What to Eat in Chopta Today?

What cooks here

Chopta's kitchens are dhabas and camp kitchens, not restaurants. Menus are short, and most food is vegetarian. Alongside the usual dal, rice, roti and sabzi, many places cook a few dishes from Garhwal, the hill region around you. Ask what the kitchen made that day; the Garhwali dish is often not on the board.

Garhwali dishes to try

Kafuli is a thick curry of spinach and fenugreek greens, thickened with a little rice or gram flour. It is the region's best-known dish and goes well with rice or roti. Phaanu is a slow-cooked stew of mixed lentils that have been soaked and ground, earthy and filling after a long walk. Aloo ke gutke are boiled potatoes fried in mustard oil with chilli, cumin and jakhya, a tiny local seed with a nutty crunch. It is sold as a snack and as a side dish.

On the trail

The stalls along the Tungnath path serve hot Maggi and chai, and at 5 am on a cold morning they are the best meal in Garhwal. Stalls open with the temple season and many close in winter, so carry snacks and water if you walk in the snow.

Something sweet

Jhangora ki kheer is a milk pudding made with barnyard millet, a grain grown in the hill villages. It is lighter than rice kheer. Camp kitchens at Sari and Deoria Tal sometimes make it; ask in advance.

Practical notes

Chopta has no shops worth stocking up at. Bring dry fruit, biscuits and any special food from Rishikesh, Rudraprayag or Ukhimath. Eat a real breakfast before the climb, even at dawn. Kitchens close early, often by 8 or 9 pm. Carry your wrappers back down: the whole area is a wildlife sanctuary. See where to eat in Chopta for the listed dhabas.