15 Best Street Food in Lucknow – Must Try

The streets of Lucknow are a foodie’s paradise, every 100 meters there is a different stall, a different aroma, and a secret recipe that will blow your mind. People from all over the world travel to Lucknow to taste local delicacies which have been perfected over generations and it has always been a popular choice amongst tourists, especially for its food. From juicy Kebabs to drool-worthy Biryani to creamy Malai Makhan, there are endless options for you to try here.

Besides boasting a golden past and rich cultural heritage, this vibrant city is known for its wide range of flavoursome street foods and other culinary delights that attract foodies from across the country. Yes, Lucknow does have some really good cafes and restaurants, but street food in Lucknow is an emotion!

We’re here to make you feel that emotion so you do not miss out on the best of Lucknow. Scroll through the article to know what are the best street food items and which places you should go to, to have these amazing bites and get an experience of life. Here’s your guide to some of the best street food in Lucknow to taste the best Nawabi culinary feasts.

List of 15 Best Street Food in Lucknow

1. Kebab

In Lucknow, kebabs have been around for ages and are undoubtedly the best street food there is. If you visit Lucknow, you must eat kebabs. Kebabs are a favorite cuisine among all Lucknowis and are considered a delicacy in the city. This popular snack can be prepared in different ways with a range of vegetables, meat, spices and other ingredients to suit different palates.

This melt-in-your-mouth street cuisine is so beloved by both locals and visitors that most Lucknow cafes and street food booths offering it are consistently packed. These kebabs have crispy outer layers and soft inner fillings and are cooked until they disappear into your mouth. Some of the most popular options are vegetarian shami kebabs, galawati kebabs, and tunday kebabs. 

Best Places to Try:

• Tunday Kababi, Khayali Ganj
• The Awadh’s Dastarkhwan, Gomti Nagar
• Street food stalls along the Chowk area

2. Biryani

The well-known Lucknow street food stands are well-known for providing some of the best biryanis at reasonable prices. Biryani is a must-try in this city, known for its Nawabi culture and cuisine. Biryani is another popular dish on our list of the most incredible food in Lucknow. Slow-cooked rice with spices, veggies, and bits of meat is famous for its scent and flavours, and the first mouthful will blow your mind.

There are many alternatives, including vegetarian treats like veg handi dum biryani, paneer biryani, and veg kofta biryani as well as non-vegetarian selections like butter chicken biryani, seekh kebab biryani, sufiyani chicken biryani, and Hyderabadi chicken biryani. Biryani from Lucknow may be spicy. So, keep in mind to order a dish with medium or less spice if your tongue is sensitive to spicy foods.

Best Places to Try:

• Idrees Biryani, Raja Bazar
• Wahid Biryani joints in the city

3. Chicken Shawarma

The lip-smacking chicken shawarma served at Lucknow’s restaurants is unique in some way. It is made by marinating thin chicken slices in yogurt, lemon juice, ginger-garlic paste, and other ingredients. The marinated pieces are then roasted over low heat until tender and fully cooked. The chicken is then placed on pita bread with salad and other sauces. The bread is softly folded and accompanied by some delectable tahini sauce. Chicken shawarma is a specialty of Lucknow that every non-vegetarian food enthusiast must experience.

Best Places to Try:

• The Manish Eating Point, Gomti Nagar
• Al-Baike, Aliganj

4. Malai Makhan

A creamy, fluffy, and flavorful dessert delicacy called Malai Makhan, often referred to as Nimish, is exclusively available in Lucknow during the winter. This dish is best characterized as cream butter since it is created with unsalted butter hung in buckets overnight and then whipped to achieve that creamy airy feel.

A generous amount of khoya and chopped almonds are then sprinkled on top. It does sound delicious, doesn’t it? This wonderful, melt-in-your-mouth sweet dessert is undoubtedly a culinary joy. Malai Makhan is a dish you really must have at least once if you’re going to Lucknow in the wintertime. Winter in Lucknow isn’t complete without Malai Makhan, which is unquestionably the most incredible dish in the city.

