Go Where (Sector 5 Salt Lake)

Chicken Drumstick

Located just opposite to RDB Big Cinemas main entrance of Sector V, this multi-cuisine food joint, Go Where has become one of the most favourite hangout destinations for Office, IT crowd and nearby college folks. Due to its cheap alcohol and average food price, this restaurant cum bar is crowded on most weekends and weekday evenings. Dimly lit with couches this joint has 2 sections. The inner section is well decorated and cozy compared to outer section. The music they play in the background is popular Bollywood movie tracks and it’s too loud to hear even your own voice. They allow smoking inside the restaurant, which I feel can be disturbing to some visitors. This lounge is surely not a place for family visits. The seating arrangement is better in the inner segment of the restaurant, whereas the front section is overcrowded due to small place and poor seating arrangement.

Azad Hind Dhaba (Salt Lake Sector 5 Globsyn)

Azad Hind Dhaba Sector 5 Interiors

After its first Salt Lake outlet near College More Sector 5, Azad Hind Dhaba has come up with a new branch at Globsyn Crystals building, Salt Lake Sector V. It’s a quite massive outlet spanned in 2 levels having capacity to accommodate 78 persons. Always crowded with regular office a goer of this area, this popular Punjabi Dhaba serves you till midnight (Till 3 a.m. at night during festive seasons of Durga Puja, Diwali & Christmas. This particular outlet is decorated after Bengal and Punjab rural arts (terracotta patachitra on the mud walls), with big chakras (painted cartwheels) and dim lights of Terracotta Lamps hanging from the bamboo rafters. The air conditioned restaurant makes you feel seated in a normal roadside dhaba by its amazing clay wall decoration and terracotta art work.

Mango People (Golpark)

Mango People Interiors

Finally an economical restaurant located in the prime area of Golpark (Gariahat Road), Mango People, which serve decent food to “Aam Aadmi” [Mango People] of South Kolkata. It offers Chinese, Fast Food, Continental dishes and mouth watering delights. However the place is very small (4 tables for 15 persons in total) and you will be quite fortunate to get a table in busy hours. The table cloth, divan, cushioned chairs all are red in color with matching red cotton napkins as well. There is live cooking within an open kitchen separated from the dining area by transparent glass walls. Mostly college students and youngsters turn up in large numbers at this place. The waiters are courteous to make suggestions while taking orders from customers and also serve a complimentary bowl of chips when the food is being prepared.

Shiraz Golden Restaurant (Salt Lake)

Shiraz at Salt Lake Kolkata (HA Block)

Shiraz Golden Restaurant added another branch to Kolkata at HA Block (Near Tank No. 13) Salt Lake. This restaurant outlet has limited seating area with a couple of tables as it serves most of its customers through the Take Away counter and Home Delivery Facility. Similar to the Shiraz of Mallikbazar (Park Street), it not only serves different types of Kathi Kebab Rolls, but also all Indian / Mughlai dishes like Kebabs, Chap, Rezala, Korma, Tandoor Items & Biriyani. The Kathi Kebab Rolls available at their outside counter are a hit among the large no. of students and office goers who come to Salt Lake daily. Their entire list of items & Menu is given below.

India Restaurant (Kidderpore)

Murgh Peshwari Kebab

On a cloudy July afternoon, me and two of my friends set off on a trail to taste one of the best and authentic kebabs in Kolkata. Our destination was khidderpore, an area known for goods available in cheap prices. It is a muslim locality hence most of the restaurants serves authentic mughlai cuisine. We chose the Indian Restaurant for trying out kebabs. The restaurant is quite spacious with separate A.C and non A.C sitting areas. Even in a normal weekday afternoon, there was a constant flow of customers. Since we had only kebab in mind, we straightaway dived into the kebab menu.

Go Lebanese (Sarat Bose Road)

Go Lebanese

The gastronomic capital got another addition to its family of diverse culinary destinations. Go Lebanese brings to Kolkata the taste of Middle Eastern delicacies. The small outlet remains busy with constant flow of customers throughout the day. It has got such a good reputation that most of the days they are completely sold out. The reason for this is that the Lebanese cuisine identifies it with the Mughlai and Indian dishes that are available here with the exception of being less oily. Thus, it is high on taste and low on cholesterol.

