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6 Delicious Local Street Foods You Must Try in Darjeeling

Darjeeling is one of the most popular and beautiful tourist destinations you can visit in West Bengal, India. Apart from the serene beauty of the mountains that it offers, Darjeeling is also famous for its street foods.

We all know that Darjeeling is famous for its fine-quality Darjeeling tea. But there are a lot of street foods that you can try while you are staying in Darjeeling.

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Here is a list of some delicious street foods you can try in Darjeeling:

  1. Momos
  2. Thukpa
  3. Sha Phaley
  4. Sekuwa
  5. Chhurpi
  6. Noodles

Now, let’s know each of these street foods in detail.

1. Momos

Chicken Momos (Asif Saleh, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons)

Momos are the most popular and delicious street food you can try in Darjeeling. It is available in almost every small and big restaurant in Darjeeling and is of Tibetian origin.

They are either steamed or fried and are generally served with hot soup and chutneys. You will get 6-8 pieces on a plate and will cost you around Rs.50 for a plate of Chicken Momos. Prices may vary from one restaurant to another.

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During my stay in Darjeeling, I almost had a plate of Momos every day.

Momos are like Dumplings made of flour dough and are stuffed with veggies or meat. The veg momos are often stuffed with cabbage, cheese, or other vegetables. The non-veg ones are stuffed with chicken or pork.

Best places to eat momos in Darjeeling:

You can try chicken and pork momos in the local street market just beside the Darjeeling Mall. The Kunga Restaurant, located on Gandhi Road, is another popular restaurant where you can try some delicious momos.

2. Thukpa

A bowl of Thupka (Amanbedi1, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons)

Apart from Momos, another street food that is commonly available in Darjeeling is Thukpa. It is of Tibetan origin as well.

Thukpa is basically a hot noodle soup with pieces of vegetables, bread crumbs, or meat and eggs in case it’s non-veg. It is considered a starter but can very easily fill your stomach.

Best places to eat Thukpa in Darjeeling:

The Devekas restaurant and Kunga restaurant are some of the places to have the best Thukpa.

3. Sha Phaley

Sha Phaley (Kushal Goyal, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons)

Sha Phaley, also known as Shabhaley, is a delicious Tibetan dish of bread and is commonly stuffed with meat or cabbage. They are then usually fashioned into circular or semi-circular shapes and are either pan-fried or deep-fried.

It is often served with Chutney or roasted barley (Tsampa) and cheese.

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Best places to eat Sha Phaley in Darjeeling:

You can get these in almost all Tibetan Restaurants in Darjeeling.

4. Sekuwa

Sekuwa (Gaurav Dhwaj Khadka, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons)

Sekuwa is another delicious street food that I tried during my Darjeeling tour. These are basically Nepalese-style kebabs.

To prepare this dish, the raw meat is mixed with natural herbs, spices, and other ingredients and is then roasted in a natural wood fire. These are then served by garnishing with finely chopped onion, ginger, and coriander and sprinkle lemon juice as desired.

Best places to eat Sekuwa in Darjeeling:

Sekuwa is another one of the commonly available street foods in Darjeeling. You can try these from the local street market just beside the Darjeeling Mall. It tastes delicious.

5. Chhurpi

Chhurpi (Arijit Dasgupta, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons)

Chhupri, also spelled as Chupree, is a milk-based snack item that is quite popular in Darjeeling. It tastes like cheese and comes both in hard and soft forms.

This is considered a healthy snack and you can definitely give it a try for a unique experience.

They are so popular that you can even buy it on Amazon.

Best places to eat Chhurpi in Darjeeling:

You will get Chhurpi in almost all restaurants in Darjeeling. This dish is unique to the area of Darjeeling.

6. Noodles

Hakka Noodles

Noodles might be extremely popular all over the world, but here the noodles at mostly homemade, and thus you will get a unique taste.

But for that, you need to try it out in the small locally run restaurants or the roadside stalls.

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You will get a wide variety of noodles, from soupy to Hakka noodles and from thick to thin. They are often prepared with small pieces of vegetables like cabbages and carrots to enhance the taste.

In Darjeeling, you will get both Veg and Non-Veg noodles. The Non-veg noodles are usually prepared with Chicken or Pork.

Best places to eat Noodles in Darjeeling:

You will get noodles in almost all the restaurants. I would recommend you to try it in the local food stalls in the market area of Darjeeling. They are usually quite crowded due to their delicious taste and low pricing.

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That brings the end to our list of some of the delicious street foods that you must try on your next visit to Darjeeling.

Street foods are one of the best ways to know and understand the culture of the place and in Darjeeling, there are a lot of them to choose from.

Enjoy!


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