What to Eat in Gulmarg Today?

What people eat here

Gulmarg is a resort rather than a food town, and most meals happen in hotel dining rooms and a handful of restaurants around the market. The menus lean on the classics of the valley, cooked to warm people who have spent the day outdoors.

The dishes to try

Wazwan is the formal Kashmiri feast, a run of slow-cooked mutton dishes served on a shared platter. In Gulmarg you are more likely to find its highlights on a menu than a full spread. Rogan josh is the one to order first: lamb in a deep red gravy coloured with Kashmiri chilli, rich rather than fiery. Kashmiri dum aloo is the vegetarian favourite, small potatoes fried and simmered in a yoghurt and chilli gravy flavoured with fennel and dried ginger.

Tea, morning and afternoon

Breakfast in Kashmir means noon chai, a pink, salted milk tea, drunk with bread from the local baker, such as the round girda or flaky bakarkhani. Through the day, the drink is kahwa, green tea with saffron, cardamom and almonds. Stalls at the gondola stations and around the meadow sell kahwa and hot snacks, and a cup at Kongdoori after the cold ride is one of Gulmarg's small pleasures.

Eating on the mountain

Food at the top of the gondola is limited to basic snacks and tea, and it can close in bad weather. Eat properly before you go up, and carry water and something sweet. Altitude takes away appetite for some people; drink plenty and eat little and often.

Practical notes

Many places close earlier than in Srinagar, especially in the low season. Hotels often include breakfast and dinner, which is useful in winter when walking around in the evening is cold. Vegetarian food is easy to find, but meat dishes are the local speciality. See where to eat in Gulmarg for specific places.