7 Best Restaurants in Varanasi, Side Trips from Delhi

This easygoing, inexpensive outdoor eatery with tables looking out on Assi Ghat serves excellent thin-crust vegetarian pizza made in a wood-fire oven with real mozzarella, as well as homemade pasta dishes, bona fide espresso, and fresh homemade apple pie. For a quieter, more laid-back experience, head to their other outlet in the cantonment area.

Situated in the plush Clarks Hotel, this upmarket restaurant that's decorated in tones of white and dark wood is best for its Indian food, though there are plenty of fusion and multicuisine choices on the menu. The chef cooks up innovative items in the lively kitchen, with vegetarian and meat-based dishes available.

Handily located behind the Shivala Ghat, this is a cozy, unassuming haven for homesick Western palates and a good place for breakfast after a morning boat ride.

Behind the colonial facade of the Surya Kaiser Palace, Canton Royal is a simple but elegant restaurant, with vaulted ceilings, statues, and framed pictures of Benarasi royalty. The menu is eclectic, spanning vegetarian and meat offerings in European, Mediterranean, Indian, and Chinese fare. You can dine inside or in the lovely gardens.

Rich tapestry, elegant chandeliers, and stone walls invite you into this fine dining space serving global cuisines. Darbhanga does an indulgent breakfast spread with bakes, live stations, and Indian classics, but the lunch and dinner menu wins with its three-course Benarasi thali featuring over five dishes and the famous Benarasi paan. The vegetarian menu is exhaustive, but should you wish to have something from a different cuisine, the chefs are happy to oblige. 

Situated at the lobby level of Hotel Haifa, this restaurant's specialty is Middle Eastern food. It's basically a long room with nondescript tables and lots of tourists flowing in and out—and no wonder, because it's incredibly cheap and the only place in town to sample freshly made Middle Eastern treats.

At this Indian fine-dining restaurant at Taj Ganges, you can dine on Benarasi delicacies, thalis, and other North Indian fare with vegetarian and meat dishes. Traditional Benarasi weaves are evident in the upholstery and interiors, while live sitar renditions add a more traditional touch to the dining experience. Guests can also request for the kids menu with simpler flavors and comfort foods.