A few days ago, Flavors of Jaipur- a group of foodies conducted a food walk in Jaipur on a Sunday afternoon in the walled city area. Most food walks in Jaipur take place in the old walled city part. The starting point of the food walk was the famous Jantar Mantar, a UNESCO World Heritage site near Jaipur City Palace. The food walking tour took us through the Tripolia Bazaar and Johri Bazaar. In all, there were 15 participants. The food walking tours in Jaipur are becoming immensely popular. Food and drinks are a big draw for a large number of people which explains its popularity.

Food Walking Tour in Jaipur Experience

There are many operators offering food walking tours in Jaipur. However, most of these are very touristy and cliche. The guides are usually not well versed with food and simply operate like a bus driver- taking people from one place to another. I did not want to undertake such an experience and I will recommend travelers avoid such food tours in Jaipur. The best food walking tours are the ones led by people passionate about food and who understand the city and its culture. One must choose the food tours carefully as it might turn out to be not so wow experience and a complete waste of time and money.

Pandit Kulfi

The meeting point was near the ticket window of Jantar Mantar. After waiting for the participants to join, everyone walked towards the first pit stop- Pandit Kulfi in Sirehdyodi Bazaar. Kulfi is traditional Indian ice cream or rather a frozen dessert made from milk. There are two famous Kulfi shops in Jaipur and Pandit Kulfi is certainly one of them.

The owners of this shop claim that they are in business for the last 60-70 years. Looking at the history of Jaipur which is 300 years old, this seems like an insignificant number. But being able to carve out a niche and keep it rolling for years is a big feat.

If you are patient enough, you can witness a part of the Kulfi-making process. The staff refills the empty metal container with milk which has already undergone some processes. It is then parked in a container with ice so it gets frozen.

Hawa Mahal

With everyone done with Kulfi, the walk leaders led the tour to Hawa Mahal where everyone was asked to introduce themselves. A few interesting introductions later, the session at Hawa Mahal concluded with a group photo and we headed towards Tripolia Bazaar.

Tripolia Bazaar is a famous bazaar having shops selling metal utensils and hardware items. The most distinguishing feature of this bazaar is the Tripolia Gate.

Jagan Nath Pakodi Wala

The Jagan Nath Pakodi Wala in Tripolia Bazaar is the most famous Pakodi shop in Jaipur. In winter, the  Pakodi is a hot seller. Pakodi is a fried snack made out of gram flour and has a filling consisting of onion/potato/spinach/green chilies. The Pakodi is consumed throughout the year but they are immensely popular during monsoons and winters. It is a preferred choice among tea lovers, especially during the monsoon. Check out Chai Places in Jaipur

Apart from the Pakodi, Jagan Nath Pakodi Wala also sells Kachoris and Michi Bada. Kachori is a popular snack in Jaipur and there are many variants of the same. Dal Kachori, Pyaaz Kachori, and Mawa Kachori are the most popular ones in Jaipur.

Ramchandra Kulfi Bhandar

A couple of people who were not very keen on eating any of the above decided to walk across the road to another iconic shop in Tripolia Bazaar-Ramchandra Kulfi Bhandar. Over the years, Ramchandra Kulfi Bhandar is also well-known for shakes and Rabdi apart from the Kulfi. The Kulfi is served in cut pieces, unlike Pandit Kulfi which serves like a popsicle.

From Triploia Bazaar, the food walk leader led us to Johari Bazaar.

Sandwich Shop in Johari Bazaar

The sandwich shop is in one of the lanes in Johari Bazaar and is popular among its locality, especially the gemstone & jewelry offices. In my opinion, the sandwiches were not exceptional enough to be a part of this food walk.

Bhelpuri in Johari Bazaar

The next stop on the food walking tour was a Bhelpuri shop not far from the sandwich shop we had just visited.

Bhelpuri too was quite average and nothing special to write about.

Jaipur food walk was by invitation and restricted to the members of the closed group. It wasn’t a well-structured walk, unlike other conducted food tours in Jaipur. While the food walking tour in Jaipur took us through some of the popular eating joints & shops of the walled city, only a few were popular. It was a mixed experience. Efforts of the organizer are appreciable, but a little more thought and structure could have improved the overall food walk experience! I had to leave the food walk-in midway due to other engagements; I only visited a few places.

Check out the heritage walking tour in Jaipur to explore the Jaipur walled city.

You might find the post on Street Food in Jaipur interesting.

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