Shimla has a number of good restaurants and eating joints. Being a tourist destination for world over all types of food is available in Shimla, but finding a restaurant serving anything traditional is difficult to find. In general most hotels have restaurants serving varied cuisine. Mall the main tourist attraction has a most number of popular restaurants and eating joints. Devicos is a multi-cuisine restaurant, serving north Indian, south Indian, Chinese and Continental. Baljees is ideal for breakfast or a quick lunch while shopping at the Mall.
To sample some of the best channa bhaturas in town, make your way to Sita Ram and Sons, a famous eating joint at Shimla’s Lakkar Bazaar. Serving the popular dish for the last six generations, this is arguably one of the best dhabas in Shimla. Celebrities like Preity Zinta and Anupam Kher, who hail from Shimla are amongst the regulars of this eatery.
Bhihari Lal Sharma Stall Photo by: dnm, Creative Commons Attribution Licence Perched right above The Ridge, Bhihari Lal Sharma Stall which has been around since 1948 is the oldest fruit chat seller in Shimla. The stall stands tall at the beginning of the chat street at Takka Bench, just above the famous Gandhi statue. Climbers to Jakhoo Temple religiously pause here for a chat break and Rs 30 can get you a plate of chopped fruits to beat the summer heat.
Impressing the British Viceroys of yesteryear Shimla, this tea stall—nestled in the thick forests of the Chaura Maidan—is popularly known as Kewal ka Dhaba. Famous amongst University students who throng the small eatery during breaks, the stall dates back to 1931; the late Lord Mountbatten was a regular here. Today the stall’s famous butter bun and tea beckon people from all over Shimla keeping it busy from seven in the morning to ten at night.
In case you crave for some steaming hot coffee to sip on while in the cold hill stations of Shimla, then this is the place for you. The spectacular view of the beautiful mountains through the windows of a cafe with rustic charm, hot coffee and some tasty snacks, ah! is there anything more that you can ask for while on a tranquil holiday? The Indian Coffee House apart from its flavoursome filter coffee also serves some tasty South Indian foods, pakoras and French toasts, is frequented by locals and is all clean and hygienic too.
Most frequented for its amazing pastries, Trishool Bakery at Shimla’s Mall Road promises a scrumptious bite of creamy cakes. A popular name with tourists and locals alike, it offers everything from decadent pastries and cakes to cream rolls and patties. All the confectionary items are prepared from the freshest ingredients. This blink-and-miss eatery at the Mall also stores all types of biscuits, rolls and breads. Plum cake lovers—this is the best place to get your fill of the dessert.
When it comes to cooling off on hotter days, the desserts and ice creams of Shimla’s Embassy Ice Creams are a clear winner. Whatever the weather may be like, this ice cream joint is always busy serving dollops of ice creams, softies, shakes and squashes to locals and tourists alike. When you’re feeling peckish after extended excursions around Shimla, then you won’t feel guilty about digging into that sinful fruit sundae.
Delicious Chinese foods like the hot soups, noodles and chopsuey too are lovely delicacies to relish on in the cold weather of hill stations. And offering you the same in the picturesque Shimla is this little place called the China Town Restaurant on Mall Road. Though a tiny joint that is always quite crowded, it serves the best of Chinese foods in Shimla and who ever has visited it so far seems to have fallen in love with almost everything that’s served in this cozy little eatery. Try your luck as well!
Ashiana and Goofa serves Indian, Chinese and Continental dishes. While the customers can relish delicacies either indoors or outdoors enjoying the beautiful view of the mountains, it is a perfect joint to visit for full time meals as well as short-eats, brunch and snacks. In case you go there during evenings, sit outdoors, watch the nightfall enjoying a hot cup of tea and spicy snacks and chances are, the experience makes you frequent the joint as long as you are holidaying at Shimla.
Earthy stone walls and a relaxed atmosphere Qilaa is every bit interesting as its name. Located at The Mall, the restaurant offers a cosy atmosphere and a spread of international cuisine including Lebanese, Italian and Arabic fare. Designed to exude a theme of ‘leisure’, Qilaa is known for its Arabian ambiance and tranquil music. The decor is earthy, complete with stone walls, orange table cloths and golden gramophones lying atop tables. The falafel is a popular food choice amongst customers, along with the kathi rolls and the Afghani chicken.
