North Central India Restaurants
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North Central India Restaurant Reviews
Restaurants on this route generally serve kebabs and other grilled meats, birianis (rice casseroles), and the rich almond-and-saffron-scented concoctions of Mughlai cuisine. Most hotels offer a menu of Indian (with choices from various regions), Continental, Chinese (sort of), and sometimes Thai or Japanese dishes; Khajuraho has several Italian restaurants. Small places in villages along the way have simple local vegetarian dishes that are often delicious and cheap. Also keep an eye out for South Indian joints, where a delicious spiced-potato-filled dosa (crisp rice crepe) will fill you up for a 20 rupees or less and is tremendously satisfying. Most restaurants are open from 7 to 10 for breakfast, noon to 3 for lunch, and 7:30 to 11 for dinner; hotels often have a 24-hour or all-day coffee shop.
Hotels in Agra serve particularly good Mughlai dishes. Varanasi, with its abundant "food for the soul," is extremely light on restaurants—orthodox Hindus do not eat meat and prefer to keep food preparation a family affair. Out of respect, most spots near the holy river will not only be "pure vegetarian," but also will be geared toward observant Brahmins by avoiding onions, garlic, and other ingredients thought to be overly stimulating. However, the city is known for its sweets, mostly based on distillations of milk and cream, such as lavan lata, a kind of supercharged baklava. Lucknow, too, is known for excellent sweets (and without the swarms of flies that swirl around the wares in Varanasi's famous shops), as well as for Avadhi cuisine. Developed at a time when high Muslim nobles called "nawabs" ruled the Mughal empire, Avadhi food is characterized by subtle blending of flavors and aromas of Avadh.
