Street Food in Ahmedabad - Manek Chowk at night

Street Food in Ahmedabad is synonymous with great food! And it's just because I love the city and its food so much, its just the way it is. The city has great street food to offer in the day as well as in the night and there are specific places where you must go to enjoy the food at specific times of the day.

However, if you go to Ahmedabad and not eat the street food at the Night Street Food Market at Manek Chwok, your trip is certainly incomplete. So if you did miss out on this, you must plan another trip just for eating at the market. It's THAT legendary!

Manek Chowk Food Market slowly getting filled by hungry customers

Manek Chowk in history

Ahmedabad has a very interesting city planning style, and I believe many cities built in past followed this. The city traditionally had a city-centre where precious metals and gems were traded, and this region came to be known as Manek Chowk. Even today some of the oldest jewellery shops are located here. After Manek Chowk the city developed in rough concentric circles with trading as the key deciding factor. Most precious things were traded at the center and as one moved farther form this hub the traded products would be much less costlier.

Based on this logic the center was also well protected part and the access to it was limited. The traditional housing areas (known as pols) were also in this region where the outside traders had only limited access. Some of the most prominent structures in the city, including city’s biggest mosque, Jama Masjid, was also built here. 

Another view of the market from the top

Early birds enjoying

However, with time things changed and threat from outsiders also disappeared. Manek Chowk remains the center of Old Ahmedabad and is still flocked by locals and tourists alike for the shopping opportunities it offers during the day. 

Morning, Day and Night - Manek Chowk lives on!

Manek Chowk also has a prominent vegetable market which is active in the wee hours of the day. As the day progresses, jewellery shops open and turns into a Jewellery Market. Rani no Hajiro is right next to the chowk and its a great place for shopping for fabrics. If you are in the area do look out for the shop of Gamthiwala for traditional Gujarati fabrics and prints. I have been going there since NID days and can totally vouch for its authenticity, though its a little expensive.

However, its in the night when the area truly comes alive and transforms itself into a Street Food Market. The change is so phenomenal that its difficult to believe unless you see it happening yourself. So I this time when I was in Ahmedabad, I decided to go there early in the evening when the place was just getting ready to host the foodies of the city.

The food typically starts moving to the tables at about 8pm and goes on till about 1.30am. Apart from this, only Law Garden has good food at such late hours. But when it comes to ambiance and the sheer variety of food served there is just no match between the two. The seating area is common and all around that, there are carts which make fresh food which is served sizzling hot on the tables. 

Street Food at Manek Chowk

All sorts of food is available, but the most popular is Pavbhaji, special Amdavadi sandwiches and Kulfi. There are many stalls selling pavbhaji, but the most famous one is Mahalaxmi Pavbhaji Centre. I love the pavbhaji in the city, but frankly speaking I can’t quite differentiate this delicacy from the different stalls here! In my opinion its all great :)

The cook at a popular pav-bhaji shop there

Coming back to the special sandwiches, the one that moves the fastest here is the ‘Chocolate Sandwich’! Yes, you read it right - its bread with oodles of hot chocolate in the center. The chocolate is also unique and made specially for these in the city itself. I remember the first time I came here and someone suggested it to me, I refused to even try it out. However, one bite after much cajoling, I was a fan. And its not a snack or dessert, it’s part of the main course. If you are not done with chocolate yet, do try out Chocolate Pizza - unique in taste but delicious once you get over the initial inhibition! 

Sandwich and Pizza - all Gujju style!

Sandwich in the making

South Indian food is also enormously popular and you can see a few of stalls making only dosas. Masala dosa seems to be most popular and I saw it on many tables there. It's something that surprises me always - the love for South Indian food can be seen in every big city, and it's made rather well in most places. In fact my food mantra is this - 'When in doubt, eat South Indian'!

Some yum dosa...

And Dosa chatni

And finally the meal at Manek Chowk is never done without the famous Asharfi kulfi. The legend is that the first stall to set foot here was this kulfiwala, and when it became so popular others also loved in and slowly the area developed. The hustle bustle that we see here started in the 1970s, so that makes the tradition almost four decades old.

Just close to the street food area, the market dies out fairly quickly

Beyond Street Food around Manek Chowk

And once you are done with eating food, just walk around the area. It's the oldest part of the two and seeped in history. On one side is Rani no Hajiro and the other side is Raja no Hajiro, though both of these are more accessible during the day. Very close by is the Old Stock Exchange though the building is no longer in use. It had started functioning in the late 18th Century and the architectural style is beautiful Indo-British. If you have more time, you must walk to Teen Darwaza and take an auto for going back home/ hotel. See some Street Photography images here.

It's a;so possible to do a night heritage walk in the old city. Read more details here.