anonymity, as a normal guest, experience everything & give a honest account of the same to you.

YUMMRAJ rates all the food items & then gives a final overall rating, which is a simple average of the individual item ratings. What the ratings stand for: 5 = Excellent, 4 = Very Good, 3 = Good, 2 = Fair, 1 = Disaster

Short description- in case u r in a hurry 

We have been going to Jama Masjid area every year since last 2 decades +, to get ur fix of mughalai food – not just form the fancy eateries but also from the hidden gem restaurants & the street food artists. 

Zakir nagar was on our list for long but just inertia issues postponed the visit. When or friend Irfan offered to take us on a food walk to this area, we did not even blink before saying yes. 

We parked at DMRC authorised parking Jamia Milia Islamia metro station. The parking was small but the guys at the parking were very helpful. They made space for us when we requested. 

We walked around 800-900 meters to the main market. It’s highly recommended not to take your car inside the main market. Zero parking. You will reach faster by walking. 

We did not rush to the food stall. We slowly walked, observed what was happening around, what people were doing, the crowded ones vs. the others etc. that made the walk fun. It was a good soak in. 

We started by eating the Kababs & then went on to have the Nihari paya. We still wanted to try the Nalli biryani & the moradabadi biryani but we were full by that time. So planned those for part 2 next month.

Detailed description – in case u hv the time to njoy reading:

1. Talib kabab corner

The shop had a huge crowd waiting outside. Customers could not enter the shop – they could buy over the counter. The small kitchen (visible to us) was constantly churning out kababs in a frenzy. 

Guests were staring in the road, next to traffic & silently enjoying the kababs. People were just placing the order & the boy in the kitchen was remembering his face & handing over the kabab ordered. I noticed two instances in which he refused to give to another person & ga wit yo the person who ordered first. 

Payment – UPI & cash

We tried the बड़े का बोटी kababs (marinated buff meat pieces). Rustic, robust, juicy, salty, somewhat hot (scoville factor), aroma of spices present but only to the extent that let the aroma of the meat bloom. Salt was a little bit more than optimum. Most probably an execution error. Rate it 4.25/5

They also had sheekh kababs. But we preferred to try that another day. 

2. Abdul Ghani Qureshi kababs

This is a large restaurant with a large kabab making kitchen on ground floor. On the other side is a seating area. We sat in the AC section on first floor. 

We ordered 1 plate each of fish kabab, mutton sheekh & buff kabab. We asked what fish he is using & he said surmai. 

We were expecting surmai tikka like everywhere else. What came instead was sheekh!!! Do not remember eating surmai in this form!!! It turned out to be real good. No dripping oil, yet juicy as we bit on the kabab. Flavours of fish were enjoyable as no ‘on the face’ over-spicing was done. No colours added. Pale looking, very good to taste. Rate it 4.5/5

The mutton sheekh kabab was very good again – molten animal fat made the kabab super juicy, high on spice yet meat flavour not killed, enjoyable मिर्च factor, perfect seasoning, excellent to taste. Rate it 4.75/5

The buff sheekh kabab was outstanding. Lower on spice flavours than the mutton sheekh. A lot more meaty flavour. Super soft, robust & rustic flavours. One of the top 5 kababs (in memory) we have had in delhi NCR. 

Rate it 4.95/5

Payment – UPI & cash

3. Javed Nihari

There are other branches of Javed Nihari but we heard from those who have we to the other branches that the Nihari in this original shop opposite Batla house is the best. 

The menu card was short & good

We tried Nihari & paya with khameeri roti

Paya was intense, was thick with slow cooked gelatin of the bones. The cartilage had melted & become soft like a cooked gourd.  Rate this paya 4.5/5

For Nihari we got 3 choices:

• Nihari plain
• Nihari with bone marrow
• Nihari with bone marrow & cooked in ghee.  

We chose option 3.

This turned out to be a turning point in our Nihari journey. The best Nihari we have had till now was Kallu Nihari. With the ghee, Javed exceeded kallu by a slight margin. The meat was super soft & nice. The dish was however not about the meat. The gravy was the king here – slow cooked to an absurd unbelievable joy on the plate!!!

Rate it 4.95/5

Loved the khameeri rotis – super soft on the middle. A bit crisp at the base. 

We had the option to eat at the AC section. We chose to eat at the regular section. Small narrow benches to sit on. Tables covered with a metal sheet for ease of cleaning. A newspaper was spread on top of the table for ease of cleaning. 

The two gentlemen – one was serving & the other person was coordinating the floor. In that huge rush they took care of us with huge warmth & patience & made us feel like a guest at their sister’s wedding. 

A beautiful memory

4. Zahra chai

Since we have lived in kolkata & mumbai, we find most (not all) chai in delhi to be too watery, too thin, too sweet. Well, we were pleasantly surprised by the robust tea (with tea flavour, not spices / ginger) served in a kulhar, piping hot due to kulhara being constantly being places on a tandoor. A tiny bit sweeter than how I would like but really good nevertheless. Rate it 4.5/5.

Overall, a fabulous evening spent. Going back for round 2 before winter is over.