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Food is one of the best ways to learn about a place and its culture. Long before you visit a place or take photos, you begin to look for what food or local speciality to have at that place. Having the first bite of a local dish feels like the city has truly welcomed you. For true food enthusiasts, travelling is not just about visiting new places, but it is also about tasting their culinary heritage. Every place has its own flavour that is shaped by history, civilisation, circumstances, and the people who have been cooking it with pride for generations with the same recipe.
From delightful classics that are for generations to bold, trendy creations, every city has to offer something that cannot be recreated anywhere else. These food places are not just about eating well, but they are about finding stories on a plate, through a meal, in every bite.
Mumbai
Beyond just the vada pav, the food story of Mumbai is deeply coastal and is driven by community. Wake up early for kheema ghotala, which is paired with bun maska, a spicy Parsi-style scramble that feels indulgent in every bite. It can be best experienced at old Irani cafes like Kyani & Co., where nothing, like literally nothing, has changed for generations. For Konkani flavours, head towards the Konkan belt flavours to have bombil fry, tisrya masala (clams), and solkadhi. These dishes are derived from the city’s original Koli fishing communities. If you are looking for a lunch spot, aim for patrani machhi, which is fish steamed in a banana leaf with green chutney all over. And yes, how can you not have pav bhaji, but forget the calorie count and try the buttery version at Sardar Pav Bhaji, where extra is the whole point.
(Image credit: Freepik)
Delhi
If you have been thinking that Delhi’s cuisine is not just Mughlai, you have been delusional. It is a clash of empires and refugees. Begin your munching session in the old quarters with nihari and khameeri roti, a dish that was enjoyed after morning prayers. The iconic Karim's still maintains that legacy in every aromatic serving and every cuisine it has. Equally iconic but lesser discussed is bedmi puri with aloo sabzi, a strong, hing-filled breakfast that describes the mornings of Old Delhi. If you travel during winter, you will find seasonal treasures such as daulat ki chaat, which is a fleeting foam-like dessert prepared only from November to January. Finish your food walk stuffed parathas that are paired with pickles and chutneys, and not only butter. Delhi’s food is abundant, surprising, and deeply rooted in culture.
Kolkata
Kolkata’s food is subtle, thoughtful, and extremely technique-driven. Skip the very obvious ones and explore dishes such as shukto, a lightly bitter vegetable mixture that forms traditional Bengali meals, prepared to revive the palate rather than just overwhelm it. At heritage dining rooms like 6 Ballygunge Place, recipes are treated like books. If you are a seafood lover, you will have options that go far beyond just the mustard fish; try chingri malai curry, where coconut milk softens the sweetness of river prawn, mirroring colonial trade influences. Street-side, the famous rolls take you back to Nizam's, where the kathi roll was created as a portable meal for office-goers and later on evolved as the most loved. Do not forget to add mocha ghonto (banana blossom curry) or kosha mangsho, and then you will realise Kolkata cooks with control, letting flavour develop slowly, like a well-written fiction.
(Image credit: Freepik)
Bangkok
The real magic of Bangkok lies beyond just the pad thai; step into nearby lanes where recipes feel too local and are unchanged for generations. Try boat noodles here (guay tiew reua), once served from canals, now extremely rich, with dark broth. Seek out khao khluk kapi, a shrimp-paste-based rice dish which is tossed with green mango, pork, and some chillies. It is messy, punchy, and extremely rooted in Thai culture. For dessert, skip the generic sweets and taste khanom krok, smoky coconut-rice pancakes straight from the street griddles. Wander through Or Tor Kor Market to witness how seasonal produce forms the everyday menu here.
Istanbul
Istanbul’s cuisine is layered with Ottoman remembrance, provincial migration, and market civilisation that rewards curiosity. Begin with menemen - soft eggs folded with tomatoes and peppers, and best eaten at traditional spots such as Lades Menemen, where simplicity is the craft. Glance beyond just the kebabs to hünkar beğendi- slow-braised lamb that is served over silky smoked aubergine purée, a palace dish that literally means “the Sultan liked it.” Along the waterfront, try balık ekmek, which is freshly grilled fish sandwiches that remind one of the city’s marine soul. Then lose yourself inside Kadıköy Market, where olives, cheeses, and spice mixes reveal the vast regional pantry of Turkey. Eating here feels like journeying across centuries without leaving the table.
(Image credit: Freepik)
