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Kalyan Bhel

Bibvewadi

To the foodies of the city,Kalyan Bhel needs no introduction. To those who are new,the fact that it has its own Facebook fan page will speak volumes. Opened 34 years ago,Kalyan is popular with students and working professionals alike,so much so that today it has six branches scattered across the city. “Our secret is that we have kept our prices as low as possible and that we have not changed our ingredients at all since we first started. Perhaps that is why people across generations still come to us,” says Ramesh Pondare of the restaurant.

Manmeet Chaat,

Fergusson College Road

Having an eatery right opposite one of the most famous colleges in the city can sometimes be a disadvantage – if your food is bad,your patrons,the majority of whom will inevitably be college students,will not hesitate to point it out. But Manmeet Chaat has no such problems. Serving its chaat with a slight Uttar Pradesh twist,the place is immensely popular with college students and is always jam-packed. “What we serve is the regular chaat – perhaps that is what attracts our customers to us,” says Jagdish Arora (name changed). “Most people fiddle with the ingredients,and that may not always work,but as far as we are concerned,it has to be the authentic thing. A lot of students here are also from North India,and since we serve the same chaat that is made in UP,it perhaps also reminds a lot of them of home.” The snacks that are must-haves here are the chola bhatura and their special ‘basket’ chaat ,which consists of edible baskets made from mashed and fried potatoes and filled with a sweet and tangy chutney.

Ganesh Bhel

Karve Nagar

Started in 1978,Ganesh Bhel has not only set itself apart from the rest by offering a free-home-delivery service,but it also exports its chaat to eager customers in cities like Singapore and Dubai. “ Bhel ,paani puri and SPDP ( Sev Puri Dahi Puri ) are what we are most famous for,” says Rupesh Gudmewar of the eatery,which has many branches across the city. “Usually our patrons are students,specifically girls.” He can’t help but grin at that.

Bandhai Sweet Mart

Kondhwa

This restaurant serves typical Maharashtrian chaat ,and is a big hit with students and elders alike. Beware: this joint can have a waiting period of up to 30 minutes on weekends,and weekdays are no breeze either. “People flock to us because of our famous ragda patis ,” declares Mangilal Chaudhary of the eatery,with more than just a hint of pride.

Chaat Ghar

Wakad

This eatery is one of the few in the city that deals exclusively with the Delhi-style of chaats . “We have quite a spread,and apart from chaats ,we also offer dishes like stuffed parathas and have certain meal combos that make us quite popular among students,who live on a tight budget,” says Naresh Mathur of the restaurant. Chaat ghar is famous for its aloo tikki chole chaat and samosa chaat .