The best restaurants Uttar Pradesh

Another institution in Varanasi. For those who have known Blue Lassi for a long time, the quality fluctuates over the years. The tiny tasting room encourages meetings with other travelers. On the menu: more than a hundred flavors of lassis, with fruits, chocolate, etc. We particularly recommend the one with saffron and dried fruits. Be careful, avoid ordering a "Special Lassi", and be careful with your belongings, the success of the place has attracted many unsavory people...

This kabob restaurant is an institution in Lucknow. The grandfather, the chef of the last Mogul, left the art of preparing melt-in-the-mouth kababs as a precious legacy to his grandson, Mohammad Usman. You can watch the cooks at work from the street. Kababs with mutton, chicken, vegetarian, biryani, tandoori chicken, roasted roomali... All served in an atmosphere of a market canteen... In short, all the awadhi cuisine that characterizes Lucknow. A treat for a small price.

Don't worry if you don't see a price on the menu, here you pay as you feel. This is an associative café that offers a reintegration project for acid burned women. In addition to working in this café, which offers snacks and drinks, clothing and handicrafts, they study to try to resume a normal life. Disfigured, most of these women are reduced to begging to survive. Here, they find a project that gives them back their self-confidence and will allow them to envisage a future.

The famous Brown Bread Bakery is a must in Varanasi: fresh products, organic bakery, cozy atmosphere and conducive to meetings, part of the profits donated for the schooling of poor children and help to empower women. Salads, pizzas, large choice of cheeses (produced in Nepal, Manali or Auroville), meats, excellent breakfast... On the first floor the restaurant, on the upper floors the guesthouse rooms, and finally the restaurant on the roof with live music every night. Highly recommended.

This restaurant offers a superb view on the Ganges and on the astronomical observatory of the palace built by the raja of Amber. The traditional North Indian cuisine is honored and the dishes are very copious. On the other hand, the prices are quite high (you pay for the place) and the service can sometimes be a bit dry. For the anecdote, the restaurant has this name because during the monsoon fresh water dolphins (the susu) used to come regularly to swim in the waters of the Ganges, but only during the monsoon.

Located on the ninth floorof the Clarks Avadh Hotel, this restaurant is recommended if you want to taste the real (fine) Lucknow cuisine. Try the platter of different kebabs (taron ka haar) or the vegetarian kebabs, such as hariyali, a specialty made of spinach and lentils. Traditional musicians come to play intimate music in the evening. From the terrace, the view of the Gomti River and the city's monuments is splendid. An elegant place for a romantic dinner or to satisfy the gourmet.

Located on a small crossroads in the old city, this tiny trailer-like shack is simply a must in Agra. The restaurant is famous for its malai kofta which is a sensation all over the world. It also offers a varied cuisine (Chinese, Indian, continental). The pressed juices and lassis are equally delicious. Don't miss the mango ones in season. Five tables with large benches and red chairs furnish the one and only room painted in bright yellow and pink with a starry ceiling.

In front of Brown Bread Bakery, a canteen assiduously frequented by backpackers from all walks of life. International cuisine (Indian, Chinese, Japanese, Israeli, pizza, pasta, salads…) and cheap formulas for breakfast.

In a slightly dark setting you can enjoy the vegetarian specialities of northern India. In the basement, in a more relaxed atmosphere, the kitchen in the south of the country. On the floor, desserts: Taste the ice absolutely but ask beforehand for some explanations about the range of fragrances or even test the Black Cow. You can also enjoy snacks and test the famous chaat. A very good address, just like the Royal Cafe a little further on the same sidewalk, which belongs to the same branch.

Zee (pronounced "dji") means "respect", a name that here is not usurped. Located on the roof of the guesthouse of the same name, you can enjoy good masala dosas in calm while watching the bustling activity of the main square.

