So You’ve Seen Amritsar. But Have You Been on a Foodie Pilgrimage?

Yes, you may have seen Amritsar – but have you made the best and most delicious food stops along the way?

Over the years, Amritsar has become a destination of choice for many tourists – local and foreign, given its star attraction – The Golden Temple. Glistening in all its glory, it remains one of the most peaceful and serene experiences of my life. Visit during the day and you will see it thronged with tourists; Visit at night and you will get the kind of meditative feeling of peace that we all strive to feel in our busy lives.

Having visited the city on several occasions before to either do darshan or a typical touristy trip with family or NRI relatives, this time I decided to travel with two foodie friends on a hardcore darshan of a different type – this time, our quest was to eat the best food we could find!

Our Search for the ‘Perfect Kulcha’

A long weekend was all we needed to book our flights, get a great deal at the Hyatt and arrive hungry and ready to take on the eateries we had researched. Budget-wise, the food you will eat is all very light on the pocket so it makes sense to check into a nice hotel with the money you save. Not once did we order room service or eat at the hotel because we had our plates full (pun intended) with a long list of eateries to try.

After a quick visit to the Golden Temple, our quest for the Perfect Kulcha began. Amritsar has so many places that claim to serve the best kulchas that you are spoiled for choice, but we decided to try the option recommended by a local. “All India Famous Amritsari Kulcha” sounded like a name that commanded respect.

I had imagined a huge fancy place but to our surprise, we saw a little shack on the side of a busy road with a tiny hoarding and a few plastic chairs – it didn’t look impressive at all. But, like they say, never judge a book by its cover. Unlike all the other places in Amritsar, which have hundreds of varieties of kulchas, this place had only one type. That was the true stamp of confidence – that one kulcha that they serve is made with so much love and adorned with the right amount of ghee and masala that you don’t want any other filling – it goes perfectly well when you dunk it into the spicy chhole and you immediately know you’re going to order another plate.

We couldn’t have asked for a better start to our vacation.

Of Non-Veg Discoveries and Lots of Ghee

When it comes to non-vegetarian fare, a small dhaba named Beera is a winner. Believe me when I say this – the Roast Chicken that you eat here will make you forget your customary Butter Chicken. It is succulent and perfectly spiced and you can literally sit here for an hour and stuff yourself with 8-10 pieces of chicken all by yourself.

Note to self? Travel to Amritsar even for a day if you are promised a meal at Beera.

Despite being non-vegetarians, we ended up eating a lot of vegetarian food – mostly because the meal at Beera had really raised the bar for non-vegetarian fare. The overstaffed open kitchen of Kesar Da Dhaba looked intimidating but the staff was kind enough to sneak us our packet of food if we chose to opt for take away instead of waiting for an hour to sit there and eat. The wholesome Palak Paneer was rich and comforting, and worked like a sleeping pill, as we crashed immediately after.

The puri chhole, along with a delicacy called the alu luchi, is another must-have breakfast. The line at Kanha Sweets is long but well worth the wait for this scrumptious delight. It is undoubtedly one of the cheapest and best vegetarian meals you will find.

Follow that up with lassi at any local dairy and you will begin to fathom the kind of quality of milk products Amritsar boasts of. The ghee that we were served, for instance, with each of our meals was so pure that we made it a daily staple without ever feeling sluggish.

My learnings? No matter which corner of the world you travel to, if you determine to satiate your palate, you will never be disappointed. The food we ate in Amritsar sated our palates, yes – but it also filled our souls in a manner that is indescribable.

(Salona Bains Joshi is a creative producer by profession and foodie by passion. Working on movies and commercials takes her to different parts of the world allowing her to pique her curiosity in new stories and cuisines.)