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Eating
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The
place to eat in Udaipur has long been the Lake Palace's romantic dining terrace, reached by launch from the
Fateh Prakash Palace Hotel
. The closest most visitors get to it, however, are the rooftop
restaurants
stacked behind Lal and Gangaur Ghats, whose gastronomic shortcomings and generally inflated prices are more than offset by spellbinding views over Pichola Lake to the distant Aravallis. Many of the cheaper places in this area advertise free screenings of the James Bond movie
Octopussy
, with its manic boat and auto-rickshaw chases around the city's landmarks, beginning every evening, usually at 7pm. Thankfully, you can escape Roger Moore and his big balloon by heading across the lake for a tandoori at the
Ambrai Restaurant
, or across the bazaar to the
Natraj
, Udaipur's most popular thali joint.
Ambrai , Amet Haveli Hotel , Chandpole. One of the few lakeside restaurants whose cooking lives up to its location, on a spit of land facing the City Palace. Perfect for a sundowner, and their tandoori, prepared by the royal family's former chef, is second to none. Full multi-cuisine menu, with plenty of veg options, cold beer and live Hindustani music. Rs200 for two courses. Fateh Pakash Palace , City Palace. English-style "high tea" served in an elegant, sunny gallery (3-5pm daily), with live Indian classical music and sublime lake views. Count on Rs175-250 for the full Monty - hotel-made jam, cream, scones and sandwiches. An absolute must for cream-tea addicts. Kumbha Palace , 104 Bhatiyani Chotta. Better-than-average budget tourist grub (pizzas, baked potatoes, Marmite, homemade cakes), dished up on a rooftop terrace below the town-facing east wall of the City Palace. Pleasant views, big portions, very reasonable prices, and a friendly dog. Lake Palace , Lake Pichola. Nonresidents can visit the Lake Palace for a candle-lit buffet dinner at what must rank among the world's most romantic restaurants, open 7.30-10pm. Reserve a table one day in advance through the Fateh Prakash Hotel , and dress smartly (they'll say they're fully booked if you don't). Rs750 covers dinner (Rs650 lunch), plus Rs25 if you want to look around the hotel. As a one-off extravagance, the whole experience is hard to beat, even though the food can be disappointing. Natraj , New Bapu Bazaar, behind Ashok Cinema . Udaipur's top thali joint for over twenty years, but well off the tourist trail because it's fiendishly hard to find (head down Barra Bazaar from the clock tower, and ask the way when you get to Suraj Pole). Easily the best cheap meal in town: Rs45 for unlimited portions of five different vegetables, dhal, rice, papad , fresh chapatis and pickle. Samor Bagh , near Gulab Bagh and Tibetan market, Lake Palace Road. Mostly Indian and Chinese dishes (including excellent non-veg tandoori), served on a spacious lawn beneath the City Palace, a ten-minute stroll down Lake Palace Road from the Jagdish temple. Careful, delicious cooking (their butter chicken is to die for) and a relaxed atmosphere, with fairy lights and live music or dance daily. 8am-10.30pm. Shikarbadi , Goverdhan Vilas, 5km south along NH-8. Top-notch Mewari cuisine served on the terrace of the maharaja's former hunting lodge, on the slopes of the Aravallis. If you can, get here for 4.30pm when hordes of deer, blue buck ( nilgai ), langur monkeys and wild boar mass to be fed. Lunch Rs250; dinner Rs350 per head; drinks cost extra.
Zannat
,
Hotel Hilltop Palace
, Ambavgarh, above Fateh Sagar. Rooftop restaurant of swanky modern hotel (open to nonresidents). Their multi-cuisine menu is standard (go for the tandoori or Indian veg options), but the panoramic views are matchless, especially from the bar, whose terrace is the highest vantage point in the city. Most main courses under Rs100. Other useful information
for tourists (each section contains more specific sub-sections): |
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India,
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