In A Town Called Dehra, Ruskin Bond reminisces about his childhood in Dehradun, which often features in his writing. After spending time abroad and feeling the pull of home, he returned to Mussoorie, perched on the ridge above Dehradun, or Doon, as it is fondly called. It was a chance meeting with the legend and his stories that sparked my own interest in Uttarakhand’s capital and its close cousin, the two connected by a winding road and a beloved writer.
My earliest memories of Doon are a road trip with my father and his brother in a blue Ambassador my uncle drove back then. We, all cousins lined up in the backseat, would scream “Dehradun clock tower!” repeatedly in unison while driving past the famed landmark. A mandatory stop at the now-iconic Elloras Melting Moments for cream rolls with a filling lighter than air would end our window-seat wars. Outings from the rambling campus of the Forest Research Institute, which my father often visited to train young officers, took us to the little home kitchens in Clement Town where Tibetan mamas passed dumplings and soup from their windows to people perched outside on the ledges. Up in Mussoorie, outside Company Bagh, a cotton candy seller who also shaped edible toys from a lump of sugar was our demigod.
As a long-time visitor turned resident who has seen a string of eateries, like Lakshmi in Doon and Neelam in Mussoorie (who still hold their own), and also a profusion of ambient cafes and slick joints (Budaan & Breads and Little Llama) cropping up, my recommendations to eat around these two charming towns are a mixed bag of old favourites and places that have grown on me in recent times.
After growing up in Nainital and working in Mumbai for years, I left the city for the mountains to start my outdoor company Snowfox Escapes in Dehradun. So does my list entirely match a long-time resident’s? Probably not. Does it match a traveller’s who is visiting the area briefly? Probably not. But somewhere, the two meet in an ecosphere as unique as the pahadi-Anglo culture of this region that heavily influences its gastronomy and has earned my bias.
Dehradun
Pahadi thali at Monsoon
Like a lot of lesser-known flavours, Uttarakhandi cuisine—Kumaoni and Garhwali—is an acquired taste and not the easiest to find in restaurants. Locals prefer to eat it at home rather than at restaurants. But Monsoon at Hotel LP Residency in Rajendra Nagar, which launched early last year, was the answer to my prayers when I got chivvied endlessly for local food suggestions from friends travelling to the region. While Monsoon celebrates regional food and has a variety of dishes from across India, like the Bihari sattu paratha with chokha and the Hyderabadi khagina (which can be paired with cocktails), its pahadi thali is what allows you to experience the understated Uttarakhandi cuisine that befits the capital. Comprising wild mustard tempered potatoes, spiced horse gram lentils, pahadi mutton and bhaang chicken (which gets the popular vote) served with a side of fresh millet breads and rounded off by the jhangora kheer or barnyard millet pudding, this meal is Uttarakhand’s heritage on a plate. The flavours are subtler than what you’d find in a home-cooked meal, with some creative liberties—like the lightly spiced raita, which in hill station homes is typically loaded with pungent mustard seeds. But by and large, it stays true to the food of the mountains.
32, Kaulagarh Road, Rajender Nagar, Dehradun
Signature Sikkim hot dalle pasta at Ama Cafe
When I first moved to Dehradun and needed a place to meet a friend, she suggested Ama Cafe. Tucked away on Rajpur Road, it seemed like the perfect spot for a quick catch-up—and ‘Cafe Catch Up’ remains my rather apt nickname for it to this day. Founder Tenzin Thardoe first brought his childhood memories of the Himalayas to life in Delhi in 2013 with Ama. Over the last couple of years, that journey has found a home in Doon.
Ama opens doors at 8 am and is almost always full despite being split across two levels. The Sikkim hot dalle pasta here is an enduring favourite. A familiar pasta base meets the bright, fiery kick of dalle khursani, Sikkim’s potent red chilli, making for a plate that starts with the comfort of tomato and herbs before the heat kicks in. This subtle but clever regional adaptation is the hidden gem in the menu, buried under the tiramisus and cheesecakes of Ama Cafe that, I must confess, you also must leave some space for.
