Ever since inception, Lucknow has been highly regarded for the diverse culinary portfolio it possesses and amidst all the offerings, the chaats are one of the substantial elements here. In fact, Lakhnawis are regarded as deep-dyed chatores because this simple yet delish snack had originated in Uttar Pradesh and then it made its way to the surrounding areas and countries.
There are folks who say that the word chaat emerged from its literal meaning ‘to taste or lick’ and honestly, we’d like to believe this origin. The chaats here in Lucknow at least, makes us drool and we never back off from licking our fingers and the donas (a bowl made of peepal leaves where the chaat is usually served) whenever we indulge in a chaat session. So keeping the chatores here in mind, we have listed a chaat trail of Lucknow for you to follow, which will lead you to the best places for chaat in the city.
All About Chaats!
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The basic chaat which you’d find vendors whipping up on the streets and bylanes of Lucknow, is essentially a product of of boiled potatoes. Flat potato patties are deep fried and then they are spanked with a generous amount of seasoned or fresh yoghurt and sweet tamarind chutney, ending with chopped ginger, green chilli, coriander and spices on top. But over the years, Lucknow has introduced other variants of chaat to us, like the matar chaat, basket chaat, dahi batashe, pani batashe, bhel puri and papri chaat, which are too difficult to look away from.
Where To Find Them?
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The local markets of Lucknow are teeming with umpteen chaat outlets and vendors but choosing the best of them all, becomes a next to impossible task. If at all we’re prompted to take sides, we’d surely start with the chaats available at Shukla Chaat House. One of the oldest in the city, Shukla Chaat House is located at Hazratganj and it serves aloo tikkis with fresh tangy curd and a sluurrrpy meethi chutney. The matar chaat here is their signature dish and it is a perfect mix of dried white peas and chatpate masale which makes it our favourite. To add a textural crunch to it, they garnish it with crushed batasha on top and we’re already salivating, just writing about it. From here, you can take the lane towards Royal Cafe to binge on a plate of basket chaat and we swear, it’s gonna be one of the bests you’ve ever mouthed.
You can also check out Jain Chaat Bhandar here in Lalbagh for your fix of pani puris and aloo tikkis because most of the chatores of Lucknow swear by them. Now if you’re on the Aminabad route, do drop by at Ram Narayan Tiwari & Sons because Tiwari‘ji ke batashe are light and crisp and are served with different varieties of sweet and spicy paani which makes it different than others around. Another hot favourite of foodies here, is the palaki chaat, made of deep fried spinach leaves coated in besan and it is served with desi condiments on the side, to amp up the taste of it. While around this locale, you should also check out Shri Kalika Chat House, located at the Naaz Cinema Chauraha because it’s said, their papdi chaat is die for. Also, by chance if you spot Pandit Chaat Corner, you can actually check ’em out too! They’re known for their simple yet flavourful chaats- from dahi aloo tikkis to mouth watering pani puris, they have it all.
But if you’re in the older parts of Lucknow, make sure to visit Dixit Chaat or else your chaat trail will remain incomplete! This 40yo chaat house is seated on the crowded streets of Chowk and they serve chaats doused in pure ghee, reminding us of home. Go straight for the dahi tikkis and pani puris here and we promise, there’ll be no looking back from then on! So if you are shopping or strolling around in old Lucknow, you know where to head when your tummy rumbles.
For your street food cravings, you can also check out Chunna Chaat in Mahanagar for their various chatpata chaat offerings and if you’re in the Bhoothnath locality, Nakul Agra Chatwale will be your haven for the evening.
Knock Knock
Lakhnawi evenings are anyway somewhat incomplete without a session of gossip with friends over roadside chaat and now that you know where to be at, you’ve gotta come over ASAP. Also, don’t worry about your pockets because they’re all economical AF!
