What to eat North India? culinary specialties and gastronomy

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.

A meal in a dhaba, a small restaurant, won't cost you much more than a hundred rupees. For a more traditional restaurant, you should expect to pay between Rs 250 and Rs 500, depending on your appetite. In the best restaurants, prices can reach (but rarely exceed) Rs. 1,500 per person. Many restaurants in India are vegetarian, and in some sacred cities such as Rishikesh or 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, with the exception of restaurants for tourists or at the tables of large hotels.

Smaller restaurants generally do not accept payment by credit card, but some now accept payment via an app (GooglePay or similar). Mid-range and high-end restaurants almost all accept payment by credit card.

In big-city restaurants, be sure to check the price list, which will indicate whether government taxes (10%) and service (between 5 and 10%) are included in the price. The bill can sometimes climb very quickly!

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.

To avoid illness, avoid raw vegetables, which are often washed in dubious water, and unpeeled fruit.

Also avoid fruit juices cut with water (ask for them without ice or water), and ice creams sold on the street. Always wash your hands before and after every meal. By sparing your stomach, you'll enjoy India's delights all the more!

It's better to opt for typical local dishes rather than (so-called) Western (continental) fare. Many a tourist has fallen ill from a dish of pasta or pizza... Of course, this is not a general rule, but at least Indians know the secrets of a good thali or chicken tikka masala...

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.

Smoking is strictly prohibited in public places. Some restaurants have a smoking area, isolated from the rest of the room. In the tourist areas, it is possible to smoke on certain terraces in the open air. However, ask the waiter or use your common sense (presence of children or families nearby, etc.) before doing so.

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

Coffee shops are open during the day and close late in the afternoon in small towns and late in the evening in large cities. Bars generally open in the late afternoon and close between 11 p.m. and 1 a.m., depending on the license they have, which varies by state.

Alcohol is relatively expensive in most Indian states, but less so in the Union Territories. All strong spirits are distilled in the country: vodka, whisky, gin, rum, but they are generally of poor quality. You can also find wine produced in the Nashik region of Maharashtra or around Bangalore. It's fairly expensive (Rs. 1,000 for a bottle in stores) and of average quality. Beer is also brewed in India. Imported spirits are available in major cities and boutique hotels.

Prices for an espresso or cappuccino in hotels or cafés are much the same as in France. That said, you're in the land of tea, so make the most of it! Prices are considerably lower in street stalls and other small shops.

Please note that in India the legal age to buy and consume alcohol varies from state to state. Access to bars and pubs is theoretically forbidden to young people under the legal drinking age. In reality, some establishments do not take this seriously and serve alcohol to young tourists.

Consumption and purchase of alcohol is prohibited in Gujarat, Bihar, Mizoram, Manipur, Nagaland, and some holy cities (Haridwar, Rishikesh, etc.).

Legal age to consume and buy alcohol:

- 18 years: Himachal Pradesh, Rajasthan and Sikkim.

- 21 years: Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Chattisgarh, Jammu and Kashmir, Jharkhand, Tripura, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand and West Bengal.

- 25 years: Delhi, Chandigarh, Haryana, Punjab and Meghalaya.

Although Indians don't drink much alcohol (in public), there's one tradition you won't want to miss: masala chai. This milk tea, sweetened with spices (ginger, cardamom, black pepper... depending on the recipe!), accompanies Indians at all hours of the day. There's even a quasi-official break at 10 a.m. in government offices. The best masala chai is served in disposable clay cups and boiled in copper pots.

It isforbidden to bring alcohol from one state to another, as laws vary. Watch out for the hefty fine!

Children are not welcome in places where alcohol is consumed, with the exception of certain restaurants. However, you can take them anywhere else, especially small cafés.

Smoking is not permitted in public places. Smoking areas are available in some restaurants and bars. Smoking is sometimes tolerated in some bars and restaurants with open terraces in tourist towns.