A food lover's guide to Ahmedabad
Summary
The city offers both traditional and international fare, a café culture and a street food scene that satisfies and surprises
The one thing Ahmedabad is known for, besides its incredible textiles and history, is its food culture. This weekend, the city is hosting the mega music act Coldplay at the Narendra Modi Stadium. It will be a pity to leave the city without giving a fair chance to its diverse—vegetarian and non-vegetarian—dining options.
The Gujarati thali is the best way to sample traditional fare—Rajwadu (Malav Talav Road) and Vishalla (opposite APMC Market Vishalla Circle) offer immersive experiences. At these restaurants, the reception is where you pay for your meal and you walk down a path that leads to multiple open-air performance areas. All around are charpoys with long cushions. Sit back, and watch live performances of Bhavai (a Gujarati dance where the dancer balances several earthen pots on their head), folk songs and other acts before you are led to the dining area.
The food is served in brassware. First comes a platter of freshly cut batons of carrots, cucumbers, radishes, along with a range of pickles. This is followed by an assortment of chutneys—garlic, chilli and mint, jaggery and a small clay pot of white butter. Your clay cup is filled with buttermilk and never remains empty. A parade of servers will fill your plate with patra (colocasia rolls), millet rotis, bhakhri, khichdi, dhan (made of cereals), kadhis, stir-fried green vegetables, vegetable curries and a range of sweets. Vishalla follows a similar pattern and menu, except the meal is served on sal leaves. The highlight of Vishalla is Veechar, their utensils museum, which has over 4,000 traditional artefacts. For a high-end experience of the Gujarati thali, consider Agashiye, the rooftop restaurant of The House of MG (Lal Darwaja). Opt for either the Heritage Classic (served in a brass plate) or the Heritage Grand (silver plate).
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For a sensory explosion, consider venturing out late night to Manek Chowk. A bustling merchant hub during the day, it morphs into a food street that is crowded till 3am. Food carts are surrounded by long tables and chairs. Everything from pav bhaji to chocolate dosas, to farsan counters, sandwiches, pizzas, chaats, Indo-Chinese, kulfis and more can be found—in versions you are familiar with, and in those that will have you raise an eyebrow. Imagine this: Pineapple sandwich is a creation of buttered bread slices layered with canned pineapple, pineapple ice cream and topped off with a Gujarati street food staple—grated cheese.
Less than a kilometre away is Bhatiyar Gali, which is all about meats. While kheema samosas and haleem are available throughout the day, this street comes alive with sizzling kadais and deep handis filled with spiced meat preparations in the evenings. Paya, fish fries, anda parathas, biryanis, kebabs and more can be found here. Most of the places are generations old, with recipes handed down, like at Madina Bhathiyarkhana, which does the bara (12) handis, each having different cuts of meat, spices and grains added in.
A more regal repast of family recipes can be savoured at jüSTa Diwans Bungalow, now a boutique hotel with eight rooms. This 150-year-old ancestral home belongs to the Mumbai-based architect I.M. Kadri, whose grandfather was the diwan of Radhanpur. Shaikh Rehana Abdul Hamid is the third-generation family cook. The current holder of the diwan’s recipes, she is the hand behind all the food (particularly the meat dishes) served here.
The food here is characterised by the balanced use of whole spices and slow cooking. Against prior reservations only (if you are not staying at the hotel), you can sample dishes such as mutton pulao, chicken biryani, khatta ghosht, kebabs, and round it off with desserts like zaffrani phirni and mohanthal.
Ahmedabad has a plethora of cafés and restaurants. One that makes it to most must-try-lists, for the fact that it is built around a cemetery, is Lucky Café (Lal Darwaja). There are a dozen graves within the restaurant. The café’s bun maska, falooda and even masala dosa are sought after. At the reception, you will find a painting donated by M.F. Hussain.
Zen Café (Navrangpura), next to Amdavad ni Gufa, the underground art gallery, is an open-air space that sees a lot of young folk from the nearby CEPT University. You can try their hummus with pita, baked sweet potatoes and grilled cheese sandwiches. They have an extensive coffee selection and their cinnamon carrot cake is one to order.
New to the Ahmedabad culinary scene is Cacaoté at Billionaire’s Street that brings the Belgian chocolate experience to the city. Try their curated tasting menus of bonbons and ganaches. They have a good coffee programme and a menu with dishes like coconut tofu broth, muskmelon salad, mushroom toasties, phos and more.
Darwin Bucky Gallery and Café at Ellisbridge is another new entrant. Besides being an artistically designed space, you can savour Gujarati snacks and chaats like methi na gota, handvo and chole chana. They also offer south Indian and international dishes. Crazy Plant Lady Café, at two locations in the city, is a co-working space and a café. The menu here is a healthy take on global food, including Jain options and those for dietary restrictions like gluten and lactose-free needs.
If you happen to be near Vitthal Plaza in Naroda from 7pm onwards, look out for Desi Dhaba on Wheels. They have a limited but hearty menu with dishes like mutton curry, dhaba-style chicken curry and fish curries.
Ahmedabad has a culinary scene that is bursting at the seams, from traditional fare to international classics, to experimentative restaurants, a burgeoning café culture and a street food scene that both satisfies and surprises.
Ruth DSouza Prabhu is a features journalist based in Bengaluru.
