Bikaner Food Guide: Best Food and Restaurants in Bikaner

Bikaner in Rajasthan is famous worldwide for its snack – Bhujia. But the culinary scene of Bikaner food has so much more to offer. Are you wondering what to eat in Bikaner?

Let’s explore the famous food in Bikaner and the best restaurants in Bikaner to satisfy your appetite.

Check out the Places to visit in Bikaner to help you plan a trip to Bikaner and experience the royalty and culture of India

Learn More: How to Spend 10 Days in North India

Famous Food in Bikaner

Bikaner is a foodie’s delight. Let’s begin our gastronomic journey in search of some amazing food in the streets and restaurants of Bikaner.

Best Food in Bikaner

Bikaner Namkeen and Snacks

Kachori

Kachori is a deep-fried puff pastry stuffed with spicy pulse or onion or other stuffings. Onion Kachori is particularly famous around Bikaner and other parts of Rajasthan. It, in fact, is one of the most popular snacks across India.

It is relished hot along with tamarind and mint chutneys (condiments).

There are many other versions of Kachoris that are found in Rajasthan and other parts of India with different stuffings. Some of them are filled with potatoes, green peas, and dry fruits. There are sweeter versions of kachori as well like the Mawa Kachori which is very popular in Jodhpur. It is stuffed with mawa/khoya (evaporated milk solids) and dry fruits and deep-fried before dipping into the sugar syrup.

Read Next: The Ultimate Itinerary to Exploring Rajasthan in 2 Weeks

Raj Kachori

Another version of kachori that is a must-try in Bikaner is Raj Kachori. Raj means ‘Royal’, so be prepared to get indulged in this king of all kachoris. On the outside of Raj kachori is a crispy fried ball-shaped shell. This is then stuffed with boiled pulses, potatoes, tomatoes, and onions and drenched in yogurt, spices, and chutney, and garnished. It is so hard to resist this visually appealing and delectable dish. This is eaten cold and is a popular snack item. It is available at street vendors, restaurants, and hotels.

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Paneer Kofta

I have not eaten this snack anywhere else and was recommended to us by our guide. Paneer Kofta is a deep-fried snack with a stuffing of potatoes and paneer (cottage cheese) mixed with spices and raisins. This ball-shaped stuffing is then dipped into a batter before frying.

It is enjoyed hot, paired with mint and tamarind chutney.

Bikaneri Bhujia

As the name suggests the snack ‘Bhujia’ is attached to the name of Bikaner. These are deep-fried thin small noodle-shaped snacks. This savory snack is made by making a dough of a mixture of a variety of pulse flours (moth lentil and gram flour) and spices.

This crunchy and addictive snack is fried in every nook and corner of the city, especially in Bhujia Bazaar. It is an aromatic experience to visit the Bhujia market with heaps of yellow and orange colored Bhujia lying at every shop. There are many flavors of Bhujia now available apart from the original like plain, tomato, potato, garlic, black pepper, asafoetida, and many more.

It was made for the first time in 1877 during the reign of Maharaja Shri Dungar Singh. In 2010, it was even given a Geographical Indication Tag. This is for sure the best food in Bikaner that has conquered the world.

Recommended Places: Opt for the locals from Bishanlal Babulal Namkeen Bhandar, Bhikharam Chandmal and leave the Haldiram and Bikanerwala.

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Sharbat

Sharbat is a flavored syrup with a wide variety of flavors like rose, fennel, almonds, and many others. It is not only a great thirst quencher but helps to beat the heat as well.

The most popular and must-visit place is Chunnilal Sharbat, which has more than a dozen flavors of Sharbats. The syrup is mixed with sugar syrup and water and is served cold in kulhads (cups made of clay). Most of them are made from flowers and spices and no preservatives are added to them. Some of the flavors are like –

• Bela (Jasmine)
• Gulab (Rose)
• Saunf (Fennel seeds)
• Laung (cloves)
• Khus (Vetiver, a tall aromatic grass)
• Kewda (screwpine plant)
• Kesar (saffron)
• Badam-Kesar (almond and saffron)
• Chandan (Sandalwood)
• Elaichi (cardamom)
  

Recommended Place: Chunnilal Tanwar Sharbat

Read More: How to Spend 2 Days in Jodhpur

Bikaner Main Dishes

Dal Baati Churma

One of the Rajasthani traditional food is Dal Baati and Churma. A visit to Bikaner is incomplete without gorging on this delectable combination.

Dal is the cooked pulse while Baati is a baked ball of wheat with ghee (Clarified butter) poured onto it. The baati is eaten along with the dal. Churma is prepared by cooking crushed baati along with ghee, sugar, and dry fruits. To be honest, this is my favorite Rajasthani meal and I crave it.

Gatte ki Sabzi

This is another popular dish around Rajasthan. Gatte is a small cylindrical shape made from gram flour and added to curd-based gravy.

Papad ki Sabzi

Rajasthan, being a dry desert utilizes its resources to the fullest. The Papad ki sabzi is a curry made of spicy poppadom. It is a unique curry that is enjoyed hot with bread and rice.

Laal Maas – Rajasthani Non-vegetarian

Even though Rajasthan is considered mostly a vegetarian state, there are some non-vegetarian dishes that are typical to the state as well. As history goes, the non-veg was generally relished by the Rajputs clan (mainly the royals).

