If you’re a foodie and haven’t visited Kolkata and relished its delicacies yet, then you’re missing out (seriously!) Kolkata is not just the cultural capital of India, it’s also a culinary hotspot for all the foodies out there; especially the ones with a sweet tooth. From Bengali sweets to desi Chinese and Tibetan flavors, Kolkata boasts a wide range of cuisines. Mouthwatering, tangy, sweet, and spicy street food is Kolkata’s specialty besides the classic sweets it serves. Devouring these flavors is something you must try at least once.
If you’re visiting the city anytime soon and want to make the most of it, we have the best street food suggestions listed down for you to try. These must-try street food in Kolkata are sure to satisfy all your hunger pangs.
Puchka
If you want to savor the burst of spicy, tangy, and sweet flavors all at once, trying the puchkas is a must. You can never go wrong with puchkas, especially the ones from the streets of Kolkata. They are not the typical golgappa or pani puri that you have in other states, the puchkas of Kolkata have a unique flavor. Stuffed with spiced mashed potatoes, added spices, and filled in with sour spiced water and tamarind chutney along with pudina and lime is what makes these puchkas the best ones.
Best Places To Try – Vivekananda Market, Vardan Market, Victoria Memorial, and Russell Street
Kathi Rolls
Every street in the City of Joy has at least one stall that sells kathi rolls. After all, the universally loved food was invented in Kolkata. Kathi rolls are not basic and Kolkata is here to prove that to you. What’s even better is that trying out kathi rolls in the city would ideally be trying out the authentic ones. Stuffed with assorted vegetarian and non-vegetarian fillings, sauces, vegetables, and spices, you’ll find a wide range of kathi rolls to try out. It’s just one of those food items that you need to try in Kolkata.
Best Places To Try – Park Street, College Street, and Triangular Park
Chanar Jilipi
Chanar Jillipi is not the usual jalebi that you see in most states and cities in India. It’s a very unique twist of your normal jalebis and is made of Indian cottage cheese or paneer as we all know it. Chanar Jilipi is a chewy, soft, sweet, and juicy treat for all the foodies with a sweet tooth. It’s thicker than the usual jalebi with the consistency of a gulab jamun but tastes nothing like either of those sweets. It’s just as tasty as it sounds and it’s a must-try for sure. If you like to end your meal with a unique sweet dish, having this is sure to please your craving taste buds!
Best Places To Try – Golpark and College Street
Shingara Or Samosas
Shingara or samosas, as you most commonly know it, is one of the most loved street foods in India. But, have you tried the ones in Kolkata? It’s the perfect staple companion for your evening cup of tea. The Shingaras in Kolkata are not the usual potato-filling ones. It’s one of the best street foods in Kolkata that you get in a variety of fillings. From mutton, chicken, and lamb meat stuffing, the variations of Shingara in Kolkata are huge. So don’t shy away from trying out the well-known samosa in Kolkata when you get the chance. And don’t be surprised if you end up having more than what your stomach was craving for!
Best Places To Try – Tewari Brothers Burrabazar and College Street
Keemar Doi Bora
Keemar Doi Bora is a Kolkata style dahi vada to put it in simple terms. The vada is made of meat instead of the regular dal vada. These delicious vadas are then dipped in sweet dahi and sprinkled with cumin powder, chili powder, black mustard seeds, and a few other spices. The combination of the juicy spiced meat vadas with the sweet dahi is the perfect combination you would love to enjoy as an evening snack.
Best Places To Try – Burrabazar, Vivekananda Market, and Victoria Memorial
Aloo Kabli
Aloo Kabli is one of the best forms of potatoes that you will have. It is loaded with spices and makes for a delicious wholesome snack. It’s basically an elevated aloo preparation that has a great balance of flavors. Boiled potatoes are tossed in onions, chilies, tomatoes, chickpeas, various spices, and most importantly tamarind pulp topped off with some coriander leaves. Aloo Kabli is the perfect combination of spicy and tangy flavors for you to devour.
