Food · Jaipur · India
What to eat in Jaipur
The dishes, drinks and food experiences that define Jaipur, and where locals actually eat them.
Updated By the AMZBooking editorial team
Photo: Chainwit., CC BY-SA 4.0
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Quick answer
Start with Dal baati churma, Laal maas and Pyaaz kachori. Start the day at a kachori shop near Sindhi Camp with pyaaz kachori and mirchi vada, then walk into the old city for chai before the bazaars open. Rajasthani cooking can be very spicy; say 'kam teekha' (less spicy) when ordering.
Key facts
- Signature dish
- Dal baati churma
- Vegetarian-friendly picks
- 9
- Tipping
- Tipping is customary but modest.
- Food experiences
- 4
10 foods to try
Dish · Vegetarian
1.Dal baati churma
Rajasthan's signature meal: hard wheat dumplings (baati) baked and soaked in ghee, served with spiced lentils and churma, a sweet crumble of ground wheat, ghee and sugar.
Where: Rajasthani thali restaurants across the city and at Chokhi Dhani's village-style dinners on Tonk Road.
Dish
2.Laal maas
A fiery mutton curry coloured deep red by dried Mathania chillies and slow-cooked with yoghurt and garlic; it was traditionally a hunting dish of the Rajput nobility.
Where: Long-running non-vegetarian restaurants around MI Road and heritage-hotel restaurants; ask for the spice level before ordering.
Snack · Vegetarian
3.Pyaaz kachori
A flaky deep-fried pastry stuffed with spiced onion, served hot with tamarind and mint chutneys. It is Jaipur's favourite breakfast snack.
Where: Rawat Mishthan Bhandar near Sindhi Camp is the most famous; sweet shops across the old city fry them each morning.
Street food · Vegetarian
4.Mirchi vada
A large green chilli stuffed with spiced potato, dipped in gram-flour batter and deep-fried. Despite its looks, the chilli used is usually mild.
Where: Kachori and snack shops around Sindhi Camp, Johari Bazaar and Chandpole, usually alongside pyaaz kachori.
Dessert · Vegetarian
5.Ghewar
A disc of lacy, honeycombed fried batter soaked in sugar syrup and often topped with rabri (thickened milk). It is made above all for the Teej festival in the monsoon season.
Where: LMB on Johari Bazaar and other traditional sweet shops; it is easiest to find from July to September.
Drink · Vegetarian
6.Lassi
Thick sweet yoghurt drink served in disposable clay cups (kulhads), topped with a layer of malai cream. A big glass is almost a meal.
Where: Lassiwala on MI Road, opposite Niro's, has served it for decades; several copycat stalls share the name, so look for the original at number 312.
Dish · Vegetarian
7.Gatte ki sabzi
Gram-flour dumplings, steamed then simmered in a tangy, spiced yoghurt gravy. It developed as a desert dish that needed no fresh vegetables.
Where: Most Rajasthani thali restaurants and home-style vegetarian bhojanalayas in the old city.
Dish · Vegetarian
8.Ker sangri
A tangy, dry stir-fry of desert beans (sangri) and small wild berries (ker), cooked with red chilli and mustard oil. Both grow in the Thar Desert and are dried for keeping.
Where: Rajasthani restaurants and thalis; heritage hotels often serve it as part of a set dinner.
Dish · Vegetarian
9.Rajasthani thali
A steel platter of small bowls: dal, kadhi, gatte, seasonal vegetables, bajra (millet) roti, rice, pickles and a sweet, refilled until you stop the server.
Where: Dedicated thali restaurants around MI Road and Station Road, and the dinner at Chokhi Dhani.
Drink · Vegetarian
10.Masala chai
Milky tea boiled with ginger, cardamom and plenty of sugar, served in small glasses or clay cups from roadside stalls throughout the day.
Where: Any chai stall; the tea cafés of C-Scheme serve more refined versions in a calmer setting.
Food experiences
Breakfast kachori run
Start the day at a kachori shop near Sindhi Camp with pyaaz kachori and mirchi vada, then walk into the old city for chai before the bazaars open.
Old-city sweet shops
Johari Bazaar's sweet shops sell ghewar, sohan halwa and milk sweets; buy a mixed box and taste them on a heritage-hotel rooftop.
Village-style dinner
Chokhi Dhani on Tonk Road, about 20 km south of the centre, serves an all-you-can-eat Rajasthani meal on leaf plates alongside folk dancing, puppet shows and camel rides.
Haveli rooftop dinner
Many old-city and Bani Park heritage hotels serve Rajasthani dinners on their roofs with views of the illuminated forts on the ridge.
Quick bites and street food
- Pyaaz kachori — Rawat Mishthan Bhandar near Sindhi Camp is the most famous; sweet shops across the old city fry them each morning.
- Mirchi vada — Kachori and snack shops around Sindhi Camp, Johari Bazaar and Chandpole, usually alongside pyaaz kachori.
Vegetarian options
Of the 10 foods in this guide, 9 are usually vegetarian: Dal baati churma, Pyaaz kachori, Mirchi vada, Ghewar, Lassi, Gatte ki sabzi, Ker sangri, Rajasthani thali and Masala chai. Check preparation with staff, as stocks and fats vary.
Eating out: tips and etiquette
- Rajasthani cooking can be very spicy; say 'kam teekha' (less spicy) when ordering.
- Many traditional restaurants and sweet shops are pure vegetarian and do not serve eggs or alcohol.
- Drink bottled or filtered water and choose busy street stalls where food is cooked fresh in front of you.
- Eat with your right hand when eating Indian-style; the left is considered unclean.
- Lunch is often the main meal, and restaurant dinners rarely start before 8pm.
Tipping
Tipping is customary but modest. Leave about 5–10% in restaurants if no service charge is added, give a small tip to hotel porters, and tip a hired driver or guide at the end of the day according to the service.
| Phrase | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Namaste | Hello (with palms together) |
| Khamma ghani | Traditional Rajasthani greeting |
| Dhanyavaad | Thank you |
| Kitne ka hai? | How much is it? |
| Kam teekha | Less spicy |
| Bas | Enough / stop |
Questions travellers ask
+What food is Jaipur famous for?
Dal baati churma, Laal maas, Pyaaz kachori and Mirchi vada. Rajasthan's signature meal: hard wheat dumplings (baati) baked and soaked in ghee, served with spiced lentils and churma, a sweet crumble of ground wheat, ghee and sugar.
+Is Jaipur good for vegetarians?
Several local staples are meat-free, including Dal baati churma, Pyaaz kachori and Mirchi vada.
+Do you tip in restaurants in Jaipur?
Tipping is customary but modest. Leave about 5–10% in restaurants if no service charge is added, give a small tip to hotel porters, and tip a hired driver or guide at the end of the day according to the service.