One of the most celebrated dishes is the ‘Lal Maas ‘. ’Lal’ means red while ’Maas’ means meat. So basically it is a red-colored meat curry. This is a mutton curry cooked in a yogurt-based gravy with lots of red chilies (Mathania chilies) in it making it red in color. It is a spicy dish enjoyed with loaves of bread.

Rajasthani Thali

Rajasthan has utilized its dry and hot weather to create some amazing dishes that are its trademark. Rajasthani food can be best enjoyed all in the Rajasthani Thali. There are vegetarian and non-vegetarian versions available for the thali. ‘Thali’ literally means a plate, and in it, a wide variety of dishes are served in small bowls. The Rajasthani Thali menu served on the plate includes snacks, a main course, yogurt, bread, rice, and desserts. The Thali is a luxury for one person to experience different tastes on the palate.

Some of the popular veg Rajasthani thali dishes served are Gatte ki sabzi, papad ki sabzi, sengri (a kind of green beans readily available in Rajasthan), dal and baati, and churma. Served along are bread and rice. It is a gastronomic delight to feast on the royal Rajasthan Thali.

Tip: When asked for bread, do try the Bajra roti (made up of pearl millet flour). Bajra roti is relished all across Rajasthan dolloped with butter.

Note: Most of the restaurants / sweet shops will serve only vegetarian Rajasthani thali.

Recommended Restaurant: Laxmi Niwas Palace is one of the best hotels in Bikaner and a great place to enjoy the Rajasthani Thali amidst the royal atmosphere. For economical options, Hotel Heeralal is a good choice.

Bikaner Sweets

These are some of the Bikaner famous sweets that are a must-try.

Ghewar

One of the most popular sweet natives of Rajasthan is Ghewar. Ghewar is a sweet porous disc-shaped cake made from all-purpose flour and dipped into the sugar syrup. It is very popular during the ‘Teej festival’ around July- August. But it can be enjoyed at sweet shops all year round.

Ghevar is available as a plain version or topped with rabdi (condensed milk), Kesar flavored milk cream and garnished with nuts.

Recommended Places: Chotu Motu Joshi Sweet shop, Bishanlal Babulal, and Bikharam Chandamal

Gur Halwa

We have eaten a lot of halwa like carrot, dal, suji, etc. But this was the first time we had eaten Gur Halwa. It was such a rich halwa made of jaggery and full of dry fruits and coconut. It was so delicious that it is hard to resist.

But if you are conscious of calories, then a spoonful should be enough.

Recommended Places : Bikharam Chandamal, Bishanlal Babulal

Rasagulla

Rasagulla in Bikaner? Isn’t it famous in Bengal?

Are these questions coming up in your mind as well?

But Bikaner is equally famous for its rasgullas. So it is highly recommended to try the Bikaner rasgullas which are spongy and yummy.

Recommended Places: Chappan Bhog, Chotu Motu Joshi Sweetshop

Kesar Kulfi

An alternative to ice cream is the Kulfi. Kulfi is a traditional Indian ice cream made with milk and dry fruits in it. Kulfi is even flavored with Elaichi (cardamom), Kesar (saffron), Gulab (rose), and many others.

But Kesar Kulfi is famous in Bikaner and some are made from camel milk as well. It is a relief to eat this delicious creamy kulfi to beat the heat after your meal.

Recommended Places: Sankhala Kesar Kulfi, Chotu Motu Josh’s Sweetshop, and NRCC for Camel milk Kesar kulfi.

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Flavored Camel Milk

With camels in abundance, camel milk is the popular and easily available option that people use. It is full of many nutrients and is rich in calcium, iron, and many vitamins, but is lower in fats.

Apart from drinking plain milk, flavored camel milk is also available. It is great to beat the heat by drinking cold flavored camel milk.

Recommended Place: If visiting National Research Centre on Camel, then do have flavored milk and kulfi from the Milk Parlor.

Check out the Fun trip to Camel Farm at NRCC and explore the activities at the National Research Center for Camel

Best restaurants in Bikaner

Bikaner city is famous for its food – from snacks to meals to Bikaneri sweets. Some of the best places to eat in Bikaner are –

• Laxmi Niwas Palace – for Rajasthani Thali. But this is an expensive restaurant where the thali costs INR 1800.
• Chappan Bhog – recommended for sweets, Kesar Kulfi, snacks, and meals.
• Heeralal Restaurant – highly recommended for Raj Kachori and Rajasthani meals.
• Bishanlal Babulal Namkeen Bhandar – highly recommended for Bikaneri Bhujia and namkeen
• Bhikharam Chandmal Bhujiawala– for relishing sweets and snacks
• Chotu Motu Joshi Sweet Shop – This is one of the best Bikaner sweet shops. It is famous for snacks and sweets especially rasagulla and Kesar Kulfi.
• Shri Khandelwal Mishthan Bhandar – for snacks and meals. They are all very tasty and economical.
• NRCC Milk Parlor – for camel milk products.

Have you tried food in Bikaner? What is your favorite thing to eat in Bikaner? Do share your experiences and if we missed any must-have Bikaner food.

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