Eating out in Shimla

A popular tourist haunt in India, Shimla has no dearth of food outlets. The wide range of restaurants, dhabas, fast food joints, bakeries and other eateries are found in the market areas of the city. The aroma of appetizing food will lure you from a distance and compel you to walk towards that direction! Eating out in Shimla promises food nirvana.

Every morning like clockwork, cooks in Shimla start preparing breakfast. While walking down the market place you will find a number of road side food stalls, small eateries and dhabas. These are flocked with early risers and office goers looking for a tasty morning treat. You can also sit at one of the many cafes on the Mall Road and enjoy coffee, tea and tasty snacks such as pakoras, puri chhole, vada sambhar, masala dosa and samosa. Indian Coffee House is a popular cafe known for its historical feel, white uniform clad attendants, blackboard menu and low prices. The food is of good quality and the attendants are courteous. Other cafes you can eat at include Honey Hut, Cafe Coffee Day and Barista Lavazza Expresso Bar.

Confectionery lovers can find a bakery in all the important shopping centers in Shimla. Freshly baked breads, patties, pastries and cakes are some of the bakeries’ specialties. Trishul Bakery (in Mall Road), Kwality Bakery (in Jakhu Main Market) and Sharma Bakery (in Sanjauli) are well known bakeries.

Though you can easily find north Indian, south Indian, Mughlai, Continental and Chinese cuisines, it is not that easy to find places that serve local Himachali cuisine. Ashiana is one such restaurant. Another way to taste the local cuisine is by catching up with friends who stay in Shimla or making friends with the local residents. You can go to their place for lunch or dinner and savor Himachali cuisine and experience the traditional warmth and hospitality. As for the usual non-Himachali fare, you can eat at Tripti, Himanis, Devicos and Baljees restaurants. These multi-cuisine Indian restaurants offer hygienic food of decent quality. Global fast food outlets such as Subway and Domino’s Pizza are other options for eating out in Shimla.