143, Rajpur Road, Kishanpur, Dehradun
Mixed meat noodles and laphing at Kalsang Cafe
Kalsang is not just a restaurant but an institution, the stronghold of Tibetan culture in the state and its most recognisable marker. Jamyang Kalsang’s dream started with selling momos out of a cart in Mussoorie in 1989. Eventually, from a small cafe there in 2001 it metamorphosed into a thriving chain of 13 restaurants across many cities over the years, starting with the full-fledged Kalsang Cafe in Dehradun in 2010. Bringing the flavours of Tibetan home kitchens to the tables of Doon, the menu lists all the usual suspects, including momos and thukpa, along with more modern pan-Asian entries, like the Korean bibimbap.
The mixed meat noodles are, however, a signature dish—a generous portion of springy noodles tossed with tender chicken and pork, both savoury and smoky. Pair it with laphing, a lesser-known sheet-like starch snack served cold, which perfectly douses the fire from the meat noodles. It has plenty of vegetarian options too, though I prefer the plain laphing with no filling at all. Both dishes, teamed with any of the soups or their in-house fruit beer, are the uncomplicated food from its Tibetan repertoire that Kalsang does so well.
88 A, Rajpur Road, opposite Osho, Chander Lok Colony, Hathibarkala Salwala, Dehradun
Poached pahadi eggs and gourmet coffee at Metok Coffee Roasters
On the first floor of a nondescript building in Old Rajpur, Metok Coffee Roasters is where I go when I want to have a soulful breakfast with great coffee on a rainy Sunday morning. Meaning ‘flower’ in Tibetan, Metok blooms in a quiet corner of Dehradun, a new addition unlike any that pays homage to Himalayan ingredients through its menu. This experimental joint specialises in Himalayan coffees, pairing them with fusion food that is a tribute to the mountains. Ask for pahadi eggs, their unique take on Turkish eggs with a liberal sprinkling of jakhiya, or wild mustard, on poached eggs, laid out on jakhiya-infused bagels. Traditionally, this seed is used for tempering potatoes, but here its crisp texture and mild, nutty flavour add novelty to what’s otherwise familiar. Savour your brunch with coffee made from freshly ground beans from the Himalayan foothills or pick from their concise but epicurean selection, especially their manual brews and pour-overs (rotational, so the availability differs). I’d suggest going all out with their ‘Barista Breakfast’, a platter of three small, curated coffees that highlights the spectrum of their single-origin coffees.
69/35, Old Rajpur Road, Dhakpatti, Kairwaan Gaon, Dehradun
Rusks and butter pista cookies at Sunrise Bakers
With bakeries serving its boarding school culture for decades, Dehradun has always had a list of hotspots. Started by Harnam Singh Jolly in 1956, Sunrise Bakers is the oldest family-run bakery that has solidified into a legacy establishment, catering to Doon’s residents and travellers alike. Fresh savoury bites, a variety of breads, and tea cakes rule the roost here, but the two bestsellers are its cookies and rusks.
Pick from plain rusk or the ones peppered with fennel seeds, and neither will disappoint. Among the cookies, the paper-thin butter pista cookies are the ones that hit home. For a sit-down meal and a more modern experience, head over to their contemporary chapter, Serre by Sunrise, in Dalanwala, a 10-minute drive away, where the bakery’s legacy meets new-age flair, but for takeaways for home, gifting, or simply some old-school charm, Sunrise works just fine.
20, Ghosi Gali, Darshan Lal Chowk, Paltan Bazaar, Dehradun
Mussoorie
Tiramisu pudding and tea cakes at Landour Bakehouse
There is no better example of a small cafe with an outsized reputation than Landour Bakehouse. This modest-sized room with cosy interiors, no Wi-Fi, and a limited menu is owned and operated by Rokeby Manor. Order the tiramisu when you’re here; the layers of coffee, mascarpone, and cocoa come together to produce a dessert that’s rich without being cloying. Pick up something from its selection of pies, cakes, and cookies before heading for a walk under the towering deodars outside.
