The best restaurants Rajasthan

Timetable

Restaurants are open 7 days a week, usually with continuous service from 8am to 10pm for smaller eateries. More elegant restaurants are open for lunch and dinner, between 12 and 3pm and 6:30pm and 11pm, or even longer.

Budget & Tips

A meal in a dhaba, a small roadside restaurant, won't cost you much more than a hundred rupees. For a more traditional restaurant, you should expect to pay between Rs 300 and Rs 500, depending on your appetite. In the best restaurants, prices can reach (but rarely exceed) Rs. 1,700 per person.

Many restaurants in Rajasthan are vegetarian, and in some cities, such as Pushkar, it's downright impossible to find meat or alcohol.

Many restaurants are not licensed to sell alcohol. As a result, it's rare to be able to accompany a meal with a glass of wine (very expensive and bad) or a beer, except in restaurants for tourists or at the tables of large hotels.

What costs extra

Tipping, while not obligatory, is greatly appreciated. It's usually 10% of your bill. Service is often included in larger restaurants. If this is the case, it will appear on your bill.

The local way

Indian cuisine may be spicy, but it is rarely very hot. Restaurateurs, accustomed to Western tourists, adapt their dosages to our delicate palates. However, if you're not a fan of chilli, be sure to specify " not spicy " or " medium spicy " when ordering.

In local restaurants and gargotes, it is customary to eat with the right hand. Your hosts will appreciate your efforts and feel honored if you comply.

Traditional Indian cuisine consists of two or three preparations served on a large plate and mixed by crushing with the fingers. Indians will tell you that the flavors are all the more exalted.

To be avoided

If you're invited to eat at a local's house, remember to take off your shoes at the entrance, which is as sacred as a temple. You may be asked to sit cross-legged on the floor and eat with your hands. Always use your right hand, as the left is for impure acts.

If you have a weak stomach, avoid ice cubes, ice cream or kulfis. On the other hand, drink only sealed bottled water or water filtered with an RO system.

Kids

Children are welcome everywhere in India, and occupy such a central place that they may seem ill-behaved from our Western point of view. You can take them everywhere with you, except in bars, where they have no place.

Smokers

Officially, smoking is prohibited in public places, including restaurants. Although this rule is becoming increasingly respected, you'll probably be able to enjoy a smoke after your meal, provided the room is well ventilated or you're on the terrace.

Tourist traps

There are no known restaurant scams in India. The only risk of going to air-conditioned restaurants designed for tourists is paying a lot of money for very bad food.