Where to Eat

Kolkata boasts of a number of good places for eating out. Park Street which maybe regarded as the downtown of Kolkata has excellent restaurants in every nook and corner. Bengali traditional food, especially the yummy mouthwatering sweets are popular all over India. Bengal boasts off its cottage cheese based sweets like sandesh, rosogolla and chanar payesh. Other must try delicacies consist of Misti doi (sweetened curd) and Patali gur confectionery (date palm jaggery). When it comes to Calcutta cuisine, it can be said that each district of Bengal has its own unique dish to offer like Langcha and mihidana-sitabhog of Bardhaman, sharbhaja of Krishnanagar, chanabora of Murshidabad etc.

Kolkata will never disappoint food lovers. In Bengal, Chinese cuisine is in demand. North Indian and south Indian food can be found virtually in any restaurant. Traditionally Bengalis are fish and rice eaters. Other cuisines that Bengalis are fond of include Continental, Thai, Tibetan and Anglo-Indian. If you wish to savor the taste of these cuisines, you can visit some eating-houses in and around Chowringhee and Park Street. When it comes to the cooking specialty of Kolkata, Kathi rolls (kebabs wrapped in dough) truly deserve a special mention.

While doing the TESOL course you will find a number of restaurants and cafes near the accommodation and the TEFL School. However for some fine dining experience you may try to following:

Area: South Kolkata

Dhaba – North Indian Cuisine
Ballygunge Phari
Dhaba is another good place for meaty North Indian food. The food here is more on the spicy Punjabi end, with lots of tikkas and tandooris to choose from. The local breads (naans and rotis) are fantastic. Dhaba is also known for its meaty rolls (not the bread encompassed gyps of Bombay, real naan rolls)

Chinese Pavilion- Chinese Cuisine
Gurusaday Road
There are several good Chinese food restaurants all over the city. In fact, Calcutta was the original purveyor of good Chinese food, which began at little shops in the city's Chinatown. Even today, lovers of authentic Chinese food would venture into Chinatown in Tangra a bit outside the city. However, lovers of good food would probably like Chinese pavilion, excellent food, well made, not too expensive.

Kewpie's Kitchen – Bengali Cuisine
Behind Subhash Bhavan, Elgin Road
For authentic Bengali Cuisine try Kewpie's Kitchen in Calcutta. It is listed in the Lonely Planet. It is a local's favorite and off the beaten path. You will need to take a taxi to get there and the desks at the bigger hotels know it. You will not see many tourists there, just families from the neighborhood. Very clean and the food is fantastic.
It takes a little perseverance to get to Kewpie's. The best way to access it is by taking the small bylane next to Subhash Bhavan opposite to Forum mall. The other option is a roundabout around the block and needed only if you are in a car. The decor is minimalistic but then this place is about food. The food is authentic bengali and they have some awesome thali's. The Bhetki patro (fish wrapped in leaf) and Dahi baingan are (abergines in curd gravy) are phenomenal and their dish of prawns in mustard and coconut gravy is a must have. Be warned that the mustard is fresh and may cause a zing in your head. The appeal is enhanced by the terracotta dishes in which all food items are served.

Oh Calcutta! – Bengali and Anglo Indian Cuisine
The Forum, Elgin Road
Possibly the best restaurant in this city, when one takes into consideration the space, decor, ambience, service and above all the food. There is a constant striving after fusion cuisine that retains the character of Calcutta. To die for ... the tomato kashundi, the bekti meuniere with lemon butter and the rice pudding flavoured with custard apples (ata'r paayesh).
Phone 91-33-2482015 / 91-33-2483018

Area: Central Kolkata

Zaraang – North West Frontier Cuisine
Near New Market, on Sudder Street
Zaraang has been rated among the best restaurants of India. With the high society of Kolkata a perpetual fixture in the Indian and French restaurants here, it is a bit of a restaurant and a bit of a 'place to be seen in'. Nevertheless, the food is fantastic; both the French and Indian foods are very well made. The only problem is perhaps that the service too seems a bit on the snobbery trip, if you don't look like a fantastic tipper, you may contend with the occasional cold shoulder.

Shiraz – Mughlai food
Park Street / Park Circus
Shiraz is a must for everyone who comes in to Calcutta. The Mughlai is excellent, great authentic stuff, toned down for those who can't handle the spice and in full beam for lovers of high-calorie stuff. The Biriyani here is very famous. There is also Nizam's nearby which has become a sort of institution in Mughlai food in Calcutta.

Upper Crust- Confectioners
Camac Street
Upper Crust is a chain of bakeries, which have become a sort of tradition in Calcutta. It began with Flury's and Kathleen's the two 'original' bakeries in the city, subsequently followed by many more, including chains of bakeries like Upper Crust. The Camac Street branch is probably the best, the Black Forests and Pineapple pastries are absolutely delightful.

Momo Plaza – Tibetan food
Lee Road
Around Elgin road and Lee road there are several Tibetan food places, specialising in their 'Dim Sums' called Momos. These are extremely popular in Calcutta, though seldom heard of anywhere else in the country. Momo Plaza serves excellent Momos in several varieties, as do the several restaurants around it.

Aheli – Bengali Food
Chowringhee
Aheli is a nice cuisine with great Bengali food with unique ambiance and the touch Bengali hospitality is a bonus. The dishes famous here are "Paturi","Luchi" and more.