India food guide
India Food Guide: 18 Regional Dishes + Where to Eat Them
India’s food culture spans 28 states + regions, each with distinct cuisine. The dishes below cover the country broadly, North Indian classics, South Indian dosa culture, Bengali sweets, Goan seafood, Hyderabadi biryani.
Butter chicken (North India)
Creamy tomato-based chicken curry. Try at Moti Mahal (Delhi) where it was invented in 1947.
Price: 250-500 INR
Tandoori chicken
Yogurt-marinated, clay-oven roasted. Moti Mahal again, or any Punjabi dhaba.
Price: 250-500 INR
Biryani (Hyderabadi)
Layered rice with marinated meat + saffron + spices. Paradise Restaurant (Hyderabad) is the institution.
Price: 250-600 INR
Masala dosa (South India)
Crispy rice-batter crepe stuffed with potato. Vidyarthi Bhavan (Bangalore) is famous.
Price: 80-180 INR
Idli + sambar + chutney
Steamed rice cakes with lentil stew. Murugan Idli Shop (Chennai) is institution.
Price: 60-150 INR
Goan fish curry
Coconut-based curry with kingfish. Try at Mum’s Kitchen (Panaji).
Price: 250-500 INR
Bengali fish curry
Mustard-flavored fish + rice. Calcutta specialty. Bhojohori Manna (Kolkata).
Price: 250-500 INR
Rajasthani thali
Multi-dish vegetarian platter. Chokhi Dhani (Jaipur) is the touristy experience; Rawat Mishtan Bhandar for real.
Price: 250-450 INR
Pani puri / Golgappa
Crispy hollow shells filled with spiced water + chutney. Street food everywhere.
Price: 30-80 INR for a plate
Vada pav (Mumbai)
Spicy potato fritter in bread. Mumbai’s famous street food. Anand Stall (Vile Parle).
Price: 30-80 INR
Pav bhaji (Mumbai)
Vegetable curry mash with buttered buns. Sardar Pav Bhaji (Mumbai).
Price: 150-300 INR
Chole bhature (North India)
Spicy chickpea curry with fried bread. Sita Ram Diwan Chand (Delhi).
Price: 100-220 INR
Filter coffee (South India)
Indian filter coffee with milk + sugar. Saravana Bhavan or any Madras Coffee House.
Price: 30-80 INR
Masala chai
Spiced milk tea. Available everywhere — street stalls best.
Price: 10-40 INR per cup
Gulab jamun + jalebi
Indian sweets: milk dumplings in syrup + orange-syrup pretzels. Sweet shops everywhere.
Price: 30-80 INR each
Kerala sadya
Banana-leaf vegetarian feast (Onam tradition). Available at Kerala restaurants.
Price: 250-500 INR
Chettinad chicken (Tamil Nadu)
Black pepper + spice chicken curry. Karaikudi or Annalakshmi.
Price: 250-450 INR
Indian-Chinese (Hakka noodles, Manchurian)
Hybrid cuisine. Chinese with Indian spices. Found at most Indian Chinese restaurants.
Price: 150-350 INR