I went to Indore with a very reasonable plan. Eat some famous food. Try a few local dishes. Find one or two places that weren't all over Instagram. Then go home.
Indore had other plans. This is a city where breakfast comes with jalebi, corn somehow becomes a proper snack, a jewellery market turns into a food market at night and a hot dog is not quite the hot dog you think it is.
After a while, I stopped asking, “What should I eat next?”
The better question was, “How much space do I have left?”
So if you're going to Indore for two or three days, don't make a giant food checklist. Pick a few of these, leave room between them and let the city do the rest.
1. Head Sahab Ke Pohe — Forget the Hotel Breakfast
If there's one thing you shouldn't do in Indore, it's waking up and ordering the same buffet breakfast you could have had anywhere in India.
Go eat poha.
Head Sahab Ke Pohe in Old Palasia is the kind of straightforward breakfast stop I like: no unnecessary drama, just hot Indori poha with sev, onions, coriander and lemon. And yes, get the jalebi with it. The combination looks suspiciously like someone accidentally put dessert on your breakfast plate. Then you take one bite of each and understand why Indore doesn't care what you think. The sweet and savoury combination just works.
If you want a more old-school jalebi stop, Mamaji Mosa Jalebi Bhandar is another name worth knowing; it has been recommended specifically for its hot, crisp jalebi.
2. Bhutte Ka Kees — Corn Gets a Plot Twist
This was one of the dishes I was most curious about. Grated corn is cooked with milk, spices and ghee, then finished with things like coconut and coriander. It sounds harmless. It isn't. One spoon becomes three, three becomes “I'll just finish it,” and suddenly you're looking for another bowl.
You'll find it around the big food hubs, but Suresh Chaat Centre in Sarafa is one of the places recently highlighted specifically for bhutte ka kees.
This is one of the foods I'd prioritise because it feels genuinely Indori rather than something you could find on every Indian street-food menu.
3. Vijay Chaat House — Don't Skip the Khopra Patties
Everyone talks about chaat. Fewer people tell you to try khopra patties. That's exactly why I'm putting them here.
At Vijay Chaat House, the potato patties are stuffed with sweet-spiced coconut before being fried until crisp. The contrast is the fun part: crunchy outside, soft potato, sweet coconut and spicy chutneys all happening in the same bite.
National Geographic recently highlighted Vijay Chaat House and its khopra patties as one of the city's lesser-known food experiences.
I'd take this over ordering another generic samosa. And yes, I know that's a controversial sentence.
4. Johny Hot Dog — It's Not Really a Hot Dog
You cannot come to Chappan Dukan and ignore Johny Hot Dog. Despite the name, don't expect an American-style hot dog.
The famous version is essentially a spiced potato patty tucked into a buttered bun with onions, chutney and sauces. They've been doing it for decades, and the vegetarian version has become one of Indore's signature fast-food bites.
If you're eating with someone, split one. Then decide you should have ordered your own. That is the correct procedure.
5. Lal Balti Aloo Kachori — Here's Your First Secret
Now we're getting into the stuff I actually wanted to find.
Lal Balti Aloo Kachori in Rambagh has been making essentially one thing since 1969: aloo kachori.
That's it. No giant menu. No food-court strategy. Just a hot, crisp kachori filled with spiced potato and served with a seriously fiery green chilli chutney.
National Geographic's recent Indore food guide specifically calls it out as a small local institution that can sell out quickly, so this isn't the place to casually arrive three hours after opening and expect unlimited kachoris.
This is exactly the sort of place I'd rather discover than another restaurant with 5,000 Instagram posts.
6. Garadu — Come in Winter
If you're visiting between roughly November and February, look for garadu. It's yam, deep-fried and tossed with spicy seasoning. Sounds simple. Tastes like something you should have ordered twice.
Suresh Chaat Centre in Sarafa is one of the places recently recommended for this winter speciality.
It's crispy, spicy, tangy and dangerously snackable. Don't ask for “extra spicy” unless you genuinely enjoy making poor decisions. Indore has its own definition of spicy.
7. Joshi Dahi Bada — The Food Comes With a Show
Then there's Joshi Dahi Bada House. The dahi bada itself is excellent: soft lentil dumplings, thick yoghurt, chutneys and spices. But then comes the fun part.
The plate gets tossed into the air before being caught and served. It sounds like internet exaggeration. It isn't. The tradition has been part of the place since the 1970s, and the stall remains one of Sarafa's most recognisable stops.
The performance gets your attention. The dahi bada gets you to stay.
8. Sarafa Bazaar — Save Your Appetite
And finally, Sarafa Bazaar. During the day, jewellery. At night, food.
The market typically comes alive after around 9 PM and runs late into the night, with stalls serving everything from chaat and garadu to sweets and the very Indori version of shikanji.
My advice? Don't arrive with a checklist of ten dishes. Walk around first. See what's busy. Share things. Leave room for dessert.
Try malpua with rabdi, kulfi falooda or the rich milk-based Indori shikanji. And don't confuse the shikanji with the lemon drink you may be expecting. This one is closer to a dessert pretending to be a beverage.
And Here's the Real Secret. I saved one for the end. If you want something that feels less like the standard tourist food trail, look for Coconut Crush. It's essentially coconut water blended with coconut malai, sugar and ice. A recent Indore food guide specifically highlights it as a local drink worth trying. It sounds almost too simple. After a night of spicy, fried food, though? Cold, creamy coconut feels like your stomach just received an apology letter.
And that's exactly what I like about Indore. The famous places are fun. But the little discoveries are what make the trip memorable.
TL;DR
My shortlist would be:
Poha + jalebi for breakfast.
Bhutte ka kees because it surprised me.
Khopra patties because they're something I genuinely hadn't expected.
Lal Balti Aloo Kachori because a tiny shop selling one thing well will always have my attention.
Garadu if it's in season.
Joshi Dahi Bada for the food and the flying plate.
And Sarafa Bazaar, not because I want to eat everything there, but because everyone should experience Indore turning a jewellery market into a giant midnight kitchen.
The best part? You don't need a huge budget.
A lot of Indore's best food is inexpensive enough that you can try several things without your wallet filing a complaint. Recent food coverage puts many street-food dishes in roughly the ₹30–₹150 range. So don't come to Indore with a spreadsheet. Come hungry. Actually, forget that.
Come curious. Your stomach will figure out the rest.
