Raja Cafe (Opposite Entrance, Western Group of Temples, Khajuraho)

In a nutshell:

I was told about Raja Café’s impressive Culinary heritage & we liked food that they served – Inspite of a decline from the time it was a ‘Legendary Restaurant’. It is surely not the best in its category in the current day but surely worth a visit.

the entrance

Meal for 2: Rs. 600 onwards

Cuisine Type: Vegetarian & Nonvegetarian

Short Description – In case u r in a hurry:

I had heard a lot about this place from friends who had visited Khajuraho before – ( 8 – 10 yrs back). As I started chatting with people in Khajuraho, many mentioned the Legend of Raja Café – started by a European couple & used be be a superb place to eat & hang out….in those days. I was also told that it was much better earlier than today.

I was pleasantly surprised as I entered the place. Very nice & casual décor – options to sit outside as well as inside the a/c dining hall. There are two entrance gates on two sides & they r beautifully done. The ‘sit outside’ section has beautiful Garden chairs & the area was dimly lit. The ‘sit inside’ area was brightly lit – good for me coz better lighting means better food snaps. Before coming to this place I thought it wud b plastic chairs & tables like Mediterraneo & other eateries in Khajuraho but it turned out to be pleasantly different.

A view of Raja cafe from outside the gate – open seating section in the front & indoor seating in the background

The staff member who served us was good, quite prompt & served us with a smiling face. He handled our queries (about the menu) well. I wud say that he was as good as one cud get in this part of country.

They had quite a huge menu card – ‘Fresh from our Bakery’ section starts with apple pie, croissants, muffins, lemon tart, Brownie etc. drinks like different kinds of coffee including the likes of cappuccino hazelnut, different kinds of tea, many options of shakes, vegetarian & non vegetarian club sandwiches, the usual list of beverages, Indian, Continental & English breakfast, omelets of diff kind – European & indian, Chinese soups & main course, a huge section of continental – 16 to 18 dishes & a list of North Indian approximate 10 vegetarian & 10 nonvegetarian options. In Tandoori section they had approximately 12 diff tikkas, nans & kababs. Apart from this they offered 4 kinds of south indian dosas. For desserts one cud choose from a long list of pancakes, waffles, banana flambé & banana fritters. They also had Indian Fixed menu & the most interesting named item – ‘European thali’ (grilled mixed veg, pasta with tomato sauce, rice pudding, mashed potato)

the menu card

The large menu was very balanced menu with almost equal number of vegetarian & nonvegetarian food on offer in each section.
Food was good but not outstanding. Good place to spend some time & eat some good food when in Khajuraho – Food at Mediterraneo was far better.

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Saravana Bhavan (Outer Circle, Connaught Place, Janpath, Connaught Place, Delhi)

In a nutshell:

The best South Indian Vegetarian restaurant in Delhi

Address & other details: Saravana Bhawan

Cuisine type: Vegetarian

Meal for 2: Rs. 200 onwards

Short Description – In case u r in a hurry:

At the entrance u r sure 2 spot queues all thru - inspite of a second eatery in the same place - ITS THAT GOOD

It’s a pity that there is no Saravana Bhawan in Gurgaon & we have to drive 35 km to eat a lunch or dinner here. If u reach after 1.15 in the afternoon or 7.30 in th evening, u will b standing in a queue on the shaded footpath. They just opened up a second restaurant besides the earlier one recently.

excellent idly

Food is excellent – Soft, fermented feel piping hot idly with some super cool accompaniments. Very nice & fresh medu vada, a huge list of tasty & interesting dosas, utthapams, adai, aviyal etc. In case adai sounds new, pls read the detailed description. The south Indian thali is very good & so r the South Indian dessert options. There r quite a few fresh fruit juices available & of course the filter coffee.

the thali at Saravana Bhawan

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