How to eat your way through Lucknow, and make friends

Discover the hidden culinary gems of Lucknow with Anubhuti Krishna, from iconic kababs to unique chaat delights.

“This is the best tikki I have ever eaten - I now know why you say there is no better chaat than Lucknow’s! Listen, this nimbu ki matar is out of this world and the golgappas, my God!” It is evening and I am standing in the heart of Lucknow sharing my favourite chaat with 15 people — all of whom were strangers till this morning. Incredibly, they have all travelled to Lucknow to see the city, and taste its food.

The idea of showcasing my hometown and its culinary legacy was was born late one night when homesick, I was scrolling through pictures of Lucknow. Struck by its charm I had wondered how could I share the city with more people. You see, Lucknow is not a typical tourist town. It is a small city with layers of history and culture, much of which remains hidden until an insider takes you to its unknown streets and tells you its unheard stories.

As someone who has known the city intimately, I decided to put out an open invite on Instagram.

Honestly, I was not sure if anyone would come to see a new city with a stranger, even if I had the best intentions. But I had nothing to lose. I was in Lucknow and decided that even if one person came in, I would show them around. As luck would have it 15 people from across the country hopped on flights and showed up. 

And so we set off to discover the city of nawabs — and kababs — on a Saturday afternoon.

We started our trail from a place no city tour will take you to: the Gothic GPO building which was built as a theatre, converted into a court, and for about a century has been the General Post Office, complete with a philatelic museum. From here, through the Art Deco style Halwasia market, via the exquisite residential quarters of Qaisar Bagh, we finally reached the quintessential Lakhnavi neighbourhood of Aminabad. Once known for its palatial mansions, Aminabad today is known for something else altogether — tunday kababi.

The legend of 112-year-old tunday kababi (a khansama who cooked kababs so soft that the king could eat them without his teeth) is as popular as its food, so it was only apt that we began our culinary sojourn from here. We start with the legendary kababs and move on to the more exquisite fare — layered mutton korma, fragrant biryani, flaky sheermal and rumali rotis as thin as handkerchiefs.