Pantaloons Food Court (Kankurgachi)

Mango Smoothie and Cold Coffee

Another self service food court in North Kolkata; Pantaloons Food Court is situated on the uppermost floor of the Pantaloons Shopping Centre of Kankurgachi area. After spending a lump some time on a shopping spree at one of Kolkata’s most popular brands, Pantaloons, and you are starving, you can get yourself some fast food, snacks, desserts or coffee here. This smallish food outlet is right beside the Food Bazaar (grocery store of Pantaloons) and has a few tables and even fewer food counters as compared to other shopping mall food courts.

Hangout Food Court City Centre (Salt Lake)

Hangout Food Court Interior section

Nicely sited on the rooftop, Hangout is the Food Court at City Centre Salt Lake, one of the oldest and most popular malls in Kolkata. Dishing out Italian pastas, Continental sizzlers, Chinese momos, North Indian Kebabs, South Indian dosas to Bombay Pav Bhaji, it is a multi cuisine self-service restaurant. It is split in two sections; the outside section is open air where plastic tables are laid under massive umbrellas and from where you get a good view of the Salt Lake locality. The other section is air-conditioned having all the food counters surrounding a central region with chessboard tiled floors, steel tables and green & black plastic chairs. Complete in bright colors, there is certain warmth in this place which builds up a sparkling tone.

D-Oh! Boy (Shakespeare Sarani)

Blueberry Lemon, Chocolicious, Deep Dark Desire,
Triple Choco Blast (Clockwise from top)

Well, the Donuts are here in Kolkata and D-Oh! Boy is one of the leading Donut joints in Kolkata. They have got an outlet in Theater Road (Shakespeare Sarani) which runs out of stock by 8 p.m. in most of the days, thanks to the quality of Donuts they sell.

Haldiram's (Chowringhee)

Haldiram's Ground Floor Interiors

This Haldiram's outlet at the Exide and Rabindra Sadan crossing has become a landmark over the years. Ever since it has opened its door, people of all age group have been coming to this place in numbers. Spread out, fully air-conditioned and spacious, it has got ample sitting space, allowing a huge number of people to be present at a time. Well maintained decor and counters allow smooth cruising even in rush hours. There's a balcony and a lower sitting area.

Garam Tawa (Shyambajar 5 point crossing)

Garam Tawa at Shyambazar

Garam Tawa is quite popular in the Shyambazar region for Take Away Food. Situated close to Golbari, it serves both North Indian and Chinese cuisines. The interior of this multi-cuisine restaurant is very small with a handful of 3 or 4 tables without any air-conditioning system. There is a take away Roll counter too which serves Kati Kebab Rolls. Popular orders are Fried rice, hot steamed momos with clear soups, chicken bharta, mutton rogan juice, Chicken Shahi Butter Masala, Chicken Reshmi Butter Masala, Tikka Butter Masala, Kebabs, Tandoori Chicken.

Wow! Momo

Wow! Momo outlet at City Center (Salt Lake)

Wow! Momo is a fast food restaurants chain based largely in Kolkata, which offers mainly momo, a dumpling originating from Nepal & Tibet and thukpa. It was established in 2008 by Sagar Daryani and Binod Homagai, alumni of St. Xavier's College, Kolkata. It has spread across to the cities of Chennai, Pune, Bangalore and Coimbatore. As of end 2011, it has expanded to more than 20 outlets in India.

Mehfil (Salt Lake)

Mehfil (Salt Lake City Centre)

Situated opposite to City Center (Salt Lake), right beside Le Coffee Crème, this branch of Mehfil specializes in serving fast foods like Kati Kebab Rolls, Biriyani, Kebabs, Tandoori items, apart from regular Mughlai dishes of Rezala, Korma, Chap, Kasha (both Chicken & Mutton). The shop is very small with seating arrangement of just 2 tables inside. However they have placed few chairs outside on the footpath to handle City Center crowds during weekend evenings! They make rolls and other dishes right in front of the customers which is visible through the glass panes. The Rolls have a price range of Rs. 25 – 100 and are pretty heavy & filling in comparison of evening snacks. They prepare using their kebabs very well for the rolls.

Golden Empire Bar and Restaurant - Chinatown (Tangra)

Golden Empire Dining area

Situated just beside China Garden & opposite to Beijing, this Bar cum Chinese Restaurant is yet another eatery in Chinatown (Tangra) that offers authentic Chinese cuisine & drinks at very reasonable and inexpensive prices. Golden Empire has 2 doors at the main entrance from the road, one leading to the ground floor bar area frequented mostly by office workers or a friends group and the other leading to the above 2 floors each having air-conditioned dining spaces designed for family grouping. The decor is pretty interesting with Chinese artwork on the walls and some Oriental showpieces.