Best Places To Try – Surya Sen Street, Victoria Memorial, and Central Business District
Doodh Cola
Doodh Cola is a local, one-of-a-kind drink in Kolkata that is exactly what it sounds like. Balwant Singh Dhaba in Kolkata offers this drink, which has grabbed the attention of many. It’s a comforting combination of milk and cola that makes for a refreshing drink for you to enjoy. The love for tea in Kolkata is something you’ll get to experience when visiting. But the Doodh Cola is definitely a drink worth trying and enjoying if you want to try out something experimental.
Best Places To Try – Balwant Singh Dhaba at S.P Mukherjee Road, Deckers Street, and Stock Exchange Road
Butter Fish Fry
How can you talk about street food in Kolkata and not mention a fish food item? After all, fish is to Kolkata just as biryani is to Hyderabad! Butter Fish Fry is a very commonly loved street food item that you’ll find almost everywhere in Kolkata. You also get a variety of fish dishes that you can enjoy at the local streets and market places. The fresh fish is marinated with spices and butter for a while before it is fried again in butter. Although it’s a fried food item and high on calories, the fluffy crispy and soft fish is absolutely worth it. The taste would surely be worth the extra calories you gain!
Best Places To Try – New Alipore and Bhawanipore
Telebhaja
Telebhaja of Kolkata is the bhajias of Mumbai; perfect for a rainy day. The telebhajas in Kolkata are made from all kinds of vegetables and fish too. Onions, cauliflower, potatoes, eggplant, pumpkin, raw mangoes, coriander leaves, Bombay duck, and a variety of other vegetables or fish are covered in cornflour batter mixed with spices and then deep-fried to get good crispy bhajias. It’s a common street food found in Kolkata that many enjoy as evening snacks or breakfast as well.
Best Places To Try – New Alipore, Bhawanipore, Surya Sen Street, Victoria Memorial, and College Street
Ghugni Chaat
Ghugni Chaat is somewhat similar to the ragda chat that you get in Mumbai, but Kolkata obviously has its own twist to this dish as well. A single plate of Ghugni Chaat is just enough to fill you up for the rest of the day, and, the cherry on the cake is that you can eat it at any time of the day. It’s a wholesome chaat that is made of white and yellow peas boiled and topped off with onion, tomatoes, coriander, raw mango, chilies, and spices, of course.
Best Places To Try – Dacres Lane, Shibuji, College Street, and New Market
Dimer Devil
Kolkata has its very own Deviled Egg version that has a burst of spicy and crispy flavors. It’s one of those snacks that you munch on when you want an unhealthy-healthy snack. A lot of the locals enjoy this snack when they are on the go as it is filling as well as tasty. This snack is basically a hard-boiled egg covered in a coating of spicy minced meat that is deep-fried to give you a mouthful of spicy, juicy, and crunchy flavors.
Best Places To Try – Park street, Stock Exchange Road, and S.P Mukherjee Road
Summing Up
All of the above-mentioned dishes are the most delicious and mouth-watering street food dishes that you need to try out when in Kolkata. As you may have noticed from the listed dishes above, each of these dishes is very unique that distinguishes Kolkata from the rest of the cities. Their street food game is strong and all the foodies out there need to get their hands on at least some of these food items. There are many more dishes that you could try but these are some of the specialties of the city. While you pick and choose from these must-have dishes, you might find your new favorite street food too!
FAQs
What Is Famous Street Food In Kolkata?
Kolkata is well known for its mouth-watering street food. Some of the most famous items of all are ghugni chaat, aloo kabli, shingara or samosas, and kathi rolls. These are just a few from the array of well-known street food items that Kolkata is known for. You’ll find all of these on the streets and local markets during your visit.
What Is The Famous Sweet Of Kolkata?
Apart from the famous roshogolla or rasgulla, you’ll find that Kolkata is known for its variety of sweet dishes and desserts. Chanar jilipi and shondesh are the two other very well-known sweets that you’ll come across in Kolkata. You’ll surely see at least a few vendors in all local markets selling you some of the best sweets that Kolkata has to offer you.
Where Will You Get The Best Street Food In Kolkata?
Some of the most popular destinations to try out the delicious street food of Kolkata are Park Street Lane, Deckers Street, Stock Exchange Road, S.P Mukherjee Road, Burrabazar, and Vivekananda Market. Kolkata has a number of other locations as well but these are the ones that stand out the most and are easily accessible.
