January 18, 2025
By The Flag Post staff
Bhopal, the capital of Madhya Pradesh, known as Jheelo ka shahar (City of Lakes) has a royal history. Raja Bhoj of the Parmar dynasty developed the city, modern Bhopal came into existence when Muhammad Khan was ruling the city in 18 th century.
One can witness royal touch and the architectural splendour throughout the city. Buildings, lakes, gardens and yes food too. Bhopal is not just famous for its lake or Mahals but also for its food. It’s a foody heaven for people who have taste for something different. The food caters to different palates ranging from: fine dining luxury, to spicy, simple vegetarian and the meaty varieties and the versatility in food leaves one delightfully amazed. Big themed hotels to small food corners, one has a wide range to choose from. And the food has Nawabi taste and feel to it.
For vegetarians ‘Manohar Dairy’ is the best place to satisfy your taste buds. It’s a hangout for youngsters. It is economically priced and yet has a wide variety on offer. One can see long queues outside for the Chhola Bhatura.
If you ask a non-vegetarian, he would definitely say ‘Hakeem’s’ is the best place and one can’t miss it. They have lip smacking variety of chicken and mutton dishes. It started in 1971 and was named after a famous Dargah in Burhanpur ‘Hakeemi’. One must try their Keema Kaleji and Bhuna hua Gosht.
There is another good place for meat lovers and it is ‘Ustad Chhote Nawab’ restaurant. One can try different Nawabi dishes. The Lakhnavi Biryani is served in a handi (clay pot) to make it even more authentic. One should also try Murg Malai and Bhuna Gosht as well.
If you happen to be a nature lover and want to enjoy your coffee somewhere near lake then ‘Winds and Waves’ is just for you. It’s on the hill overlooking the big lake of Bhopal. As the name suggests, one can enjoy winds and waves along with tasty feast and live music on the deck. Owned by Madhya Pradesh (MP tourism), this beautiful restaurant is a good place to spend the evening. They have variety of dishes in veg and non-veg and of course the Bar too.
Have you heard about Salty tea? Yes, ‘Mumtaj Hotel’ serves tea with salt in it. This tea is not just tasty, it’s healthy too. It helps in relieving throat problems, cough, headache and cold. Almost 1000 salty tea are sold every day. During Nawabi times it was served only to special guests. If one wants to feel like a royal? Then this is a must try!
If you don’t have much time and want to grab something really lip smacking on the go then ‘Sagar Gere Restaurant’ is the best hangout place. Pasta, soup, Chinese, south Indian, pizza, chhola kulchaa, biryani, a long list of mouth-watering snacks as well as full meals. The speciality of this place
is Soup. As the story goes the owner of this restaurant Dolraj Gere used to sell “Soup” on his cycle around the city after his regular job of 350 rupees per month. Slowly his soup got famous with the name of Cycle Soup.
Bhopal is famous for its street food too. There are many popular spots around the city. ‘Raju tea stall’ is one of them where people visit from morning to late night to get a tasty Chai ki Chusky. One of its kind special lassi is served with Phaluda (famous nawabi sweet dish) at ‘Haji Lassiwala’ in old city. If you happen to visit the Old city then one should visit ‘Chatori Gali’. It’s a food heaven. Few other places around the city are Mama and Balaji Poja Jalebi, Café Culture, Chaat Chatore, Cafechino and Tea Studio.
