What to Eat in Ahmedabad Today?

Famous Food to Eat in Ahmedabad

Everything on this list is vegetarian and easy to find across the city.

Dhokla

Soft, spongy cakes of fermented gram-flour batter, steamed and finished with a tempering of mustard seeds and curry leaves. Dhokla is Gujarat's best-known snack, and people eat it at any time of day.

Fafda-Jalebi

The classic Ahmedabad breakfast, especially at weekends: crisp strips of fried gram-flour dough with sweet, syrupy jalebi, fried green chillies and papaya sambharo, a lightly spiced salad of shredded raw papaya. On Dussehra, people queue at snack shops from early morning to buy it.

Gujarati Thali

A large platter of rotli (thin wheat flatbread), dal, kadhi (a yogurt and gram-flour curry), seasonal vegetables, rice, farsan and sweets. The servers keep refilling your plate until you tell them to stop, so come hungry.

Undhiyu

A slow-cooked winter dish of mixed vegetables, such as beans, purple yam and unripe banana, with muthiya (spiced dumplings) and a green masala. Its name comes from the Gujarati word for "upside down", after the old way of cooking it upside down in clay pots buried in the ground, and Gujarati households make it for Uttarayan in January.

Thepla

Soft flatbreads made with wheat flour, spices and fresh fenugreek (methi) leaves. Thepla keeps well for days, which is why Gujarati families pack it for train journeys and trips.

Mohanthal

A rich, fudge-like sweet made from roasted gram flour and ghee, flavoured with cardamom and topped with nuts. It is a festive favourite, and sweet shops sell it by weight.

Snacks and Street Food in Ahmedabad

Snacking is part of daily life here. Farsan shops across the city sell dhokla, fafda and other savoury snacks by weight, and tea stalls serve sweet, milky chai from early morning. In the evening, food stalls line the road beside Law Garden, and late at night Manek Chowk, the old city's main square, usually turns from a daytime market into a busy street-food market.

Food Tips for Travellers in Ahmedabad

• Go early for fafda-jalebi and dhokla, as they are breakfast foods and the best shops can sell out by mid-morning.
• Most restaurants are pure vegetarian, and many can make Jain versions of dishes without onion, garlic or root vegetables.
• Expect a little sweetness in Gujarati dal and kadhi; it is part of the local style.
• Eat undhiyu in winter, when the vegetables for it are in season.
• In a thali restaurant, cover your plate with your hand when you have had enough, or the servers will keep refilling it.
• Drink plenty of water and choose freshly cooked food, especially in the summer heat.
• Gujarat is a dry state, so do not expect alcohol with your meal.

For restaurants that do these dishes well, see where to eat in Ahmedabad.