Varanasi · Places to eat

Shree Shivay Thali श्री शिवाय थाली

Lunch or dinner

A vegetarian thali on a banana leaf with a dozen small bowls of dal, sabzi, raita and sweets

A vegetarian thali on a banana leaf with a dozen small bowls of dal, sabzi, raita and sweets

Near Godowlia, Shree Shivay serves vegetarian thalis on kansa metal, cooked without onion and garlic. A single thali carries more than twenty items, from a welcome drink and snacks through mains to dessert, drawing on regional dishes from across India.

For a pilgrim keeping a sattvic diet it is the easiest full sit-down meal near the main ghats, and the unhurried pace suits older travellers. Allow time; the thali is served course by course.

Places to eat

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Tamatar chaat in two clay bowls topped with coriander and sev, the dish Kashi Chat Bhandar is known forKashi Chat BhandarTamatar chaat, the dish Banaras is known for.A wide iron pan of tamatar chaat ringed with whole tomatoes, as Banarasi chaat sellers cook itDeena Chaat BhandarThe other great tamatar chaat, a few doors along.Kachori with potato sabzi on a steel plate, the Banarasi breakfast Ram Bhandar servesRam BhandarKachori, sabzi and jalebi: the Banarasi breakfast.A clay cup of lassi topped with saffron and pistachio at Blue Lassi in Varanasi's old cityBlue Lassi ShopThick fruit lassi in clay cups, near Manikarnika.The Pahalwan Lassi counter at Lanka, Varanasi, customers crowding under its Hindi signboardPahalwan LassiLassi topped with rabri, near the BHU gate.A tray of baked wheat baati, the bread served with chokhaBaati Chokha RestaurantBaati, chokha and litti in a village-style setting.A North Indian vegetarian meal in a compartment plate: dal, sabzi, salad and rotiKeshari RestaurantA reliable vegetarian sit-down meal at Godowlia.Peda and milk sweets on trays behind a sweet-shop counterKsheer SagarMilk sweets and rabri at Sonarpura.A Varanasi street vendor's pan of saffron-flecked malaiyo, served in small clay cupsMalaiyo in the old citySaffron milk foam, sold only on winter mornings.

Stays

Where to stay in Varanasi

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Pratham, Varanasi: double bed with an ochre runner facing a leaded-glass window, wooden ceiling with a fan, air conditioning and a door open to the screened verandahPrathamOur first house: amber light, a wooden ceiling and a balcony full of flowersMinimilist, Varanasi: white bedroom with a double bed under a yellow-and-white block-print spread, saffron curtains at a barred window, two wall sconces and a marble floor with an inlaid borderMinimilistWhite walls, marigold accents and room to thinkBoutique, Varanasi: teal bedroom with gold wall mouldings, dark tufted headboard, blue cushions and runner, upholstered bench at the foot of the bedBoutiqueThree rooms, three moods: blue and gold, rose, and emeraldSantorini, Varanasi: white room with a teak bed, blue cushions and runner, blue shutters open to the balcony and a blue console table oppositeSantoriniWhitewash, cobalt and jali windows framing the Varanasi skyGardenia, Varanasi: double bed with a yellow headboard and bedspread, rolled towels laid out, mustard wardrobes either side of a white arched niche, marble floorGardeniaSunlit yellow rooms that open onto a shaded garden lawn