In a nutshell: Super enjoyable nihari & paya, limited seating, quick service Address & other details: hila hotel Meal for 2: ₹200 onwards Cuisine type : 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 … Continue reading Hilal hotel (1004, gali madarse wali, Jama masjid area, delhi)
In a nutshell: Mind blowing kakori kabab, awesome biryani and an assortment of good, average and bad food. Address & other details: Kakori House Meal for 2: 800 onwards Cuisine type : vegetarian &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 … Continue reading Kakori House (10 A, Shiv Sagar Society, Opposite Paradise Cinema, LJ Road, Mahim, Mumbai)
In a nutshell: Eating out here is not only memorable due to the outstanding food but the experience of extreme pandemonium that one goes thru to first receive the food & then eat it. Address & other details: Kallu Nihariwale Meal for 2: Rs. 200 onwards Cuisine type : only nonvegetarian Disclaimer: All restaurants / eateries reviewed by YUMMRAJ were visited by YUMMRAJ himself & he has … Continue reading Kallu Nihariwale (180, Chhatta Lal Mian, Jama Masjid, Behind Delite Cinema, Daryaganj, Delhi)
In a nutshell – A super YUMM ‘bhar pet’ Mughal cuisine lunch for Rs. 247 for 3 people in Delhi, with few dishes much better than the famed Big Boys of Mughal Cuisine like Jawahar or Karims. Address & other details: Pahalwan Dhaba is the second shop to the entrance of the Dargah of Sufi Saint Qutubuddin Bakhtiyar Kaki. Best way to reach here is … Continue reading Pahalwan Dhaba (near the entrance of Dargah of Qutubuddin Bakhtiyar Kaki, Mehrauli , Delhi)
Outstanding Nihari, nalli & few other traditional Mughal food in a simple setting with warm people & fast service.
Super YUMM Nihari at Haji Sharbati Nihariwale
How to get there: Get into the lane perpendicular to Gate no. 1 of Jama Masjid. Keep walking till u reach a ‘y’ point. Take the road on the left – almost in the same direction as u were walking. U will an old gate to a Haveli on ur left. Walk into the gate & on ur left is Haji Shabrati Nihariwale.
Jama Masjid, Delhi
The smartest thing to do is to take a rickshaw from Chawri Bazar metro station & entrust him with all the above details. U shud be there in not much time.
Road perpendicular to Gate no. 1, Jama Masjid
Meal for 2:Rs. 150 onwards (see rate chart as of July 2012)
The menu card (hung on the wall) at Haji Shabrati Nihariwale
Timings: Summers – 6.30 pm to 9.00 pm (best time to go 7.00 to 8.00), Winters 5.00 pm to 8.00 pm. The shop is shut at all other times.
Cuisine Type:Nonvegetarian
Short Description – In case u r in a hurry:
In case eating out for u includes ‘ambience’ / ‘professional service’ as a must ,pls do not go here. If ‘eating = health food’ for u, I wud strongly advice u not to even think of going here. However, if u r a foodie & believe that there is only one life & we shud make the best out of it, u must give this a try. Ur tastebuds will thank u for taking them to Haji Sharbati. All u will maybe need to do is to increase ur dosage of cardio exercises the following week.
curry made with nalli (bone marrow)
The shop is very old & does not seem to have been renovated for years. Everything there seems to have stood the test of time. Even the signboard outside the shop had almost turned black due to the smoke of the ovens. There are elements that might look messy but no one really cares. People come, wait in queues, eat & go.
the facade of the shop – the signboard with the name has also faded / blackened out
As u stand outside the shop u see a huge Handi (metal cooking container) fixed to the oven with clay atop a platform that is almost 2.5 feet high & an elderly gentleman sitting besides it & serving the contents to eating plates. Behind him is a tandoor & a guy sitting there is constantly making tandoori rotis here.
The elderly gentleman sitting on the platform in front of the huge handi
The platform (with the tandoor) covers half the shop & the rest is the sitting area.
View of the platform from inside the shop
The furniture is as basic as it can get.
the simple seating area at Haji Sharbati Nihariwale
The guy who serves the food is just another Human being & his responses are exactly like that – unlike trained restaurant waiters who are smiling & polite even when yelled at. My smile & friendly behaviour ensured that he treated us like his personal guest & we really had a good time.
A view of the entrance from inside the shop
The food rules – This is one of the best Niharis I have had so far. The gravy beats the Karim’s one hands down. The meat at Karim’s is slightly better textured than at Haji Shabrati.
Detailed description – In case u have the time to njoy reading:
I originally wrote this post in 2011 but hv been revising it from time to time. latest update being 30th april 2015
crowd @ Kake di Hatti
Some of the best Dilli food is found in Chandni Chowk & adjoining areas like Chawri Bazar as many of the shops have not changed much from what they were about fifty to hundred years ago. This is not a comprehensive list but is a fairly large list which u will need few visits to cover – Some of the eateries mentioned below (e.g. Karim’s ,Jalebiwala etc) have been covered in detail (in other posts) in this blog – u can read those & enjoy the pics as well.
Attached is a hand drawn (by YUMMRAJ) map without which you will never find anything. You may need to take a printout and carry it with you as, without a map, you can easily get lost here. Let me tell u that inspite of the printout u might need to use Indian GPS – ‘Bhaisab, ye ved prakash lemon wale ka dukaan kahaan hai?’
click on the picture to enlarge it – so that u can read it, suggest u to carry a printout of the map
The best way to get here is to park your car in CP (Connaught Place) and take the metro to Chawri Bazaar or Chandni Chowk. Let me warn u though that there r huge queues at the ticketcounters of Chandni Chowk station on the way back. The other option is to park the car at CP & take an auto rickshaw.
Daulat ki chaat being sold at Chandni chowk. Winters only. Multiple vendors. Must try…
As u alight from the metro at Chawri Bazaar, take the gate towards Hauz Kazi. Once you are up on the street, you will see a clearing/intersection of roads. Go to the diagonally-opposite corner of the road, towards your right. You will find a tiny shop called ‘Ashok Chaat Corner’. You will see the red-coloured Times Food Guide certification on its wall. Ask for their signature offering – kalmi chaat and urad daal chaat. They use a kachalu chutney which is totally different, and simply awesome. Avoid the paani puris – they r no different from the rest of the places.
To try one of the best kulfis in town, check out Kuremal Mohan lal kulfiwale. Do not miss their stuffed mango kulfi during summers / jamun / lichi….
A restaurant that has lived 98 years, Karim’s offers some extraordinary dishes & many more ‘mellowed-down’ good dishes. My taste buddies thank me every time I take them to Karim’s
If u r looking for white Gloved service , very polite waiters , an excellent ambience & very healthy food, do not even think of going to Karim’s. But if u r willing to give less importance to all these & rather want to pamper ur tastebuds, this is the place to be.
Kurry at Karims
Mutton Burra kabab is drooling good & the mutton seekh kabab is unique, juicy, spicy, soft & the best. Like the oily gravy of mutton istew & also the egg stuffed with minced goat. Love the Nihari & paya that is served in the morning.
Detailed Description – In case u have the time to enjoy reading:
Sticky post
