Uttar Pradesh, India's most populous state, is the heartland of the Ganges plain and home to the Taj Mahal in Agra, the ghats of Varanasi, the Buddhist site of Sarnath and the Nawabi culture of Lucknow. Its cities hold some of the oldest continuously inhabited places in the world, Mughal-era monuments, major Hindu pilgrimage towns such as Ayodhya and Mathura, and a distinctive food tradition of kebabs, chaat and sweets.
Uttar Pradesh cuisine spans several distinct traditions. Lucknow's Awadhi cooking is built on slow dum cooking, with galouti kebab, nihari and biryani. Varanasi is known for vegetarian chaat, kachori-sabzi and thandai. Agra is the home of petha and bedai, Mathura of the dark khoya peda, and Prayagraj of kachori and pure-ghee sweets. Pilgrimage cities such as Ayodhya and Mathura are largely vegetarian.
Must-try dishes
Iconic dishes that define Uttar Pradesh.
Galouti Kebab
Finely minced, spiced mutton patty that is said to dissolve in the mouth, eaten with ulte tawe ka paratha
Where to try: Tunday Kababi, Chowk, Lucknow
Price: INR 160 (~$1.66)
Awadhi Biryani
Fragrant dum-cooked rice and meat, milder and more aromatic than other Indian biryani styles
Where to try: Idrees Biryani, Raja Bazar, Lucknow
Price: INR 200 (~$2.07) - INR 260 (~$2.69)
Basket Chaat
Crisp fried potato basket filled with chutneys, curd and sev
Where to try: Hazratganj, Lucknow
Price: INR 150 (~$1.55)
Tamatar Chaat
Spiced mash of tomato and potato topped with onion, chilli and coriander
Where to try: Kashi Chat Bhandar, Godowlia, Varanasi
Price: INR 80 (~$0.83)
Agra Petha
Translucent ash-gourd sweet in plain, angoori, kesar and dry-fruit varieties
Where to try: Panchhi Petha, Agra
Price: INR 300 (~$3.11) per kg
Bedai with Aloo Sabzi
Spiced lentil-stuffed puri served with a tangy potato curry, the classic Agra breakfast
Where to try: Deviram Sweets, Pratap Pura, Agra
Price: INR 60 (~$0.62)
Mathura Peda
Dark, caramelised khoya sweet that is the signature of the Braj region
Where to try: Brijwasi Mithai Wala, Holi Gate, Mathura
Price: INR 500 (~$5.18) per kg
Kachori with Aloo Sabzi
Spiced fried pastry served with potato curry, a staple breakfast in Prayagraj and Varanasi
Where to try: Netram Mulchand and Sons, Prayagraj; Kachori Gali, Varanasi
Price: INR 50 (~$0.52) - INR 60 (~$0.62)
Top restaurants
Handpicked picks for the best dining experiences.
Restaurants by cuisine
Browse picks grouped by cuisine type.
Indian
Agra Sweets
Banarasi Beverages
Banarasi Sweets And Snacks
Braj Sweets
Italian
Prayagraj Breakfast
Prayagraj Sweets
Food tours & tastings in Uttar Pradesh
Eat your way through Uttar Pradesh with a guide.
Browse food experiences in Uttar PradeshWe may earn a commission from bookings made through these links.
Street food
Local flavours at affordable prices.
Tunde ke Kebab
Galouti kebabs griddled on a flat tawa and served with layered paratha
Find it at: Chowk, Lucknow
Tamatar Chaat
Varanasi's signature tomato-potato chaat
Find it at: Godowlia and Dashashwamedh Ghat area, Varanasi
Malaiyo
Winter-only frothy milk foam sweet, typically available from November to February
Find it at: Old city lanes, Varanasi
Kulfi Falooda
Dense kulfi served with vermicelli and rose syrup
Find it at: Aminabad, Lucknow
Kachori Sabzi
Morning pastry-and-curry breakfast
Find it at: Katra, Prayagraj; Kachori Gali, Varanasi
Bedai Jalebi
Morning pairing of stuffed puri and hot jalebi
Find it at: Agra
Food markets
Where locals shop and graze.
Chowk Bazaar
Old Lucknow market lanes holding kebab, nihari and sweet shops
Hours: Morning to late evening daily (confirm locally)
Sadar Bazaar, Agra
Busy market with chaat, kebab and sweet vendors
Hours: Morning to late night daily (confirm locally)
Kachori Gali and Godowlia, Varanasi
Old-city lanes of chaat, kachori and lassi shops near Dashashwamedh Ghat
Hours: Early morning to late evening daily (confirm locally)
Dining etiquette & tips
Navigate the local food scene confidently.
Chowk in Lucknow and the old lanes of Varanasi are best visited on foot or by cycle-rickshaw; many shops have no English signage
Many famous shops are cash-oriented, though UPI is widely accepted
Street food is safest from busy, high-turnover stalls; sealed bottled water is recommended
Ayodhya, Mathura and the temple areas of Varanasi are mostly vegetarian, and alcohol and non-vegetarian food are restricted near some holy sites
Malaiyo in Varanasi is a winter-only treat, available roughly November to February
Opening hours vary; verify current hours and addresses before visiting, as some shops have relocated
- Vegetarian
- Excellent: chaat, kachori, thali, sweets and pilgrim-town menus are mostly vegetarian
- Halal
- Widely available in Muslim-majority old-city areas of Lucknow (Chowk, Aminabad) and Agra
- Vegan
- Limited, since most sweets and gravies use ghee, milk or paneer; dishes cooked without dairy can be requested
- Gluten free
- Rice dishes, dal and many kebabs are gluten-free, but breads and chaat shells usually contain wheat
Food budget guide
What to expect at different price points.
| Level | Price | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Budget | INR 100 (~$1.04) - INR 250 (~$2.59) per meal | Street food, chaat stalls and local dhaba meals |
| Mid-range | INR 400 (~$4.15) - INR 800 (~$8.29) per meal | Sit-down restaurants such as those on Fatehabad Road, Agra |
| Upscale | INR 2000 (~$21)+ per meal | Hotel restaurants in Lucknow and Agra |