Forget Banaras and Agra, the glorious Ram Janmbhoomi is now the top tourist attraction in Uttar Pradesh, that's luring not just pilgrims but also foodies from all over the world. And if you’re a Gujarati or a Marwari, you know how tough it is to find pure veg food in some places. But not in Ayodhya.
If you’re accustomed to having only jain bhojan or want to try only a nibble to tantalize your taste buds, then you’ll be thrilled to know that the hotels and restaurants in the Panch Kosi Parikrama area near the Ram Janmbhoomi Temple are pure veg havens that serve only scrumptious vegetarian fare. Sounds amazing, right? Well, we told you.
And since you know that Ayodhya is a veggie lover’s paradise, let’s get right to the list of places that you can’t miss to savour the authentic flavours of Ayodhya.
1. Chandra Marwadi Bhojanalay
A culinary legacy since 1948, the Marwadi Bhojanalay welcomes you on Ram Path Marg. Savour the flavours of chhola bhatura, poori sabji, paneer paratha, pav bhaji and poha for a hearty breakfast.
Feast on a variety of mushroom, paneer, dal and veg delicacies, along with unlimited Deluxe, Special and Marwadi thalis for lunch and dinner, priced from Rs. 250 - 280. Indulge in a Dal Fry Thali with aloo matar, seasonal vegetable, butter roti, steam rice, curd, papad, sweet, salad and pickle, all for just Rs. 120. And yeah, don't forget to treat yourself with some khurchan pedas from Chandra Sweets across the road.
2. Maurya Misthan Bhandar
Despite the shrinking of Ram Path, Maurya Misthan Bhandar remains a crowd favourite. Dahi-jalebi is a local specialty, but here they have a unique twist: they crush the jalebi into the dahi in a kulhad (clay pot), and then drizzle it with curd or rabdi. They also offer samosa and khasta (kachori), with or without chhole (yellow peas). Their preparations are free of onion and garlic.
The cozy shop has few seats and showcases photos of owner Deep Narayan Maurya (Ginni) with celebrities like Master Chef Sanjeev Kapoor and Dr Harshvardhan, who visited him at the National Street Food Festival at Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Delhi.
3. Ram ji Samosa
Ram ji Samosa is the most sought-after samosa wala in Ayodhya, second only to the original Ram ji – the Ram Janmabhoomi Temple, where devotees flock in droves. Ram ji Yadav has been serving hot samosas for four decades, and customers line up for the crispy treats lifted from a huge cauldron.
Hundreds of samosas are handed out and wrapped for takeaways, before the next lot of samosas are fried. It’s a non-stop process and your waiting time varies on your timing. The samosa is quite big and it comes with sweet red chutney and their special spicy hand pounded chutney made with green chilli, ginger and garlic.
4. Shri Kishori ji Misthan Bhandar
At Kanak Bhavan, the oldest sweetshop awaits you on the left as you step into the compound. Kishori ji has been delighting customers with caramelized rabdi and khurchan malai peda (Rs 400/kg) since 1956.
Khurchan is made by gathering malai (cream) from slow boiling milk, and layering it one over another. Khoa and sugar are mixed and roasted to make the khurchan malai peda. The shop was founded by Bhagwati Prasad Gupta, the father of Harish Chandra Gupta, and named after Kishori ji, another name for Sita Mata.
5. Mahaveer ki Tikiya
Mahaveer ki tikiya has moved from Rekabganj chauraha to Niyawan Road and now a narrow lane near Utkarsh Small Finance Bank in the last 70 years. But locals have always followed them for their tikiya cravings in the evening. The crunchy aloo tikiya is not round but irregular and extra crispy.
It is served with sookhe matar (dry yellow peas) cooked on low heat on the tawa’s edges, garnished with chutney, coriander leaves, tangy masala powder and a dash of lime. People travel from Lucknow to enjoy a patta (leaf) of chaat! It’s that delicious. Opens at 6pm.
6. Punjabi Chaap Corner
A branch of the Delhi brand, this is a haven for soya chaap lovers, who can enjoy it in all its possible (and impossible) forms, along with vegetarian Punjabi cuisine. For a place focused on one ingredient, the menu is amazingly diverse, with paneer and mushroom joining the party. There’s malai chaap, cream chaap, afghani stuff chaap, chur chur chaap… Imagine any non-veg dish and swap it with soya chaap and that’s pretty much the menu.
For variety, there’s paneer and mushroom tikkas, and Punjabi favourites like Pindi chana, chhole bhature, dal makhani, paneer tikka, Shahi paneer and churchur naan thali.
7. Avadh ki Rasoi
Beyond the Saryu Bridge on NH-27, Avadh ki Rasoi at Avadh Sunshine Palace Hotel & Resort serves pure veg food with a Special thali for Rs. 400. You can also enjoy the new Domino’s in town, along with Baskin Robbins and Giani’s for your ice-cream cravings and La Pinoz Pizza.
8. Madhur Sweets
In the bustling Chowk area, across the clocktower, the 45-year-old sweetshop looks small and plain. But as you step inside, you’ll be amazed by the rich variety on display. Soft chhena gilori, the juiciest rasgullas, velvety malai pedas (Rs.500-520/kg), rasmalai, chhena payesh, balushahi, chandrakala, kesar baati, kesar bhog, makkhan barfi, gond ke laddu, pateesa and moti boondi ke laddu…
A constant stream of customers comes and goes to take away their preferred mithai. Vasudev Chandani attends to all, sending instructions to the kitchen in a low voice over a microphone! To balance the sweetness there’s paneer patties, khasta and mathhi. They have another outlet in Shakti Vihar Colony.
9. Gabbar Pakodi Bhandar
Don't expect any Sholay reference, or chhole on the menu, but the finest pakodas in town are surely at Gabbar’s. That’s what the shop owner has been called since childhood! The 13-year-old shop has earned a loyal fan base for its steaming hot assorted pakodas of paneer, aloo (potato), pyaz (onion), palak (spinach), gobi (cauliflower) and kela (banana). The paneer is soft as silk and served with tangy hari (green) chutney; a perfect evening snack. Open from 2pm-10pm every day.
10. Moti Samosa Bhandar
Before the City Station flyover was built in 2017, Moti Samosa Bhandar was the most popular samosa spot in town with eight staff running the thela (pushcart). Even after a terrible accident in 2012 and the turmoil of bridge construction from 2014-17, Mahesh Kumar Gupta stayed steadfast and continued the legacy of his father Moti Lal Gupta, who arrived from Yangon (formerly Rangoon) in 1958, due to civil strife after World War II.
His grandmother was from Myanmar and they lived in a dharamsala nearby, before gaining fame for their samosas, which cost 20 paisa back then. He attributes ‘badhiya samaan’ (quality product) and boli (speech) as the secrets of success. Moti passed away on 29 April, 1997 but his samosas live on – smaller than Ram ji’s samosas and more finely spiced with saunf, jeera, matar, it is served on baisakhi patta with green chutney and red chutney.
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