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EATING AND DRINKING |
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Although Calcuttans love to
dine out
, traditional Bengali cooking is generally restricted to the home. Authentic Chinese cuisine, available in areas such as
Tangra
(closes early around 10pm) on the road to the airport, is the most popular option, though rich Muslim cooking can be sampled at places like the
Amina
, and Tibetan cafés fill the area around Rabindra Sadan Metro.
The most cosmopolitan strip of the city for
bars
and restaurants is the western end of
Park Street
, where incongruous names such as
Blue Fox
and
Moulin Rouge
date back to the 1960s and 1970s when the street was the centre of a small but thriving pop, jazz and cabaret scene; some restaurants and bars continue to put on live music. Restaurants and cafés around Sudder Street cater for Western travellers staying in the local hotels.
New Market and Sudder Street
Some of the best food and certainly the best chai in this area can be enjoyed from the numerous
street vendors
. You can get spicy Indian breakfasts and strong sweet chai to kickstart the day at a fraction of restaurant prices. The food is...
read more >>
Around Park Street
Bar-B-Q
, 43 Park St. Good Indian and Chinese food in pleasant surroundings, with a bar downstairs.
Copper Handi
, 77/1 Park St. Mid-priced multi-cuisine restaurant best for its
dum-pukht
(slow bake) Lakhnavi (Lucknow)...
read more >>
South Calcutta
Aqua Java
, 79 SN Pandit St, Bhowanipur. Trendy café serving great coffee and snacky meals including pizzas.
China Bowl
, Southern Avenue, Gol Park. Dimly lit a/c Chinese restaurant which would otherwise be quite ordinary but for...
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Tangra (China Town)
Kafulok
, 47 South Tangra Rd tel 033/329 4130. Versatile and reliably good restaurant with a good all-round menu.
Kim Fa
, 47 South Tangra Rd tel 033/329 2895. One of Tangra's best and most-established Chinese restaurants - Thai...
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Elsewhere in the city
Amber
, 11 Waterloo St tel 033/248 6520. Quality restaurant serving absolutely superb Mughlai and tandoori cooking. Plush and dimly lit, it covers three floors, and has a bar downstairs.
Anand
, 19 Chittaranjan Ave. South Indian...
read more >>
Bars and nightclubs
The tense all-male atmosphere of Calcutta's
bars
is slowly changing with a young new clientele and a small but lively music scene. For a relaxed atmosphere try the big hotels, some of which also have discos, such as the lively
Anticlock
...
read more >>
Sweet shops
Milk-based
sweets
such as the small and dry
sandesh
are the Bengali speciality. Though confections such as the white
rosogulla
, the brown (deep-fried)
pantua
and the distinctive black
kalojam
,...
read more >>
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