Lucknow is known for two things Nawabs and Kababs! Street food is one of the strongest suits of this city along with Mughal architecture, chikankari and the tehzeeb.
The most famous area to fulfill your love for street food is the area known as Chowk, it is located around the area of Hazratgunj area and is the hub for every foodie ever.
Chowk is the pilgrimage for every meat eater who loves a kebab that melts into your mouth and makes you feel that you are floating on a cloud.
The most famous place is Tunday Kebabs, which is know for its beautifully made galauti kebab which is basically mutton that melts like butter as soon as it rests on your tongue. These are accompanied by soft romali rotis or turned into rolls.
Another very famous must-have food to be had in Chowk is Nihari and Kulcha. A dish which is eaten regularly during the month of Ramzan is a combination of soft yet thick, slightly sweet kulchas along with a stew consisting of slow-cooked meat mainly beef or lamb along with bone marrow, garnished to taste which has a perfect kick of spices you need with the sweet kulcha.
The non-vegeterian food story of the Street food of Lucknow will be incomplete without a mention to it’s Biriyani. Cooked with secret Nawabi flavors and spices, the Biriyani here has much more influence from Persia as compared to it’s southern counterpart and it’s unique in it’s own way. Two of the best places to try out Lucknawi Biriyani are Idris ki Biriyani and Lalla Biriyani.
Nimish or Makkhan Malai, Daulat ki Chaat or Lab-e-Mashook is essentially light, set cream, flavoured with saffron and rose water. In the traditional Persian recipe, horse milk is whipped with saffron and then kept overnight under the stars for that delicate flavor of dew. In India, however, we use cow milk.
Although chowk is known for all the amazing food, the crowning jewel is dessert options. The huge array of freshly made sweets is all you need to end your day after a perfect food walk.
Ram Assrey is one of the oldest shops and has been making sweets from 1805. The shop actually serves there different types of halwas and all of them should be tried out. The three types are – Kali Gajar halwa, Zuazi halwa and Habshi halwa. If you want more or are not big on halwas then you can always go for pipping hot gulab jamuns.
If you still have some space left for actual dinner, walk towards the Gol Darwaza and have some Lucknow chaat. Now people across the country claim to serve chaat, but if you ever visit Lucknow you will know what great chaat is like!
Even the chaatwallas of Delhi can’t match the taste of Lucknawi chaat. Thankfully not all of it is very spicy (except golgappe), so anyone can easily enjoy it!
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