Best Places to Try:

• Bajpai Kachori Bhandar, Hazratganj
• Moti Mahal Restaurant, Lalbagh
• Near Gol Darwaza in Chowk

5. Imrati Rabri

Imarti Rabri is one of the must-try Lucknow dishes, especially when you got a sweet craving. It is a wonderful blend of crunchy imartis with creamy and delicious rabri. This classic sweet delicacy, which is a significant component of Nawabi cuisine, is freely accessible at sweet stores all around the city.

The circular imartis are created with a mixture of split black lentils (urad dal), cornflour, and threads of saffron, then deep-fried in ghee and soaked in a syrup of sugar with cardamom powder. When the imartis are finished, they are topped with powdered or chopped almonds & rose petals & served hot with cooled rabri on top.

Best Places to Try:

• Moti Mahal Restaurant, Lalbagh
• Ram Asrey Sweets, Hazratganj
• Neelkanth Sweets outlets in the city

6. Veg Kebab Paratha

Have you ever heard of anything like this? Vegetable kebab parathas are among the most popular street snacks not just in Lucknow but across the whole state of Uttar Pradesh. This well-liked vegetarian breakfast is made by stuffing fluffy Rumali rotis with a few flavorful kebabs that are crispy and flavorful. The ideal way to enjoy a Veg Kebab Paratha is with a nice cup of tea or coffee.

Although widely consumed for breakfast in the city, it also works well as an evening snack. Soft rumali roti loaded with crispy kebabs bursting with flavour will stay with you for a long time. Kebab Paratha and Veg Kebab Roll plates are two varieties you may try here.

Best Places to Try:

• Deva Food Mart, Chandralok
• Tunday Kababi, Khayali Ganj

7. Basket Chaat

This dish is a favorite in Lucknow and is also referred to as Tokri chaat. Every Indian state manages to give it its unique spin. Some states enjoy it hot, while others want it tangy. Some people prefer it with curd, while others wish it mashed. Basket chaat is among Lucknow’s most popular chaats.

This mouthwatering chaat dish is made by stuffing a delectable crispy Tokri with mashed potatoes, bhalle, cooked green gram dal, various chutneys, and curd. Finally, it is topped with pomegranate seeds, sev, and masalas before being served right away. Therefore, if you find yourself craving a mouthwatering chaat item while on a city tour, you should order a basket chaat.

Best Places to Try:

• Royal Café, Hazratganj
• Shukla Chaat House, Hazratganj
• Fast food joints in Gomti Nagar

8. Sheermal

The fluffy, sweet, and aromatic Sheermal is a unique type of soft bread or naan found in the well-known cuisine of Lucknow. According to legend, Sheermal, a dish that is a staple of Mughlai cuisine, was created in Persia and traveled down the Silk Road to Afghanistan, Pakistan, and India.

The Awadhi and Mughlai cuisines of Lucknow are still quite popular today, and spicy meals like biryani, kebabs, and kormas go well with this sweet naan. In case you are tired of having the regular naans and rotis in the city, this sweet tandoori naan prepared with cardamom flavoured milk and saffron is a perfect alternative. 

Best Places to Try:

• Salman Sheermal Wale, Chowk
• Raheem’s, Chowk

9. Kulcha Nihari

Non-vegetarians must try this wonderfully delicious and lip-smacking combination before leaving Lucknow. Nihari is a rich yet pleasantly flavored mutton gravy, while kulchas is a dense leavened bread.

This flavourful curry is then served with warm and fluffy kulchas, fried onions and lemon slices. The dish is so popular that it is easily available in many of Lucknow’s famous food Hence, remember to try some whenever you get a chance. 

Best Places to Try:

• Raheem’s Kulcha-Nahari, Chowk
• Mubeen’s, Chowk

10. Shahi Tukda

Since the Mughal era, this delicious royal dessert has been a favorite. According to legend, it was a favorite of the Lucknow rulers, thus the name Shahi Tukda. This straightforward yet delicious bread pudding is a must-try for everyone and is made with fresh milk, sugar, bread, desi ghee, saffron, cardamom, and rose water.

To make this dessert, fried bread slices are dipped in sugar syrup and then topped with flavourful thickened milk and garnished with sliced pistachios and almonds. Savour it after meals or at any time of the day, it is truly amazing! 