A very small establishment hidden in a maze of alleyways, quite difficult to find. Follow the signs in Bangali Tola Road to get there. A sign will indicate the restaurant and you'll have to push open the door. A room with two tables, then another where customers sit on the floor... The first impression isn't very pleasant, but you discover that this is the HQ for Koreans visiting Varanasi. Excellent Korean cuisine (with meat available) at affordable prices. For a variety of pleasures.

Every rickshaw driver knows this address and you will have no trouble finding it. The Brijwasi Royal Hotel has the best restaurant in town, Status, and a bar, Cheers, a rarity in a holy city. You will dine there under a large portrait of Krishna of course! Tasty Indian and Chinese vegetarian dishes, but also pizzas, burgers, snacks... The bar is pleasant but a bit smoky. If it is possible to get intoxicated with alcohol and cigarettes, on the other hand, in the plate it becomes much more serious!

Up a flight of stairs overlooking Ganga Mahal Ghat, this small restaurant attracts many travelers who settle in Varanasi for a while. Ashish's family lives here and has set up a room and a veranda on the first floor. The food is simple, delicious and prepared with fresh ingredients. It is one of the best places in the city for excellent thalis. The address is signposted from the ghat, and you'll have no trouble spotting the bright blue house with flower pots in front.

Welcome to the trendy restaurant in Agra. The large long room welcomes tourists, many tourists, from India and elsewhere. Many of them get lost in the extensive choice of the menu, when they are not familiar with the local cuisine. Fortunately, the attentive staff will guide you in your choices and you can only leave satisfied. It is true that the food here is tasty, served in a very lively atmosphere. Could it be because of the talent of the barman who prepares delicious cocktails?

What to say about this restaurant except that it is located in front of the Shree Krishna Janmasthan temple. It will be perfect to eat after the visit of the temple, especially if you had to make a long queue to reach the birthplace of Krishna. The big and flashy room with its powerful lights is air-conditioned, which is a real advantage on hot days. The unpretentious vegetarian cuisine is served here, and the menu is located exactly at the crossroads of India. It specifies: North India, South India and Punjab.

This vegetarian restaurant is an institution in Varanasi! A restaurant that is very popular with the locals because of the good quality of its cuisine. It serves North Indian food (paneer, tandoori) as well as South Indian food (dosa, uttapam) and some Chinese (noodles) and continental dishes. Keshari also serves very good thalis. You can enjoy the snacks on a bench installed for this purpose in the street. However, you will have to be patient to get a place, the place is literally taken by storm at lunch time.

Here is a new establishment opened by a French woman, which is located very close to the central ghat, on the rooftop of Baba Guesthouse. The room is spacious and impeccable, with a superb view on the Ganges. Here the Indian specialties are particularly successful (delicious thali) and adapted to European palates. And for those who are homesick, we also offer pancakes, quiches lorraine, pasta, salads, and desserts to die for. Friendly atmosphere, discreet and pleasant music, games at disposal.

The restaurant on the terrace of this guesthouse offers a view on the city gate and the cuisine of the Agarwel family, owner of the place, is absolutely delicious. The kofta, with or without sauce, are the specialty of the place. We recommend the cheese kofta and the kashmiri kofta (potatoes, cheese, cashew nuts and grapes), both are a treat! Don't forget the Indian desserts like the kheer or the nan khatai, cookies which are the specialty of Fathepur. A good address for a meal or a snack!

A Lucknow classic that offers typical Mughal and Awadhi cuisine at affordable prices. Try the shami kebab and the seekh kebab or a chicken massala with roasted rumali . Many options for vegetarians. Don't hesitate to try the sweet specialties to finish your meal. The room is often full, which is a guarantee of quality, but you will probably have to wait to get a table. Service is sometimes nonchalant.

This restaurant is installed in an air-conditioned room on the floor at the end of Ashok Road. It serves Indian and Chinese food, but also pizzas and sandwiches. Nothing exceptional, it is even rather average, but the prices are very low. The small city has several street food stands but few establishments where you can sit down and relax a bit, which is nice when the heat is on. A good place to have a snack or lunch before continuing your visit of Sarnath.