Allen's kitchen (Sovabazar)

Prawn Cutlet

Stated just opposite Mitra cafe in Sovabazar, a few steps walk from sovabazar metro station, Allen's kitchen is one of the famous food joints famous for its fried finger foods. Allen Kitchen was founded by Jibonkrishna Saha, a Bengali chef, in the late nineteenth century. It used to be a desired destination for many well-known Bengali citizens including Uttam Kumar. Specializing in cutlets and fries, it has a legacy of more than 75 years. Regular customers swear by its Prawn cutlet fried in pure ghee and fish cutlet. The aroma of burnt ghee adds to the cozy environment, churning up the hunger even more. The fish fry is a real delight prepared with original and fresh Bhetki fish cooked to the perfection.

Nizam's Restaurant (Salt Lake)

Nizam's (Salt Lake Branch) Kolkata

Nizam’s Restaurant, Salt Lake Branch is located just at the Connector of EM Bypass & below the VIP Road Flyover at Salt Lake – Ultadanga gate. This restaurant has no seating area as it only serves customers through the Take Away counter and Home Delivery Facility. Like the Original Nizam’s of Esplanade (New Market), it not only serves different types of Kathi Kebab Rolls, but also all Indian / Mughlai dishes like Kebabs, Chap, Rezala, Korma, Tandoor Items & Biriyani.

Calcutta Club Dining Hall (Rabindra Sadan)

Bekti Veronique & Chicken Mont Blanc

Dining Hall Interiors

Calcutta Club is a social club located on Lower Circular Road in Kolkata. It was established in 1907 and the first president of the club was H.H. The Maharajah of Cooch Behar. Although not the oldest private members club in the city, it is notable because it was formed at a time when the existing Bengal Club only admitted whites as members. Lord Minto, the Viceroy of India at the time, had wished to invite Rajen Mookerjee to dine at the Bengal Club and, when the discriminatory policy was thus exposed, a decision was taken to form a club with a membership policy not dictated by race. The Calcutta Club remains a popular social hub for the wealthy in the city. Ironically, despite its origins as a reaction to discrimination, the club has historically restricted membership to men. However, this was changed in 2007 and the club started admitting women members.

Mehak-e-Punjab (Axis Mall - Rajarhat)

Mehak-e-Punjab entrance

After a long spell of shopping at the Axis Mall of Rajarhat, when your feet are tired and you are hungry, go to Mehak-e-Punjab beside the food court. This multi-cuisine restaurant is very spacious and has two separate siting areas. One for the non alcohol consuming crowd and another for those who wants to have alcoholic beverages along with the food.

The bar cum restaurant section has much more comfortable sitting arrangement compared to the normal restaurant section. The decor is soothing with couches and chairs to sit upon.

The Blue Poppy (Salt Lake)

Pepper Chicken

Located just opposite to the Inox side entrance of the boisterous City Centre, you just need to walk through the gigantic hallway of Gorkha Bhawan to reach Blue Poppy. This is the second outlet of this Tibetan momo joint turned Chinese Restaurant after its immense popularity of Maidan outlet (Middleton Row – Sikkim House). Not to mention it’s pocket friendly prices in both the outlets. One could get fried or steamed momos (8 pcs served with homemade red chilli sauce & Soup) at Rs. 80 inc. taxes which I doubt any other AC restaurants would offer. The menu offers Original Nepali Thali & Thukpa and also Bhutanese dishes apart from the regular Chinese section which is available in every Chinese joint that crops up at every crossroad of Kolkata.

Mitra Cafe (Sovabazar Crossing)

Mitra Cafe entrance

Carrying on the legacy for more than 100 years, this quintessential bengali food joint is a place you should not miss. Located near Sovabazar metro station, Mitra Cafe is always crowded and one have to wait for at least 10 to 15 minutes before getting a table. The takeaway counter also gets a long queue, thanks to the consistent assembly of regular customers who does not fail to grab their daily share of fried delicacies like fish fry, fish cutlet, chicken kabiraji, egg devil, veg chop and many more. Right from the afternoon the crowd starts pouring in.