Prayagraj Restaurants

El Chico is definitely the oldest fine-dine restaurant in Allahabad, but still retains the flavours that it is so famous for. Established in the 70s, this was the first restaurant in Allahabad. Their North Indian along with butter naan is just amazing. They also have a new cafe specializing in continental cuisine, which is definitely the best in the city. Try the pineapple pudding at the bakery!

A small, old restaurant located on a busy junction, Netram is by far the most famous local restaurant serving authentic poori-sabji for breakfast or lunch. The crispy pooris and the spicy aloo sabzi has been a secret recipe that has been passed around since generations. They only sell a few other things, for eg jalebis and some sweets, which are also really good. The street is heavily crowded, but it's worth the effort to get here.

This is not a restaurant in Allahabad, but any list which talks about the food in Allahabad will be incomplete without mentioning the Loknath food street. A small, probably dirty street located in the oldest part of the town, Loknath is pure heaven for desi food. A number of stores serve lassi (Raja Ram), chat, dosa, mithais, and kachauris. The star of the street is undoubtedly Hari Ram and sons - whose samosa (and masalas) are stuff of legend even in nearby cities.

Allahabad's favourite biryani joint, EatOn served exclusively biryani for the longest time (but recently started selling some excellent kebabs as well). It is mostly a take away joint, but you can choose to stand there with the crowd and devour the biryani fresh as well.

One of the latest entrants to the growing list of fine-dining restaurants in Allahabad, Relish, inside the Hotel Legend, is a great choice for a absolutely delicious food, with a nice ambience. Almost all of the dishes are great, but we'd recommend the Murg Khurchan from personal experience.

Allahabad's favourite South Indian restaurant since the time it started, Sagar Ratna is an affordable restaurant for the typical South Indian meal. Recently, however, they have started offering north Indian food as well, but we'd recommend that the travellers stick to the South Indian.

One of the newest restaurants in this list, Makkhan's was located for years on the outskirts of Allahabad, where it was a local hit. Only recently did it make a bang at Civil Lines, by opening a new store, and has been a discovery since then. The decor is nice, and the food is really fresh. Highly recommend the dal makhani.

While you will get a number of chat stores all around the city, Shiva Chat, located at a corner of the city, is a fantastic pick, specially while returning from Sangam. They only make a few things - tikki chaat, golgappe, and dahi bhalle - but all of them are absolutely worth snacking on.

While not strictly a restaurant, Kamdhenu is Allahabad's favorite and most revered sweet shop - and for a city that has a sweet tooth, that's saying something. All of their mithais, from chamcham to boondi laddoos, milk cakes to kaju katli, are absolutely amazing. They have great packaging as well, so if you're looking to take back some genuine desi mithais with you, this is the place!

With a great terrace, the Old School cafe is a great place to sit and talk during the winter months. The coffees are good, although a bit over-sweet, and the pizzas are pretty decent.

When this Delhi based chain opened their first restaurant in Allahabad, you would have to call days in advance to be able to book a table. While that charm has certainly worn off (for the better), you would not be disappointed in the food here. Their pindi chhole and butter chicken are as good as ever.

Generations of people from Allahabad have been going to the famous Hot Stuff restaurant in the heart of Civil Lines. These days, it is more nostalgia than the food itself - their old-fashioned pizzas, and noodles with manchurian meals, while decent, are honestly not spectacular. But for a large part of the city, HotStuff represents so much nostalgia that this list would be incomplete without it. Oh and their "Love of Prayag" ice cream flavour is definitely worth a try.

Another old restaurant in Allahabad serving authentic South Indian food, this is a good place for a simple South Indian meal, more than just the typical idli-sambhar. They make a really good rasam, and the thalis are pretty good as well.

Located in the heart of the city, this small coffee shop has an old history, and has always been a famous eating joint among Allahabad University students.