Ramadan or not, the galis of Jama Masjid in purani Delhi are throbbing with food joints throughout the year! Of course, during Ramadan, the scale gets multiplied many times over…
Much like the Mohammaded Ali road of Mumbai (Read: Fasting and Feasting at Bohril Mohalla, Mumbai) and Frazer Town in Bangalore (Read: Ramadan Feast in Bangalore) during Ramadan, we love old Delhi’s Jama Masjid streets for our annual round of Iftar dinner. But herein lies the difference — while in Mumbai and Bangalore, the eateries sprout up during the holy month, in Jama Masjid, they are permanent. So go at any time of the year, and you get to feast on the famous kebabs, nalli niharis, biryanis of ‘Purani Dilli’….
You can smell it before you can see it! Almost the minute you step out of the new Jama Masjid metro station! The kebabs and kebabs and more kebabs….
How to reach Jama Masjid? Take Delhi Metro’s Heritage Line and get out of gate number 2 which has a narrow, very dirty by-lane to the masjid. During Ramadan, the street also hosts a flea market and is hence, very crowded!
Guide to the Kebab Stalls:
The lane that lines the Jama Masjid teems with stalls selling kebabs, fish fries, tandooris and the works. Our ‘food walk’ started from here —
- We inaugurate with two of the favorites here – Qureshi and Lalu Kebabi. Both the tikka and sheekhs we have here are ‘Bada’ or made of Beef. The sheekhs are heavenly and always entails a wait before you get your plate. The tikkas are average though.
- First round done, we head for the Matia Mahal lane right opp Gate # 2 of Jama Masjid. Skipping the most popular restaurants, Karims and Al Jawahar, we head straight inside, looking for the elusive Dori Kabab of Babu Bhai. A 5-min walk to the end of the lane and then a left turn towards the Sayed Mosque get us to Babubhai Kebabwala — right under the walls of the mosque! He has a major fan following. The mutton and beef ones are brilliant, succulent and just the perfect taste, served with a yogurt dip. The beef tikka is also very good though a little tough. We are not fond of chicken but had it on his recommendation and it was excellent as well. So as not to lose the rest, we normally order a few more skewers of mutton sheekhs to be packed for home. The damage after everything is normally a princely Rs. 550!
- Happy and half full, we walk back to try the famous Keema Goli at Haji Mohd. Hussain Fried Chicken. Their juicy fish fries loaded in butter are also great crowd pullers.
- Next stop, the famous Al Jawahar restaurant whose claim to fame is that Pandit Nehru used to frequent the eatery. A rather hyped place — food is very average. The Mutton Qorma with their special roti is good to go for.
- For the finale, desserts, we hop to Cold Point right opposite. Order all three items in the menu – Phirni, Rabdi and Shahi Tukda. We love the Phirnis and packed a few for home.
- Don’t leave that iconic street without visiting the Karims courtyard! We always get some Mutton Biryani and Chicken Tandoori packed for home…
- On your way out, stop for a glass of Lassi from the corner shop to down them all.
Stuffed, head back to the metro station… this time in a rickshaw.
Important tips for the Old Delhi lanes:
- Very crowded during Ramadan. Manageable at other times. Women visitors ought to go fully covered. The way those men look at you can really spoil your evening, and they tend to brush by with their usual ‘sorry’…really infuriating!
- The rickshaws and bikes plying in the narrow lanes make it worse….