Food in Kolkata is elaborate and rich. You will give up for the day after every meal but regain your hunger purely for the number of things you must try. We devoured a spread of Bengali and cafe-style food over three days.
Here is the list of our must-haves:
Daab Chingri
Prawns with garlic and chilli served in a coconut
Have this at 6 Ballygunj Place
Cost: Rs. 525 per portion
Bhetki Paturi
Steamed fish in mustard wrapped in Banana leaf.
Have this at Bhoj Company, Park Street
Cost: Rs. 250 per piece
Ilish Bhapa
An iconic mustard preparation dish with the famous Bangladeshi Hilsa.
Have this at 6 Ballugunj Place
Cost: Rs. 585 each
Prawn Malai Curry
Creamy and spicy coconut prawn preparation
Have this at Bhoj Company
Cost: Rs. 260 for a jumbo prawn
Breakfast Places
Kolkata has a great cafe culture serving yummy (a bit indianized) breakfast.
Have this at Flury’s, Raj Spanish Cafe and the Country House Cafe
Cost: Rs. 1500, 500, 800 respectively
Kosha Mangsho
Thick Bengali mutton preparation served with lunch
Have this at We tried it at Kosha Koshe, but it was very spicy. We would recommend either 6 Ballygunj Place or Bhoj Company
Cost: Rs. 250-400
Egg Rolls
Kolkata’s favourite street snack. Crispy Kathi rolls with eggs, onions and chilly sauce.
Have this at: Available at every corner. We had it at Kusum Rolls
Cost: Rs. 20-30 each
Nolen Gurer Icecream
Rich Jagerry (Gur) Ice cream
Have this at 6 Ballygunj Place
Cost: Rs. 165
Fish Cultlet
Battered fish fry served Kasaundi (Bengali mustard sauce)
Have this at Literally everywhere! We had it at Bhoj Company
Cost: Ranges in between Rs. 40-150
Traditional Chinese food
Having a huge Chinese population, Kolkata has many Chinese options. We went to Tung Fong and had the yummiest fried chicken, fried rice and Kung Pao. Not sure if it was authentic but it was delicious.
Have this at Tung Fong
Cost: Rs. 1000 for a meal for two
We also had Chelo kebab at Peter Cat but found that it was nothing to write home about. The kebabs were dry, and the place was just not warm. Due to lack of time, we had puchkas at Haldiram’s, but we bet there are better places.
