CHANDNI CHOWK FOOD TOUR · LICENSED LOCAL GUIDE
Chandni Chowk Food Tour in Old Delhi.
I’m Ashish, a government-approved, licensed tour guide. I live in Delhi. On this food walk we go through the lanes of Old Delhi on foot and you eat more than 15 things along the way, gol gappe at one end of the afternoon and hot jalebi at the other.
Ten guests at most, so nobody gets rushed. I don’t take you anywhere I wouldn’t eat myself, and the stalls we use are the ones Delhi people queue at, not the ones with an English menu board outside. You get the story behind each dish, and a local who knows which lane does the best paratha.
Daily at 2 PM and 6 PM · 3 to 4 hours · From ₹3,800 per adult (approx. US$42)
YOUR FOOD WALK ROUTE
Your Chandni Chowk Food Tour Itinerary
Six stops. More than 15 tastings. One cycle-rickshaw ride at the end. Which stall we stop at depends on the season and on what’s freshest that day, but the route usually goes like this.
01 · Meet at Lal Quila Metro
Gate 1 of Lal Quila Metro Station, Violet Line. The Red Fort is a few minutes’ walk away. We don’t eat for the first ten minutes. I use them to explain Shahjahanabad, the walled city Shah Jahan laid out here in the 1600s, because once you know where the walls and the gates were, the lanes stop looking random.
02 · First Bites on Chandni Chowk
The first stop is on the main street, and it’s usually the busiest one of the afternoon. The stalls here are run by families, and in a few of them the recipe has come down through several generations. We eat small portions. There are five more stops to go.
03 · Gurudwara Sis Ganj Sahib
A twenty-minute stop, and the only one where nobody eats. Built for Guru Tegh Bahadur, the ninth Sikh Guru, who was executed on this spot in 1675, which is why it sits on a noisy main road and not somewhere quieter. Its kitchen feeds thousands of people a day, free, and the volunteers will let you watch. Shoes off, heads covered. I bring the scarves.
04 · Paranthe Wali Gali and the Back Lanes
The lane is “paratha lane”, and the shops in it have been frying since the 1870s. Expect a queue at 6 PM. We also pick up chaat and a couple of savoury things that don’t have an English name, and I’ll tell you what’s in them before you bite.
05 · Khari Baoli Spice Market
The wholesale spice market, trading since the 1600s and usually called the biggest in Asia. If you want spices to take home, this is the place, not the airport. I’ll tell you what goes into what, and roughly what a fair price is. Bring a bag.
06 · Sweets, Lassi and a Rickshaw Ride
Sweets and a cold lassi to finish, around 5.30 PM on the afternoon walk and 9.30 on the evening one. A cycle rickshaw then carries you back along Chandni Chowk to the metro, slowly and with a lot of bell-ringing. From that seat you see the whole street at once.
Small groups of up to 10 guests · Vegetarian-friendly · Private walks on request
15+ STREET FOOD TASTINGS
What You’ll Taste on the Chandni Chowk Food Tour
What’s on the plate depends on the month. Daulat ki chaat exists only from about November to February, for example, so the list moves a little with the season, but most walks cover the four below.
Chaat and Gol Gappe
Gol gappe don’t travel, so we eat them at the stall, one at a time, as fast as the man can fill them. He cracks the crisp shell, adds potato and chickpeas, dunks it in spiced tamarind water, and you’ve got about two seconds before it leaks. Six each is normal. Then aloo chaat, papdi chaat, and dahi bhalla in cold yoghurt, which is the one to order if the chilli is getting to you.
Parathas and Kachori
Parathas first, stuffed and fried in ghee in Paranthe Wali Gali, with pickles and sweet pumpkin on the side. Then kachori, a fried pastry, with a spicy potato curry. Chole bhature if there’s room, and there usually isn’t.
Jalebi, Kulfi and More
Jalebi, lifted out of the ghee while you wait, and kulfi. From November to February there’s daulat ki chaat as well, a milk foam that only exists in cold weather.
Lassi and Masala Chai
Lassi, thick and cold, or masala chai in a small glass if you’d rather. This is the one stop where everybody sits down, and the bazaar carries on past at full speed while you drink.
Most of what we eat is vegetarian. Allergies, or things you don’t eat: tell me when you book.
WHAT IT COSTS AND WHAT YOU GET
Chandni Chowk Food Tour Timings and Price
The ticket covers every tasting on the route. You don’t pay anything at the stalls.
Tour Details
- Departures: daily at 2 PM and 6 PM
- Duration: 3 to 4 hours (arrive 15 minutes early)
- Adults: ₹3,800 (approx. US$42)
- Children aged 2–11: ₹2,500 (approx. US$28)
- Group size: up to 10 guests
- Meeting point: Gate 1, Lal Quila Metro Station
- Cancellation: free up to 24 hours before
What’s Included
- 15+ street food tastings
- Your licensed, government-approved guide
- Bottled drinking water
- Cycle-rickshaw ride
- Scarves for the gurudwara visit
Not Included
- Hotel pick-up and drop-off
- Personal shopping
- Alcoholic drinks
- Tips (always optional)
BOOKING YOUR FOOD WALK
How to Book Your Chandni Chowk Food Tour
1
Message Me on WhatsApp
Send me a WhatsApp message with the date, the time you’d prefer (2 PM or 6 PM), and the number of adults and children. If there’s anything you don’t eat, put that in the same message.
