Best street food in Kolkata

Phuchka and Churmur

What sets the Phuchka apart is its lightness and the tamarind water into which the pastry shell stuffed with the mashed potato mix is dipped. Phuchka offers tamarind water with a spicy aftertaste and a version for people who prefer not to have a blast of chilli in a mouthful.

Churmur is a variation of Phuchka for those who are not fond of wet and messy foods. The ingredients mentioned above are crushed with an addition of chutney for extra flavor. The addition of water is up to you. This is the best street food in Kolkata.

Bhel Puri

Bhel puri is a mixture of Muri (puffed rice), crushed papri, chopped onions, potato and coriander, sev or bhujiya and mix of sweet chilli chutney and tamarind chutney. Served in a cone of newspaper, it comes with a wooden ice cream spoon which makes it more fun.

This is also made out of puffed rice, bhujia and has a topping of a tangy tamarind juice. You will get the best at the back gate of the Victoria Memorial. That doesn’t mean that its not good elsewhere – they are also available close to shopping and tourist destinations to eat. But bhelpuri is not a specific Kolkata street food as it is a favorite in whole north India.

Telebhaja

Vegetables deep fried in a batter made of besan are the simplest explanation I can give for Telebhaja. Bengalis will fry anything under the sun; pumpkin, onions, potato, eggplant are traditional favorites.These are deep-fried food items made like the traditional ‘pakodas’ but mostly with potatoes, brinjal, beetroot and various other vegetables. Under the generic name of telebhaja are many items named ‘aloor chop’, ‘beguni’, ‘vegetable chop’ and ‘mochar chop’. They can be eaten alone or with puffed rice. These are roadside stalls and therefore difficult to find the best, so it’s mainly based on the locality. Telebhaja is undoubtedly one of the best street food in kolkata

Ghugni

Made from boiled yellow or white peas, Ghugni is what Mumbaikars fondly call Ragda. Ghugni and Ragda are more or less the same, be sure to mix it lots of sweet tamarind chutney.
You must have tasted this outside Kolkata but the Ghugni available here is a thing of its own. Made from ‘matar dal’ this is a delicacy served with salad topping and chillies. Available almost everywhere this is a favourite with shoppers at Gariahat. This works as an appetizer, because the more you have it, the more you want to have it. This is one of the best low cost Kolkata street food.

Cutlet and Chop

If you can tolerate seafood, be sure to try a fish cutlet. Imagine Fish n’Chips without the french fries and tartar sauce. Condiments include ketchup, chilli sauce, and pudina chutney.
Chops are the meaty version of cutlets, but then again the terms are used interchangeably. Chicken and lamb chops are usually made from ground meat which are rolled into balls and enveloped in a layer of mashed potato. Similar to the cutlet, they are crumb fried and they taste delicious as the crispy exterior makes way for a hot and steamy interior.