India Guide
Gujarat
Eating
1 Agashiye House of Mangaldas, Dr Tankaria Rd One of the best restaurants in Gujarat, with a rooftop terrace, floor cushions to sit on and an open kitchen where you can watch the chefs at work. Prices are steep by local standards, but the mouthwatering thalis are as good as it gets. Price: Rs195–255
2 Chetna Dining Hall Relief Rd Don't be put off by the dusty exterior, inside is a busy veg place with excellent, inexpensive south Indian dishes and sumptuous Gujarati thalis.
3 Gandhi Cold Drinks House Khas Bazaar Third-generation hole-in-the-wall serving up refreshing milk and ice-cream concoctions, including Indonesian-style "Royal Faluda", unique to Ahmedabad, and saffron-flavoured kesar milkshake.
4 Gopi Dining Hall Pritamrai Rd 
079/657 6388 Welcoming, tourist-friendly veg place on the west side of Ellis Bridge, offering Gujarati and Kathiawadi thalis at unbeatable prices. Very popular, so reserve or wait in line. Price: Rs40–65
5 Green House House of Mangaldas, Dr Tankaria Rd Cheaper than Agashiye, but almost as appealing: sit on wooden benches under an ivy-covered pavilion and tuck into snacks, light meals and ice creams (including unusual flavours like dried fig). Price: Rs50–100
6 Havmor Relief Rd. Fast-food-style joint popular with families and teenagers for its sandwiches, dosas, burgers, milkshakes and ice creams (Rs15–70).
7 Jayhind Manek Chowk One of the best places to sample Ahmedabad's famous sweets, Jayhind has been producing wonderful dry-fruit halwa and kaju pista roll since 1948. Price: Rs5–30
8 Mahendi Rang Lagyo Fruit Juice House Relief Rd A bustling roadside stall with a loyal local following for its vast array of fresh juices and milkshakes. Price: Rs10–20
9 
Nishat Khas Bazaar The non-veg thali (Rs85) – with chicken tikka, mutton curry and biriyani – is a firm favourite at Nishat, which has a hectic downstairs dining room and a calmer, if slightly more expensive, a/c area above.
10 Simran Khanpur Rd An a/c restaurant handy for those staying at the big hotels on this road: good choices include tawa jhinga (shrimp/prawn curry), chicken tikka masala, mutton kebabs, shahi raan (tandoori leg of lamb) and fish curries.Price: Rs45–130
11 ZK Relief Rd A dimly-lit restaurant with a pink-and-maroon colour scheme and an ancient fish tank. Trawling through the exhaustive menu – well over 200 dishes – certainly builds up an appetite: the tandoori items (Rs65–80) are particularly good.