Delicious picks from Bareilly streets

Eve though fast-food joints and multi-cuisine restaurants make their presence felt in the city, there’s no dearth of street food lovers who prefer snacking at their favourite stalls
From the morning lassis to the mouth-watering chaats in the evening, Bareillywalas love their street food. The city dwellers are so smitten with the taste of Tolaram Ki Kulfi, and the papri chaat and cheela at Ayub Khan Chowraha Market, that they often overeat and later blame it on the bhaiyyas who make the street food so delicious.The city’s street food isn’t limited to just the calorie-rich tikkis anymore, and has evolved to include snacks like cheese chilly and macaroni. We took a trip around the city and explored the best-known street food joints in the city.
Ayub khan chowraha
Swati Sinha, who works with an insurance company, can’t resist taking a break between her office hours to relish the delicious chaat here. She says, “Ayub Khan Chowraha market is a foodie’s paradise. And one of the most popular joints here is Chhote Lal Ki Chaat. In fact, uski tikki, papdi aur cheela bhi bahut yummy hota hai. Even though the place is not that hygienic, we don’t mind eating there just because of the stuff is so tasty.”
Another foodie, Ashray Longani, who works with a private bank, tells us, “My office is in DD Puram and I have to report at 9am sharp. Earlier, on my way to office I used to eat chhole-bhature from the roadside vendor. But the day I tasted moong ki daal ka cheela at Chotte Lal, I fell in love with it. Now, I commute almost daily from DD Puram to Ayub Khan Chowraha, which takes me nearly 40-45 minutes, just to have that delicious cheela. The best thing about the dish is its stuffing rich in veggies and paneer, all prepared in desi ghee.”
Chhote Lal, the owner of the food joint, tells us, “Youngsters come to our joint and love to gorge on tikki, papdi, gujhiya, cheela and burger. Even if we ask them to sit and have their food, they say, jo sadak ke kinare khade hokar khaane mein mazaa hai, woh waise kahan. Aur ye young college aur school ke bachhe yahan aakar jo masti karte hain, usse dekhne ka mazaa hi kuch aur hai. Bachche kabhi kabhi free golgappa kha ke chale jaate hain aur hamein unhe aise khilane mein bhi mazaa aata hai.”
Kipps Chaat corner
Arpit Brown and Simantha Jacob, MBA students who live in a hostel, tell us, “We visit Kipps Chaat corner in Civil Lines Market at least twice a week with our gang. His special aloo tikki breakfast is so delicious that one can have three-four plates at a time. Sometimes, I even miss my first two morning lectures because of this. I come down from the university just to have my breakfast and prefer eating it over the mess food in my hostel, which has become quite boring. And the USP is its preparation that is in desi ghee. Isse khaakar mummy ke khaane ki yaad aa jaati hai.”
Crazy Point
Arpit Timothy and Sushant Garg, who are pursuing management course from LBSIMT, say, “Civil Lines market is just the right place for a fun hangout with friends. I go crazy on Crazy Point, which is for its pav bhaaji, chowmein, cheese chilly, fried rice and macaroni. It’s been almost four or five years that I have been visiting this joint and Subhash uncle, the owner here, is really nice. Besides his yummy food, his personalized service is the USP that brings us and many more people here to his stall.”
Subhash Arora, owner of Crazy Point, says, “Young ladke aur ladkiyan hamaare yahan aate hain. We make sure that we have enough stuff prepared so as to not make them wait.”
For Abinav Gottlieb, who is pursuing a business management diploma, Crazy Point is a must-visit spot. He says, “His macaroni and chilly paneer are just too good. Also, the fried rice and Manchurian sell like hot cakes here.”
Fern’s Bakery
Zahid Ali Khan, owner of Fern’s Bakery in Cantonment running since 1972, says, “Our joint is quite a popular hotspot among youngsters of the city. They flock to this place and enjoy our most popular mutton and chicken patties. Though our veg patties are also liked by the city folks, mutton and chicken patties are always in huge demand.”
Abinav also says, “I love Fern’s ki mutton and chicken patties. It is quite famous for its cakes and pastries too. They just taste awesome. So, if we want to treat our friends in college, we always order for cakes, pastries and patties from Fern’s only. It’s not only about the food, having a chit chat while eating here makes our evening worth it.”
Tolaram Ki Kulfi
Sonal Sharma, who is pursuing a course in business management, says, “I simply love Tolaram ki Kulfi. It’s irresistible! The falooda topping makes it even better. It’s USP is its melt-in-the mouth delicacy. This dessert beats any of the branded ice-creams or kulfi for me. I come all the way to Punjabi Market from Air Force Colony to have it at night kyunki yeh kulfi wala sirft raat ko hi thela lagata hai.”