Shimla Food Guide

Shimla Food Guide - Destination Overview

Shimla Food Guide ( An Insider's Guide to Delicious Food in Shimla)

Where Enjoy Delicious Himachali Food In Shimla


While in Shimla, Tourists look around to find where to find Delicious Himachali Food, They can see only Punjabi Food Joints, Italian Jolints, Bakeries, Chinese Food Stalls, Not no-where Himachali Dishes..Now this problem is resolved..

Now if you Wanna Enjoy the authetic and traditional Himachali food like khoru, patore, babroo, chaa ghosht, murgh anardana, Dham , Simply head towards any of Oberoi Group of Hotels ( Wild Flower Hall, Clarks, or cecil) and enjoy the long forgotten traditional Himachali recipes.

Oberoi Group of hotels presents the traditional Himachali cuisines with exotic herbs and spices, Now Oberoi offers Special 'Himachali Thali', both vegetarian and non-vegetarian. Restaurant four-course unlimited meal during lunch and a-la-carte Himachali menu during dinner.

3 Course Himachali Authentic Meal in Shimla

The starter of your special Himachali Recipes begins with khoru, a yoghurt soup flavoured with coriander and cumin served with khus sidoos (jaggery and poppy seed bread), followed by patore (steamed colocassia/rye leaves roulade with Besan and fried served with mooli ki chutney)

The main course includes chaa ghosht or lamb cooked in yoghurt gravy, or murgh anardana (chicken stewed in pomegranate paste) for non-vegetarians.

For vegetarians, it is Himachali dal channa, split gram with fennel seeds, and mathri choware, lentil fritters in spinach gravy. For Bread, there is option of bread of  babroo, chawal ki kadak roti and beduan roti.


For deserts, options are meethe chawal ( Red Rice) sweetened red rice with dry fruits and saffron, favourite flavour of meetha kaddu or red pumpkin pudding with melon seeds or badana mithha or lentil fritters stewed in sugar syrup served with vanilla ice cream.

Special Himachali Food is cooked in copper vessels which blends a special flavour to the dishes.

Enjoy Himachali Dham in Oberoi

Now You can also enjoy Dham ( Himachali Signature Dish) also in Oberio chain of hoteks. Dham starts with rice, moong dal, green lentil broth, and a madrah of rajma, red kidney beans cooked in yoghurt. This is followed by boor ki kari and mash dal, a dark lentil. A sweet and sour sauce made of tamarind and jaggery called "khatta" complements the meal.

The "dhaam" normally ends with the sweetened rice.

About Red Rice of Himachal

In Himachal Recipes of Meethay Chawal, Red rice is used, most of the red rice in himachal is grown in around 1,000 hectares on the banks of the Pabbar tributary of the Yamuna river, in Chhohara Valley in upper Shimla. It is also cultivated in some stretches of Kullu and Kangra districts.


A Himachali meal for two in the Oberoi hotels would cost between Rs.1,500-2,000 (without alcohol).


About Dham Dish ( Himachali Signature Dish)

For Himachali Dham copper utensils are made use of and the preparation starts at least a night before. Dham is usually served in courses, to people sitting on floor.For the purpose of serving the meal, pattals, or leaf plates, are required. The dishes that form the ‘Dham’ meal include rice, a curd based dish, curry, mustard-based raita, pulses and sweets. Other dishes that are prepared in case of festive occasions include ankalos, a dish made of rice flour, and aktori, a cake prepared by mixing leaves of buckwheat with wheat flour. Patande, a type of pancake dish, also forms a part of festivals.


Best Street Food Guide in Shimla

Aunty Ka Dhaba

If you want to enjoy Chinese and Tibetan cuisines then you must Visit Aunty ka Dhaba. If you ever visit Shimla, The Aunty’s should definitely be on your list. And yes, Enjoy the pretty smiles of beautiful Girls of Shimla munching noodles costing you absolutely nothing!

The Aunty’s was started by a Chinese lady in 1975, The Restaurant Boasts of oldest fast food restaurant in Shimla. The Aunty’s has maintained a fine balance between quality and the price.

Foodies Prefer Aunty's When it comes to Chinese Food in Shimla ( Why Aunty's Dhaba)

When it comes to good authentic Chinese cuisine, most people rather dine at Aunty’s Dhaba than at plush hotels or restaurants in Shimla. Restaurant has unique speciality of  sourcing most of the authentic Chinese ingredients from Kolkata, where they are easily available due to the presence of a large number of Chinese persons.

Kim, who loves cooking, learnt the tricks of the trade from her mother-in-law after her marriage to John in 1992.

The place is always packed throughout the day with young boys and girls who hang around, as the food is affordable and of good quality.

Rates for Chinese Meals at Aunty's Shimla

  • A large bowl of noodles costs around Rs fifty rupees (Choice of more than twenty-five varieties of soups to choose from),
  • Signature Chinese Dish ‘Chicken drums of heaven;’ costs approx Ninety-Five Rupees.
  • Plate of dumplings, a bowl of sweet corn soup, and a large bowl of steaming hot noodles only for hundred and fifty rupees.

Specialist food connoisseurs swear by the authentic Chinese food being served at Shimla's oldest Chinese eating joint, Aunty’s Dhaba. This joint, which opened 32 years ago, is still the same and hasn’t changed much in terms of its authentic cuisine or ambience.


