Kolkata- the mishti doi of India or otherwise known as the ‘City of Joy’ offers a great assortment of delectable street food. The Street food of Kolkata appeases the taste buds of any connoisseur. Kolkata, acclaimed amongst the sweet-tooth community for its delicious and unique sweets. Not to forget, the Street food of Kolkata also has a tangy and spicy side to it. To bestow upon as a gift, Kolkata also offers a wide variety of Tibetan and Chinese food at a very reasonable expense.

Your trip to Kolkata would be incomplete without relishing its gargantuan assortment of street food. Kolkata, the cultural capital of India, offers street food which is not only delicious but also somehow connects to its heritage and culture.
You can grab a bite from the below-mentioned street foods and you would not regret your decision at all! Be it the tangy Puchka or the Mishti doi, Kolkata has something to offer for everyone!

Puchka – The heartthrob of Kolkata

You can head over to – New Market Area, New Alipore or Vivekananda Park

This city can’t live without Puchka and you can never have enough of it! Also known as Pani-puri or Gol-Gappa in other parts of India, Puchka definitely tops the list of must-try Street Food in Kolkata. Your trip would be incomplete without having a bite of this tangy-sour ball of happiness.
Puchka consists of mashed potatoes, topped with coriander leaves and dashed with an assortment of spices. The addition of lemon and tamarind or menthol water enhances the taste. 
You may ask what is so special about Pani-Puri or Gol-Gappa as it is readily available throughout India. Well, wait till you try the Puchka of Kolkata! It boasts of a very different taste, ready to tingle those taste buds of yours!

Churmur- The first cousin of Puchka

You can head over to – Southern Avenue, Gariahat or Bhawanipore

Churmur belonging to the family of puchka is yet another mouth-watering delicacy you can’t resist. It consists of almost the same ingredients as a Puchka. Churmur is mostly prepared by mixing papris (broken in nature) with mashed potatoes. The other ingredients include finely chopped onions, a seasoning of herbs including coriander leaves. It also has a pulp of tamarind, a zest of lemon and an assortment of spices and salt. 
This delicacy is much easier to consume as compared to its counterpart and can leave your taste buds amazed and fulfilled.

Jhalmuri- The anytime snack

You can head over to- Triangular Park, Jawaharlal Nehru Road or Gariahat Crossing

Well, most of you must have had Jhalmuri before whilst travelling by train. You must be wondering what’s so special about it. You can grab a bite of Jhalmuri from Triangular Park to know otherwise!
Jhalmuri is a quick bite kind of snack. You can prepare Jhalmuri by mixing puffed rice, peanuts, finely diced onions and tomatoes. Jhalmuri also has coriander, spices and a burst of chillies, hence the name. You can find this snack almost in every corner of the city. It is quite common a sight to see people munching on Jhalmuri whilst commuting to work.   

Kathi Rolls- Get those taste buds rolling

You can head over to- Nizam’s in New Market, Park Street or College Street

Kathi Rolls originates from the heart of Bengal. They originally had roasted kebabs wrapped in a bread made out of flaky parathas. Kathi Rolls have evolved with time and you can easily see its different variants. Nowadays, many variants such as chicken, mutton, egg or even paneer have come up. In the Bengali dialect, the term ‘Kati ‘roughly translates to ‘stick’. Though in Bengal it is just called a roll. 
Stuffing a thin flaky crust of paratha with egg, chicken, mutton or even paneer with coriander, onions, chillies, a sprinkle of spices and sauces gives way to a kathi roll.
This Street Food of Kolkata will not only tingle your taste buds but will also give you the satisfaction of a full tummy.

Aloo Kabli – The Bengal way

You can head over to – Surya Sen Street or Dharamtala

Aloo kabli is nothing but a mixture of mashed boiled potatoes with the pulp of tamarind, tomatoes, chillies, finely chopped onions, chickpeas and an assortment of traditional spices.
College students and office-goers all alike love this Street Food of Kolkata. Hence, you can find vendors selling Aloo Kabli in most parts of the city near office buildings and colleges.

Samosa or Shingara

You can head over to- Tiwari Brothers, Burrabazar

Shingara, or as you know it as Samosa, is a triangular snack with potato stuffing. You can enjoy Shingara with a hot piping cup of masala tea. You can enjoy this fried snack sitting by the window with a cup of tea, gazing over yonder at the blissful weather during the monsoon when the entire city undergoes heavy downpours with a gentle yet aromatic breeze blowing by.
Shingara isstuffing mashed potato with spices and herbs into triangular shaped cones made up of Maida. The other variants include stuffings of chicken or even mutton.

Channar Jilipi – The other Jalebi

You can head over to- College Street or Gol Park

When you think of Jalebi, instantly the image of a yellow spiral laced with sweet and thick liquid comes to your mind. But Channar Jilipi is not similar to a normal Jalebi which you must have had uncountable times.
You can find Channar Jilipi to be a soft, juicy jalebi made from cottage cheese. In terms of thickness, Channar Jilipi is thicker than your normal jalebi and its texture somewhat resembles that of a Gulab Jamun.
You can easily find this sweet in any sweet shop in Kolkata.