2
Get Your Confirmation
I reply with whether the slot is free and the total price. What I quote is what you pay. Nothing gets added on the day.
3
Meet Me at Lal Quila Metro
Come to Gate 1 of Lal Quila Metro Station 15 minutes before the start time. I’ll be standing at the gate.
4
Eat Your Way Through Old Delhi
Three to four hours of walking, eating and talking. At the end I point you to the metro, or help you get a cab.
MEETING POINT
Where the Chandni Chowk Food Tour Starts
By metro, taxi or auto rickshaw, it’s an easy place to find.
We meet outside Gate 1 of Lal Quila Metro Station, on the Violet Line, Netaji Subhash Marg, Old Delhi 110006. The walk finishes in Chandni Chowk, a short way from the metro, so getting back to your hotel isn’t a problem.
Coming by taxi or auto rickshaw? Ask for “Lal Quila Metro Gate 1”. Most drivers know it.
Want a full day in Delhi too? I do private half-day and full-day tours as well. The details are on my private tour guide in Delhi page.
WHY TRAVELLERS BOOK WITH ME
Why Book Your Food Walk With Me
A relaxed, personal way to eat through Old Delhi, with a guide who lives here and eats here.
A Licensed Local Guide
Ask and I’ll show you the licence. It’s government-approved. The more useful part is that I live here, these lanes are my neighbourhood, and the families behind the stalls are people I know, which is how you get the story behind each dish and not just the dish.
Small Group, Big Flavours
Never more than 10 guests, so everyone gets a taste, a question answered and a photo. Want a private walk? Ask.
Food You Can Trust
We eat at busy stalls, the ones that cook fresh and serve hot. Bottled water is in the price. I ask about allergies before the first bite.
Your Spice, Your Pace
Mild or fiery, slow or quick, the walk bends around you. Chutneys come on the side, and I can ask the cooks to go easy on the chilli.
Free cancellation up to 24 hours before · Runs rain or shine
FOOD TOUR FAQ
Food Tour Questions, Answered
Price, timings, food safety and what to wear, in a few lines each. Anything I’ve missed, send it over on WhatsApp.
Money, Timings and Booking
₹3,800 is the adult price. At the moment that works out near US$42. A child aged 2 to 11 is ₹2,500, near US$28. Take a family of two adults and one child as an example. That’s ₹10,100 for the evening, about US$112, and it covers everything on the route: the 15-plus tastings, bottled water, the cycle-rickshaw ride and the guide. Nothing more changes hands at the stalls. The only extras are things you choose to buy yourself, a bag of spices in Khari Baoli, say.
Start at 2 PM and you finish around 5.30 or 6. The 6 PM walk ends around 9.30. Both run every day of the year, and both take three to four hours depending on how long we linger. Be at the gate 15 minutes before the start, because once we’re late at the first stall we’re late at all six.
Yes. If you’d rather it was only your family or friends, message me on WhatsApp and I’ll quote you for a private walk, at whatever time suits you.
Cancel up to 24 hours before the start and you pay nothing. After that, or if you don’t turn up, I can’t refund.
Food, Stomachs and What to Wear
Yes, if you eat where the locals eat and avoid the tap water, which is exactly what we do. The stalls I use turn over so fast that nothing sits around and the oil is always hot. Bottled water is included in the price. If your stomach is delicate, say so at the start and I’ll point you to the gentler dishes and away from the raw chutneys.
Yes. Most of what we eat is vegetarian anyway. If you’re vegan or Jain, or you need gluten-free or nut-free food, say so when you book and I’ll plan the stops with that in mind.
As spicy as you want. I ask at the start how much heat you like, then I ask the cooks to keep your plate mild. The chutneys come on the side.
Yes. A child from 2 to 11 pays ₹2,500. We walk slowly and stop often, so small legs cope fine, and there’s a rickshaw ride at the end to look forward to.
Comfortable closed shoes. Clothes that cover your shoulders and knees, because we go into a gurudwara. A little cash, in case you want extra snacks or something from the market.
Yes, every day, rain or shine. A lot of Chandni Chowk shops are shut on Sundays, so I change the route a little that day. In extreme weather I offer another date or a full refund.
Ready to Taste Old Delhi?
Send me your date and the time you’d prefer, and I’ll hold your place on the next walk. Winter is Delhi’s busy season, so write early.
From ₹3,800
Approx. US$42 per adult · ₹2,500 per child (2–11) · Daily at 2 PM and 6 PM
I lead every walk myself and the groups are small, which is why each slot has only a few places.
No obligation. Tell me your plans and I’ll reply as soon as I can.