History of Aunty's Shimla

With practically no experience of running a business, young Shirley Chung, a Chinese from Kolkata, decided to open a joint and dish out her home recipes of authentic Chinese cuisine in Shimla, Shirley opened her joint in 1975 and named it ‘Aunty’s Dhaba’.

After Passing away of Shirley, her daughter-in-law, Kim now runs the business with the same efficiency and success. Those who know the town well always prefer to walk down to Middle Bazar, where the joint is situated, and have Chinese soup, momos or spring rolls.

Ambiance in Aunty's

Although the place is small, it is very neat and has Chinese decorations adorning the walls. With not too much fuss over doing up the place, it still retains the old look and the mouth-watering delicacies. “Manchurian, chopsuey, garlic schezwan chicken and momos are extremely popular here,

Bhihari Lal Sharma Stall ( Since 1948)

  • Popular as :- First First Chat Seller in Shimla..
  • what to eat :- Tangy Healthy Fruit Chats
  • Location :- Takka Bench, above The Ridge, above the famous Gandhi Statue on the Ridge.
  • How to Enjoy Fruit Chat :- Enjoy Fruit Chat here with delicious Chutnis, starting from Rs 30 onwards..

Kewal ka Dhabba ( Verma Da Dhaba)

  • Popular as :- Oldest Tea Shop in Shimla ( since 1931)
  • Location :- Thandi Sadak ( Chawda Maidan) in wooded Forest Area
  • What to eat :- butter bun and Special Tea
  • Nostalgia :- Lord Mountbatten, British Viceroy of India was so impressed with their tea, that he got converted the stall into permanent structure.
  • Max Audiances :- University Students
  • Timings :- From 7 am till 10 pm
  • Rates :- Butter bun at Rs.14 and tea at Rs.6.


Gol Gappa Wala ( Navbhar Chowk)

  • Popular as :- Best Gol Gappa stall in Shimla
  • Location :- Navbhar Chowk ( Near St Bede's College)
  • What to eat :- Spicy Tangy Crunchy Gol Gappas, Kulchas, Hot Dogs
  • Nostalgia :- Old as Civilization
  • Max Audiances :- St Bede's Girls
  • Timings :- From 8 am till 8 pm
  • Rates :- Starts from Rs 10

Tibetan Food Stall Shimla ( Near Shere Punjab )

  • Popular as :- Best Momos in Shimla
  • Location :- Lower Bazaar ( Near Sher-e-Punjab)
  • What to eat :- momos, both fried and steamed with hot chilli chutney, pudina chutney and white sauce
  • Nostalgia :- Good Old Tibetan days
  • Max Audiances :- Tourists, Foreigners, Locals
  • Timings :- From 8 am till 8 pm
  • Rates :- Momo Plate Starts from Rs 30


Sita Ram and Sons ( Lakkar Bazaar)

  • Popular as :- Best Chana Bhatura Stall in Shimla
  • Location :- Lakkar Bazaar
  • What to eat :- Delicious Crispy Fried Chana Bhatura with Chutney and Hint of Yoghurt, Delicious Lassi
  • Nostalgia :- more than 60 years old - Good Old Film Stars of yesterday enjoying the Chana Bhatura
  • Max Audiances :- All
  • Timings :- From 8 am till 8 pm
  • Rates :- Chana Bhatura Plate Starts from Rs 30


New Plaza restaurant.( Best Butter Chicken and Palak Paneer)

Seventh Heaven.

The food and the ambiance are fantastic; in fact it is one of the best places to eat in Shimla


Top 10 Restaurants in Shimla

The Devicos in Shimla
Serves Authentic Indian food, Chinese dishes and the continental at the Mall. An extensive menu & well stocked bars.

Address:The Mall Shimla
Phone no.: 0177 280 6335

Baljees in Shimla
One of the oldest restaurants in Shimla with extensive and rich menu offering Indian and Italian cuisine.

Address:26 The Mall Shimla
Phone no.: 0177 265 231


Silver Oak in Shimla


If you love the Mughlai and Chinese dishes, you must visit Silver Oak restaurant which is located at the Circular Road in Shimla.

Address: Circular Road Shimla
Phone no.: 0177 225 7588

Ashiana & Goofa in Shimla
 

Famous for local cuisine, Chang ( Rice Wine), owned by Himachal Tourism Department, offering stunning views of Shimla over good food and cool drinks. Very reasonable from Rs.50 to 150/- only.

Address: The Band Stand- The Ridge Shimla

Fascination Restaurant in Shimla
Famous for Hot Chinese veg sizzling sizzlers, Baked Vegetables, Famous for Authentic Chinese and indian Delicacies, A top and upscale restaurant

Address:The Mall Shimla

Lutyens Restaurant in Shimla

Located in Hotel Wildflower Hall, opens only in high tourist season One of the upscale restaurants with romantic ambiance with stunning views of the valley.
Address: Wildflower Hall- Chharabra-Shimla
Phone no.: 0177 264 8585


Indian Coffee House in Shimla
Located at The Mall since the British era. It is the most popular eating and melting pot of the local people and the tourists. Enjoy the chat and book reading with aroma of hot coffee. You can also enjoy the snacks which includes the spicy South Indian cuisine.

Address: The Mall Shimla


Cafe Sol in Shimla
Only Place in Shimla to enjoy Mediterranean, Greek Salads, Italian and Mexican food. This cafe offers the best cakes in Shimla Town. Cafe Sol is located near the Mall next to the tourist lift.

Address:The Mall-Next to Lift
Shimla