Delhi: best dhaba food?

global_yatri

where - in or around delhi - can you find an authentic dhaba?

Drews60

And could someone explain what that is for us newbies that would like to learn about different cuisines available in India.

machadinha

A dhaba is something like a highway quick eatery aka truck stop to westerners. They will hence be hard to find in the middle of a big city.

I suppose what is meant is a simple eatery of any kind (and the name has been extended to mean just that). I'd say just step out of the door and they'll be hard to avoid. They don't tend to have a website and all

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global_yatri

hmm - dhabas are basically smaller local restaurants that serve local specialties; they're open 24-7, and they're usually associated with roads that have trucks go by frequently - so small restaurants along main roads or highways. and i think most dhabas serve punjabi food (a much, much better version of what is served in most "buffet" restuarants in the u.s.) and have very basic decor - oh, if you've watched the movie "rang de basanti" (first half is so great culturally - a true reflection of the ironies of modern india!) they all eat at a dhaba at some point while on the road.

phew - not bad for a definition actually - my own memories are of eating at two dhabas on the bombay nasik road and that was out of this world mmm...

GauhatiBoy

So basically a dhaba is a hole-in-the-wall restaurant. Some of those little places have outstanding food but no neon sign eh. Sounds like you have to do footwork?

I remember a very small restaurant in Dehra Dun that put most bigger restaurants to shame. A lot of it was their excellent roti, and also their casual atmosphere, even if they had no idea what "atmosphere" is. I'm sure I would never find them advertized. Part of the fun is finding those places yourself. Their mutter paneer was delicious too.

Then there was the late dinner in Chennai after a long train trip. Hardly anything was still open at about 9 PM. Had damn good chicken curry with some kind of white roti, all they had going since it was so late. Really hit the spot!

GauhatiBoy

Just looked it up in Wikipedia:

In India, highways are dotted with local restaurants popularly known as Dhabas (singular: Dhaba; Hindi: ढाबा). They generally serve local cuisine, and also serve as truck stops. Very commonly, Dhabas are found next to Petrol pumps, and like Petrol pumps, most remain open 24 hours a day. Since most Indian truck drivers are of Punjabi descent, and Punjabi food and music is quite popular throughout India, the word Dhaba has come to represent any restaurant that serves Punjabi food, especially the heavily spiced and fried Punjabi fare preferred by many truck drivers.

The word has come to represent Indian local cuisine so much so that many Indian restaurants in Europe and America have adopted it as a part of the name.
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So maybe could be called a truck-stop diner

Drews60

I learn something new every day thanks to the posts and posters on IndiaMike. I do love to eat, as my profile pic clearly shows. Thanks again.

vinayverma

the best Dhabas near delhi are on the road to Chandigarh. the nearest might be the line of Dhabas at Karnal and then we've Puran Singh's Dhaba at Ambala.
the only place in Delhi I know which come closest to a real Dhaba food and atmosphere is right in the heart of the city.
I forgot the name of this place but it is right across the road opposite to Bikaner house near India Gate on Pandara road. interestingly it is just 100mtrs from the famous or tourist friendly restaurants of Pandara Market. there are two of them, but in my opinion the one in the centre of the row is the closest to Dhaba. some of the popular dishes are Keema Kalezi, Dal, Chicken curry, Parantha and tandoori roti.

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shashank.aggarwal

Dhaba is Punjabi for eatery..as simple as that...they have come to be associated with highways because once you venture out you see a lot of them dotting along the road...

In Delhi there are numerous, infact impossible to count, Dhaba. They are located in every nook and corner of the city. Its just that they are not there to cater to a western tourist, they are for local population.

Some of them are not actually used for family 'outings', but only by workers who have their from Dhabas..

And as someone mentioned in the thread...the best of them are on G.T. Karnal Road (Sher Shah Suri Marg, i.e NH 1)... And once you actually start nearing Punjab (Ambala), you will find the best of the lot..

Some of them can be found in Murthal (approx 40Km from Delhi, beyond Sonepat), there are loads of them, but I prefer Ahuja No.1.

As the point as that there is no Authentic or unauthentic Dhaba, it simply means an eatery...

The word gets its romance from the highways, where you will see them serving on the cots.

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gautam

There are tons of dhabas on delhi-chandigarh highway at Murthal. I forgot the name of that dhaba but they served tandoori paranthas with home made white butter.
In delhi itself, there are lots of them.

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shashank.aggarwal

All the Dhabas in that area do the same..

I just named Ahuja No.1 in the above post...

i haven't tried many, but I make my choice by seeing the number of cars parked outside...the more the better..

rkbharat

Specifically in Delhi, there are 4-5 very good dhabas on the outer circle of Connaught Place. Very good food, my favorite food spot when I am around that area.

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global_yatri

mmm.. sounds good - can't wait to get my hands on some rumaali roti and shahi panner or saag dish!

how about recommendations along the jaipur delhi/agra delhi hwy?

and while we're talking about authentic specialties, is this choki dani place in south jaipur really worth it for the food?

shashank.aggarwal

Choki Dhani is a rated place, and have heard good things about it.. but I never believe in their (rated joints) authentic food..for me authentic is what commoners eat, even if it is not cooked as per the book...!!

Jaipur-Delhi highway is not a great place to eat...I find myself on the highway every couple of months and looking for a good joint to eat..

This time I found a good one...nothing amazing, but decent clean food..but that unfortunately is too close to Delhi...around 65 KM from Delhi, after you cross the Toll gate near Dharuhera when you come from Jaipur..its on the service lane on the left had side...

on Agra - Delhi highway there are some decent joints...because of the heavy religious tourism due to Mathura/Vrindavan..Look out for some in Palwal and Kosi...

just follow the rule of counting the cars..!! it works every time..for sure..

PS : Last week when I was on Delhi-Jaipur highway, we stopped at the RTDC (Rajasthan Tourism Dev. Corp) complex in Behror. They have decent facilities and serve south Indian, north Indian and some western stuff. We didn't ate there as we were looking for typical north Indian style Dal Makhani and Roti, but at 5 pm they were not serving lunch...and they had western and south Indian food only..

But its a decent place and remember is in the main town of Behror on highway itself. right hand side when you go from Delhi..

crvlvr

Some Photos:

The real deal: http://research.microsoft.com/users/...hway-dhaba.JPG

And the Americanized version of it: http://www.usmenuguide.com/dhaba.html