Food is all about authentic culture & heritage. And a destination’s food tells you a great deal about its culture. Darjeeling has all its flavours. Also, food is the most primitive form of comfort; Darjeeling’s culture is t bound through it.
Due to varied mixed cultures, the food has a lot of diversity. The majority are Gorkha and Nepali immigrants, but significant Tibetans, Sherpa, and Bengali immigrants exist. And all of them have added their unique reflection to the food & beverages of Darjeeling. Nevertheless, to forget, the Britishers already left imprints on the culture and added the European taste to the cuisine.
Walking down the gourmet lane of Darjeeling, I could dig some traditions. & authentic places to taste these flavours. These restaurants were not only budget-friendly but served delicious food too.
Keventers
Located on Nehru road, a British colonial day restaurant has completed 100 yrs, serving English breakfast, tea & snacks in the hill town.
Highlights: It’s famous for its traditional English breakfast, along with pork dishes, salami, sausages, meatloaf, and eggs are a speciality. The restaurant has a variety of sandwiches, burgers, hotdogs, and baked beans. The portion served here is quite large. Another traditional delicacy you can try is Churpee, a milk-based snack made from cow or yak milk. They are like cheese & come in solid or liquid form. It’s a delicious healthy snack but too hard to chew.
Cost: Rs 500 (approx) for two pax.
Kunga Restaurant
It is a tiny budget restaurant located on Gandhi road and has been run by a family for over two decades. The restaurant serves Tibetan & Chinese dishes and has a seating capacity of 20 people. Generally, the restaurant is packed & you need to wait in a queue to get a seat.
Highlights: Mosty is known for its Tibetian dishes but serves Chinese too. Chupka and Momos are the specialities of the restaurant. Do try Chicken Thenthuk soup, a delicious Tibetan noodle soup. A few other items on the top list will be Beef Bhakthuk, Chicken Phing and fried beef wai-wai. The portion served here is quite large. However, in the end, you can try Tibetan tea.
Cost: Rs 400( approx) for two pax.
Penang Restaurant
Many restaurants serve Nepali Thali, but the name that pops up prominently if you ask local to a guide is Penang Restaurant, located on Laden Le road. And it’s a budget restaurant operational since 1972 and is strictly vegetarian.
Highlights: The food is served on a bronze plate & bowl. The Gorkha Thali or Gorkhey food serves a full meal, like rice, lentils, assorted vegetable curry, pickles, cured, sweet & Papad. . Though the plater is the same as any other cuisine platter, the preparation, use of spices and herbs are different.
Cost: Rs 350( approx) for two pax.
Glenary’s
An Austrian named Pilva founded it. It is a famous bakery, & a tea room, and has a multi-cuisine restaurant on the top floor. Lately, Glenary’s has expanded with a basement bar & disco named -‘ The Buzz’.
Highlights: The bakery is something you can die for, from jam/lemon/chocolate tarts to muffins to fruit cakes and croissants, along with loaves, burgers, rolls, pies and sandwiches. You can also have breakfast here, with a marvellous view of the valley & mountains. The upper section of the bakery serves continental, Chinese, and Indian cuisine. You can try snacks, main course main, and alcoholic & non-alcoholic beverages.
Cost: ₹1,200 (approx.) for two pax with alcohol.
5. Revolver restaurant
It is a budget restaurant themed on Beatles, a unique one and not much-touted or publicised. It is located along Gandhi road, a 10min walk from the Clock tower next to Union church. You will see a signboard showing Lavazza & and the door to the restaurant. The menu here is not too elaborate since unique dishes are served here—all dishes prepared with care & served piping hot. Though the city’s Naga population is considerably lower, their population’s influence on food in Darjeeling is quite notable in the town.
Highlights: I tried the Naga platter, for which the restaurant is famous. The platter consists of rice, dal, boiled vegetables, and pickles on the platter. However, I complimented the platter with dried bamboo shoots with chicken since fermented ones have flavours. You can also try Yahako -a local cuisine, or Khutta ka achar(pork trotters) and Pachauney(a beef preparation) if you are meat lovers.
Cost: Rs 300(approx) for 2 Pax.
Margaret Deck
It is a tea luxuriate, an initiative taken by the Goodricke Tea Pot. A beautiful colossal deck overlooking the massive field of the Margaret Trust Tea Gardens. Margaret’s came from Mr Cruickshank’s daughter’s name, who entirely adored these lavish tea gardens. And now Margaret’s Deck stands tall as a mute witness to the girl’s eternal love.
Highlights: If you are a tea lover, this is the place you should visit since muscatel tea is a speciality of this garden. It is a must-try. Also, try the continental cuisine, cookies, cakes, croissants, quiches, grilled fish, scones, brownies and cheesecakes.
Cost: Rs1500 (approx) for two pax.
Hot Smitulating Cafe
Honestly, it did not look like a restaurant to me—instead, a tin shack located on Jawahar road that leads to HMI. But the home-like atmosphere hits you as you walk in, along with the lovely view on one side of the Cafe. It’s run by a couple & is a vegetarian cafe.
Highlights: Veg Momos, Thupkas, and tea are always in high demand. Apart from this, you also get egg items like egg burgers, omelettes etc. Another attraction is that the Cafe serves light homemade beer too called Chaang. Millet by fermenting with yeast to prepare this drink. They do this on a small open terrace backyard.
Cost: Rs 450(approx) for 2 pax.
Sonam’s kitchen
The tiniest eatery I have seen so far, run by a Nepali couple, is located on Zakir Hussain road. There are only three tables, & the kitchen is famous for breakfast & dinner. The dishes are primarily vegetarian & a few egg preparation.
Highlights: I loved the cheese toast & veggie omelette that is tried for breakfast. There is an option in pancakes & porridge that you can try, along with hash brown & sandwiches. You can choose from soups, salads, pasta or a few Nepali dishes for dinner. They also serve Tibetian tea; try it out too.
Cost: Rs 400(approx) for 2 pax.
Gatty’s Cafe
This is comparatively a new café on Zakir Hussain Road. A magnificent view of the mountains you can from the cafe. One section of the café is stocked with books, while another area has a music room and bar. This café remains open until late at night. It would be best if you visited the cafe once for the ambience.
Highlights: They specialised in pork & beef dishes. Even the Italian plates & Arabic platter are good. Similarly, you can also try fried dumplings, fish or chicken cutlets, or crispy chicken. However, I loved the Lasagna and Pasta.
Cost: Rs 800 (Aprrox) for two pax
In other words, if an alluring view with delicious delicacies by your side is your fantasy, then Darjeeling is the right fit for you!