One of the prime reasons why Kolkata was in our bucket list since years was food. Kolkata had always fascinated us. Reason being, it was  the only metropolitan city in India which we had not visited and the place it holds in India’s history & heritage. In November we managed to visit Kolkata and Sundarbans for 5 days. Even after months, we are craving for all the food we ate in Kolkata. Our Kolkata trip revolved so much around food that we  had to come up  with a list of must-try restaurants in Kolkata. There is no doubt in our mind that one could visit Kolkata just for the culinary experience, its that good!

This is our list of must-try restaurants in Kolkata, which we were able to try in a little over 2 days in Kolkata:

Golbari  (Food score : 8/10)

A tiny legendary eatery in Shyambazar area famous for its mutton Kosha. It was highly recommended by a Bengali foodie friend of ours. We reached the place early (It had just opened). The sitting area is small and can only accommodate  7-8 people at a time. We ordered for mutton kosha set which comes with a portion of mutton, 2 thin chapattis and sliced onions.

As an introduction to Bengali food in Kolkata, we felt that Golbari was a good start. Mutton was little spicy but the flavours were unique and we did not regret going all the way to Golbari. 

Arsalan (Food score : 9/10)

An institution for Kolkata style biryani with potato which would not disappoint you. Potato in biryani has been a controversial topic for many biryani lovers. We would like to request everyone who thinks that potato has no place in biryani, to visit Kolkata and try biryani at Arsalan. We don’t know if its some special variety of potato they use. But man it just breaks and becomes part of the biryani and screams that it belongs there. Must Must Must try biryani at Arsalan and mutton chaap.

Girish Chandra Dey & Nakur Chandra Nandy (Food score : 9/10)

Oh my god… We can’t recommend this sweet shop enough. Bought an assorted box of 10 items which we found appealing in the display window. Most of them just melted in our mouths. We had not even walked till the end of the street and we were already fighting to grab the last piece of sweet in our box. Mango, chocolate and butterscotch Sandesh were our favourites. Both mango and chocolate had a filling of flavoured syrup inside… yummmm…

Sweets at Girish Chandra were so good that we went back on our last day on our way back to the airport. Unfortunately, all the flavours we had liked were not available since it was late evening. Maybe we need to head back to Kolkata to grab some of these yummylious Bengali sweets. 

Bohemian (Food score : 10/10) 

One of the best meals we had in terms of flavour and quality of food in Kolkata. We were awed by the baked crab appetizer and the fish curry. The restaurant adds its own twists to traditional Bengali cuisine and does it exceptionally well. If you want to have a drink here, then we would highly highly recommend you try the Gondhoraj julep which is a mocktail with refreshing flavours.

Peter Cat  (Food score : 8/10) 

Peter Cat was not in our list of must-try restaurants in Kolkata probably because we already had too many places we really wanted to try the food at in Kolkata. Also because the most famous dish at the restaurant is a kabab dish and we thought we could give it a skip . One Sunday evening we were just walking past Peter Cat and saw a huge crowd waiting outside. We were curious to discover the hype and ended up trying their famous Chelo Kabab after a long waiting of over an hour. 

What we liked about the place was its old world charm, service and friendly staff. We felt that we were transported to another era. Chelo Kabab has three main elements – a) mutton seekh kabab (it was not bad), b) chicken kabab (it was yummy, tender and juicy), c) rice with butter and egg (it bought the whole dish together). Peter cat is highly affordable for their portion sizes and we had a lovely time here. 

6 Ballygunge Place (Food score : 8/10)  

Lunch we had at 6 Ballygunge Place would definitely qualify as our most satisfying meal in Kolkata. We opted for their lunch buffet and baked crab. As much as we enjoyed the buffet, we found the crab average. The fish in mustard gravy and the greens were so good that we hardly touched the chicken or mutton dishes in the buffet. It would be better to call and reserve a table as the place is usually busy. The only thing we didn’t like at the restaurant was the dirty washroom. But for food, if you get a chance then don’t miss having a meal at 6 Ballygunge Place.

Kusum Roll’s at Park Street (Food score : 9/10)

Kathi rolls are one of the most popular Kolkata snack all over India. So we had to try one in the city where Kathi rolls originated. We loved the Kathi rolls at Kusum Roll’s and are still wondering how Kathi rolls all over Kolkata are so cheap. It is located right on Park street close to the Park hotel and is open till late in the night. So, if you are having a late night food craving or are looking for after party food then look no further. The place is popular and you might have to wait for your order for 15-20 minutes at times. But all the wait would be completely worth it as flavours are spot on. We opted for double chicken and egg both the times we snacked on Kusum Roll’s. 

Flurys Bakery (Food score : 7/10)

The most famous bakery in Kolkata was a bit of a disappointment. We had to visit the place and try something here as Flurys is an institution. Anyone and everyone who documents Kolkata in the early ’90s does mention Flurys. We stopped by at Flurys for some coffee and cake. Firstly we expected the place to be a lot bigger. Secondly, the food tasted average and thirdly the food is highly overpriced. While sitting at Flurys we could feel why the place was this famous. The menu they were serving in the ’90s was unique for its time. We would still say visit Flurys and feel part of the history, but don’t expect too much from the food.

Oly Pub (Food score : 9/10)

 The place is located on Park street and has this old style local bar feel. Imagine a college canteen type vibe where they serve alcohol. We could imagine journalists, writers and other office goers stopping here for a drink after work and discussing politics over drinks. Such a no frill bar in the middle of the city with a well-educated crowd is a rare find in India. 

Balaram Mullick & Radharaman Mullick (Food score : 7/10) 

This one is another legendary sweet shop in Kolkata with multiple branches around the city. We went here for breakfast and tried few varieties of savoury as well as sweet items. Our order consisted of kachori stuffed with peas, singara (Bengali version of samosa), few varieties of chops and sandesh. Quality of food was very good and they have a huge variety. But we personally liked sweets at Girish Chandra Day & Nakur Chandra Nandy far more than Balaram Mullick & Radharaman Mullick. 

Aaheli (Food score : 3/10)

  The only place we regret going and wasting our precious appetite in Kolkata was Aaheli. The restaurant is inside The Peerless Inn and is supposedly famous for its authentic Bengali cuisine. We felt the food tasted just ok and the staff was not friendly. They have a decently sized menu with all Bengali dishes which could be gibberish for a person not familiar with the cuisine. The staff was not really helpful in explaining the dishes and we just ended up ordering their thali which you can’t share. The only place where we ended up wasting so much food was Aaheli. This meal cost us approximately INR 5000 for two. We ate a lot in Kolkata and can confidently say that if you are wanting to try Bengali food in Kolkata then there are far better, tasty and friendly places to eat than Aaheli. 

Besides the mentioned restaurants we would highly recommend you try the traditional vegetarian breakfast in Kolkata. It consists of Radha Ballabhi  (stuffed poori served with gravy), Luchi and Cholar Dal (small pooris served with lentils which are slightly sweet) and kachori. There are many famous as well as local places serving these dishes.