Lucchi and Aloo Dum – The must-try lunch

You can head over to- Fairlie Place, Gol Park or Ballygunj

Lucchi is nothing but your normal puri, just a tad bit more delicious and soft. Whilst Aloo dum is similar to Dum Aloo. Kolkata almost lives by it for its lunch as it is highly popular among all people alike right from an office-goer to a rickshaw puller. Most of them swear by Lucchi aloo for their lunch. It somewhat carries the essence of Bengal in it.
If you feel like savouring the best of Lucchi Aloo, then head over to Fairlie Place, considered to be the central business district of Kolkata. You can find stalls by the number serving hot Lucchi Aloo to the masses.

Fish Fry- The dish Bengal swears by

You can head over to – Golpark Crossing

Kolkata lives by three words – maach, maach and maach. The Bengali cuisine is incomplete without this high protein diet. When it comes to fish, well, Bengal would stay undefeated in terms of its gigantic cuisine revolving around fish.
The fish fry was first cooked during the British rule time! During this time the Indian chefs were trying to replicate the western cuisine and its taste to please the British officials. The chefs couldn’t appease to the taste buds of the officers, much to their dismay due to the limited amount of resources available. Hence, they ended up creating fish fry.
Fish fry is mostly served with a salad comprising of diced onions, cucumber, squeezed lemon and mustard sauce as its side dish and garnished with spices and herbs if asked for. Bhetki fish is mostly used for fish fry as it is fleshy and has fewer bones.

Telebhaja- A monsoon delight

You can head over to- College Street or Gariahat

When you translate Telebhaja into the Bengali dialect, you get ‘fried in oil’. It is a deep fried, crunchy and crispy monsoon delight prepared by mixing cornflour batter or besan with onion rings, pumpkin, eggplant or potato. Telebhaja is also made with brinjal and called as begun bhaja. The other variants include capsicum, pumpkin flowers, chillies etc.
Telebhaja is also made by mixing raw mangoes or even Bombay duck with besan.
Found in every nook and corner of the city; for the best telebhaja experience, head over to College Street.

Ghugni Chaat – Spicy and tangy matar

You can head over to- New Market, Gariahat and Dacres Lane

This mouth-watering Street food of Kolkata is best served at New Market and Dacres Lane. The seller prepares this spicy and sour chaat by mixing boiled Matar daal with boiled yellow peas. One also adds diced onions, chillies, coriander leaves, spices and pulp of tamarind.
It acts as a great appetizer and does not harm your health. Some people also combine it with telebhaja to get the most out of their taste buds.

Keemar Doi Bora – The cultural Dahi Bada

You can head over to- Burrabazar

Keemar Doi Bora boasts of culture and heritage unmatched for. It belongs to the Thakurbari, or commonly known as the Tagore family. Keemar Doi Bora is nothing but a meat Doi Bora. Other additions include a pinch of red chilli powder, a pinch of cumin, cinnamon, fenugreek and black mustard seeds.
Marinated mutton or chicken keema make up the Bora. This savoury yet sweet dish involves frying this bora and then mixing them in sweet curd. This is further garnished with a great assortment of spices thus giving it a sweet and tangy flavour.

Ghoti Gorom- The easy go snack

You can head over to- Princep Ghat

Ghoti Gorom, also known as Badam Makha is an ideal snack to carry around whilst you engulf in the beauty and heritage of Kolkata or are rushing off to work.
It is best enjoyed when you are walking along the river at Princep Ghat, lit up by the reddish-orange haze of the sun and picturesque lights with the Vidyasagar Setu and the Howrah Bridge lit up in all its serenity.
The preparation process includes mixing of chanachur along with a dash of lemon, chillies, chickpeas, masala, peanuts, finely chopped onions and just the right amount of salt. This tempting Street food of Kolkata is an all-time favourite amongst kids and elders alike.
Ghoti Gorom is Kolkata’s quintessential street food and is in every nook and corner of the city. Do grab a bite of this delicious street food when you visit the City of Joy.

Fish cutlet- The connoisseur’s paradise

You can head over to- Esplanade, New Market and College Street

No matter which part of the city you go to, you would always find a stall by the street selling hot cutlets. Cutlets are nothing but oval and flat patties made of meat, fish, egg or even vegetables which are thereafter covered with breadcrumbs. Furthermore, it is deep fried and served piping hot with pudina chutney or chilli sauce.
The cutlets often use Bhetki or Tilapia fish. Mustard and ginger marinate it. This list comprising of the Street Food of Kolkata would be incomplete without the addition of Fish cutlet to it.
In most households, it is quite common to see fish cutlet cooked during a lousy rainy day and goes well ginger tea.

Every city has its own set of mouth-watering street food to offer. But when it comes to Kolkata, it not only has a great assortment of street food but is extremely cheap as well. You could buy a cutlet or a chop at as less as 5 INR. Every nook and corner of the city has something to offer and the taste varies around every narrow street. Street Food of Kolkata is widely consumed by the likes of all and doesn’t disappoint the taste buds of a connoisseur.

Stay tuned for more exciting and mouth-watering articles! Au revoir!