Patel Restaurant

Patel Restaurant is a casual Gujarati restaurant on Raiya Road in the Vaishali Nagar area of Rajkot (postcode 360007), Gujarat, India. It serves home-style regional vegetarian food and is aimed at local families and office workers looking for an affordable, filling meal. Raiya Road is a busy commercial and residential corridor in western Rajkot, so the restaurant is more convenient to residents and visitors staying in that part of the city than to those based near the old town.

The core of the menu is the Gujarati thali, a set meal that brings a rotation of vegetable dishes, dal or kadhi, rotli, rice, farsan, pickle and a sweet. Ringan no olo, a smoky mashed roasted aubergine dish cooked with onion, garlic and green chilli, is a traditional Saurashtra favourite and one of the dishes the restaurant is known for. Rotla, the thick flatbread typically made from millet or sorghum, is served with ghee and is a good choice for visitors who want something distinctly Gujarati rather than the pan-Indian restaurant menu.

The dining room is simple and functional. The atmosphere is relaxed and family-oriented, with a moderate noise level and no formal dress code. Gujarat is a dry state, so the beverage list is limited to buttermilk, lassi, tea and soft drinks, and there is no wine programme.

Prices are modest, about INR 300-500 for two (USD 3-5). Patel Restaurant works on a walk-in basis and does not generally take advance reservations; weekend evenings are busy, so an earlier arrival reduces waiting time. Lunch and dinner are the main services. It suits visitors who want an unpretentious introduction to Gujarati home cooking away from hotel restaurants.