Old Delhi Street Food Tour with Rickshaw Ride

Connaught Place and the metro into Old Delhi

The tour begins at Gate 1 of Rajiv Chowk Metro Station in Connaught Place, the colonnaded circle built in the 1930s as the commercial centre of New Delhi and still the easiest meeting point in the city. From here the guide takes the group two stops north on the Yellow Line to Chandni Chowk, a ten-minute ride that saves the slow road traffic and gives you a first taste of how Delhi moves.

Stepping out of the metro you are in Shahjahanabad, the walled city founded by Shah Jahan in 1639, where the lanes are narrower, the buildings older and the food older still. The guide briefs you on the route, on hygiene and on how to pace yourself through eight or more tastings. Metro tickets are included, and the group returns to Connaught Place the same way at the end of the Old Delhi street food tour.

Chandni Chowk: chaat, parathas and sweets

Chandni Chowk is the old main street of the Mughal city and the busiest food street in Delhi. The three hours here are a sequence of short walks and tastings: chole bhature, the puffed bread with spiced chickpeas that Delhi eats for breakfast; dahi bhalla, lentil dumplings in cold yogurt with tamarind; aloo chaat, fried potato with chutneys; and the stuffed parathas of Paranthe Wali Gali, a lane of fried-bread shops that have been in business since the 19th century.

The sweet side is just as important: a glass of lassi, crisp syrupy jalebi fried in front of you, kheer, the Indian rice pudding, and shahi tukda, the Mughal bread-and-cream dessert. All of these dishes are vegetarian. If you are looking for the best street food in Old Delhi, this stretch of Chandni Chowk is where the city's most famous shops are, and the guide knows which counter to order from and what to skip.

Khari Baoli spice market

At the western end of Chandni Chowk, near Fatehpuri Masjid, lies Khari Baoli, the wholesale spice market that has operated since the 17th century and is the largest in Asia. Sacks of dried chillies, turmeric, cumin, cardamom and dried fruit line the street, porters carry loads through the crowd, and the air itself is spiced enough to make the group sneeze. It is one of the most photogenic places in Delhi and a highlight of any Chandni Chowk food tour.

The guide walks you through the market, explains how the trade works and points out the spices behind the dishes you have just eaten. You spend about twenty to thirty minutes here within the Chandni Chowk section of the tour. Khari Baoli is open daily except Sunday, when many wholesale shops close, although the food stops on the tour operate every day.

Jama Masjid and the rickshaw ride

A cycle-rickshaw ride of about fifteen minutes takes the group from Chandni Chowk through the lanes to Jama Masjid, the great mosque completed in 1656 with its red sandstone gateways, white marble domes and a courtyard that holds thousands. You admire the mosque from outside and take in the bustle of Matia Mahal, the lane of kitchens below its southern gate, where meat eaters can try the famous Indian fried chicken and the chicken and mutton kebabs of Old Delhi.

This stop takes about thirty minutes of street food and tasting, and it is the one part of the tour that is not vegetarian; the kebabs are optional. A second rickshaw ride and the metro then return you to Connaught Place about four hours after the start. The combination of a Jama Masjid food walk, a rickshaw ride and the metro makes this tour an easy introduction to Old Delhi for first-time visitors.