Best Places to Try:

• The Awadh’s Dastarkhwan, Gomti Nagar
• Tunday Kababi, Khayali Ganj
• Street food and sweet shops in Aminabad

11. Chole Bhature

This classic Punjabi dish is also popular in Lucknow. Chole is made with chickpeas, garlic, onion, tomatoes, and a variety of Indian spices, whereas bhatures are made from all-purpose semolina, flour, and plain yoghurt. This fantastic combo is served at many street food establishments across the city with chopped onions, lemon slices, and pickles.

Although you may have had this delectable delicacy in other Indian cities, none compares in terms of taste and flavor to Lucknowi-style chole bhature. Chole may be somewhat spicy, so have a lassi drink if available.

Best Places to Try:

• Sardar ke chhole Bhature, Lalbagh
• Shri Lassi and Sons, Chowk

12. Kulfi Faluda

Another best street food in Lucknow is Kulfi Faluda, perfect to beat the heat waves of summer. This treat is perfect to satiate your sweet tooth. It is quite famous amongst tourists and the locals and you can easily find it in every corner of the street. Kulfi is made with milk, with added nuts and flavors to it, which is then topped with faluda and other syrups to enhance the taste. Prakash ki Kulfi in Aminabad is the best place to try it.

Best Place to try: 

• Prakash ki Kulfi

13. Handi Chicken

Prepared with a rich spicy gravy and cooked to perfection, handi chicken is one of the most loved non-vegetarian delicacies in the city. The dish is slowly cooked in a special earthen pot to allow the spices to seep into the chicken more effectively for that authentic taste and aroma.

Handi chicken gravy is prepared with garlic, onions, tomatoes, curd, cardamom, cinnamon and a range of Indian spices, in which marinated chicken pieces are cooked to perfection and garnished with chopped coriander leaves. You can enjoy this delicacy with naan, laccha paratha, sheermal, or steamed rice for a satisfying and wholesome meal.

Best Places to Try:

• Kalika Hut Restaurant, Gomti Nagar
• Champaran Meat House, Gomti Nagar

 14. Kachori

An amazing breakfast option and popular street food in Lucknow. Khasta Kachoris are definitely one of the most popular and affordable options on the streets of Lucknow. It is popular as a breakfast option amongst the locals and even tourists. The crispy Kachori served with deep-fried aloo sabzi and white chickpea sabzi is enough to fill your stomach and your heart. 

Best Places to Try:

• Bajpayee Kachori Bhandar, Hazratganj
• Rattilal’s, Aminabad

15. Malai Paan (Sweet)

Nearly every Lucknow specialty has a backstory, including Malai Paan and Bilai ki Gilori. According to local legend, this sweet food originated due to a paan ban imposed by the nawabs of Lucknow. The royal kitchen cooks created Malai Paan, which resembles paan but is made with malai and milk.

Preparing a sweet dish is a complex process. After being filled with dried fruits and mishri, the malai should be cut into thin paper sheets and wrapped into the shape of a paan (crystal sugar). And no one makes it better than Hazratganj’s well-known Ram Asrey sweet store. They have been in the business since 1805 and therefore are Lucknow’s most famous mithai walas.

Best Places to Try:

• Ram Asrey Sweet Shop, Hazratganj

Conclusion

If you enjoy trying new cuisines, plan a trip to Lucknow soon to sample some of the greatest Awadhi and Mughlai specialties described above. Most of Lucknow’s street snacks and other dishes are bursting with flavour and feast for the taste senses. So be ready for an incredible adventure.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q1. What is the famous food of Lucknow?

Lucknow is full of amazing options when it comes to food. Tundey Kebab, Irdis ki Biryani, Chicken Masala, Malai Makhan, Khasta Kachori are some of the famous food of Lucknow.

Q2. What is the famous sweet of Lucknow?

Makhan Malai is the speciality of Lucknow, made with foamed malai which is then topped with dry fruits, saffron and sugar.

Q3. What are healthy street food options?

Dahi Bada, Dhokla, Dosa, Idli, Kebab, corn, sweet potato chaat are some of the healthy street food options.