Sisters Bazaar, Landour, Mussoorie
Momos at Doma’s Inn
Doma’s Inn, a vibrant Tibetan family-run guesthouse, has been serving the juiciest momos straight from their home kitchen for decades. The Ladakh-meets-Tibet decor and vibe here serve as a portal to far-off lands in the midst of busy Mussoorie. Pick any of their chicken or vegetable (the spinach and cheese ones are divine) momos, steamed or fried, and you won’t be disappointed. I lean towards the timeless steamed mutton momos.
Ivy Cottage, Landour, Cantonment, Mussoorie
Nettle kebabs at Hills-e-Ishq
A 20-minute drive from the edge of Landour at the Sisters Bazaar end, away from Mussoorie town, is the quiet cluster of Jabarkhet, which runs on its own schedule. Free from the frenzy of crowded viewpoints, this extension of the hill station is for those seeking an unadulterated corner of Mussoorie and some astonishingly good vegetarian kebabs at Hill-e-Ishq. While “vegetarian kebab” may be an oxymoron to purists, this one has an ingredient that is likely to inspire some interest: nettle. These innovative patties are made from the stinging nettle leaf, which is a common ingredient in the state’s cuisine. A digression from the traditionally savoured bicchu booti saag, the kebabs were created alongside other unconventional recipes like kulath kebabs, or horse gram lentil patties, and the seasonal cannabis ice cream (yes!).
Owner Ashu Jain grew up in the neighbourhood and wanted to serve traditional food with a twist at her petite cafe with a view. Try a platter along with her signature bhang chutney and down it with a glass of refreshing rhododendron juice after a morning of working up an appetite at the Jabarkhet Nature Reserve close by, a well-preserved private forest full of DIY hikes.
Tehri Road, Jabarkhet, Landour, Mussoorie
Bun omelette at Anil’s cafe
Growing up in Nainital, boiled eggs heaped with diced onion, tomato, and green chillies served with coriander chutney was my pick of the lot, as were thickly buttered buns on a cold winter morning. The bun omelette at Anil’s is a powerhouse of fluffiness and flavour that brings back all of that nostalgia. Is it the contrast of the lightness of the omelette against the crisp-outside-soft-inside bun it’s ensconced in? Is it the insane amount of butter slapped on the bread? We don’t know. Newer hits include equally fluffy pancakes doused in your choice of Nutella or honey, crunchy waffles, and the cheese- and egg-infused Mathews Wai Wai noodles. The bun omelette alternated with sips of ginger chai, though, is what floats my boat.
Chardukhan, Cantonment, near SBI, Landour, Mussoorie
Thukpa and Lotus Biscoff cheesecake at Anahata Cafe
The relatively lesser-known Happy Valley is where Anahata sits on the premises of the Shedup Choephelling Tibetan Temple, better known as the Dalai Lama temple. Poised on the edge overlooking the Dalai Hills and the Doon valley below, Anahata is that rare multi-cuisine restaurant where dishes are more often hits than misses. Here, a steaming-hot thukpa tastes different here. If you’re satiated with the classic noodle and vegetable spiced broth, go for the rich chicken keema variant. Pair it with shapalay, meat-stuffed Tibetan bread, to turn it into a wholesome meal. Even without accompaniments, though, the thukpa carries enough weight to be a standalone dish. Anahata offers an incredible view of the setting sun (go early to get a spot outside on the narrow terrace), and a coffee with their decadent Lotus Biscoff cheesecake is a great alternative to a Tibetan comfort meal here. When I want to trade the trends of Landour for the simplicity of ‘the other side’ or bask in the calm that the monastery exudes and watch the sinking sun turn the hills crimson, this is my go-to place.
Cafe Anahata, near Buddhist temple, Happy Valley, Charleville, Mussoorie
