India Guide
Rajasthan
Eating
1 Barista's Das Rd, opposite the Raj Mandir cinema Smart coffee house serving up excellent, freshly ground coffee – as popular with Jaipur's affluent twenty-somethings as it is among caffeine-crazed foreigners. The well-stocked, little attached bookshop is a bonus.
2 Chokhi Dhani 22km south of Jaipur on the Tonk Rd 
0141/277 0554 Opening time: Mon– Sat 6–11pm, Sun 11am–11pm This Rajasthani theme-park-cum-restaurant attracts droves of well-heeled Jaipuris, especially at weekends, when the whole place gets wildly busy. The Rs270 entrance fee includes an evening meal plus access to a wide range of attractions – elephant, camel and bullock-cart rides, folk dances, drumming, puppet shows, archery, chapati-making demonstrations and a superb magician, to name just a few. When you've done, head to the mud-walled restaurant where you'll be sat on the floor and served an authentically original (albeit very salty) Rajasthani village thali quite unlike anything you'll find in the restaurants of Jaipur, with lots of rustic rural delicacies like cornflour chapatis, gatta and unusual curried vegetables. It's all a bit hokey, but fun, in a rather kitsch way. A radio taxi charges Rs600 for the round trip, including wait (auto-rickshaw Rs300).
3 
Copper Chimney MI Rd Plush glass-fronted restaurant with a good range of north Indian standards (albeit sometimes a bit heavy on the oil and spices), plus local specialities like laalmaans (special Rajasthani desert-style mutton) and gatta, and a few Chinese and continental dishes. Mains Rs85–205. Licensed.
4 Dasaprakash MI Rd This unpretentious a/c restaurant serves up a tasty range of classic south Indian veg fare – iddlis, vadas, uttapams, upuma, thalis, and no less than seventeen types of dosa – plus a selection of sweet-toothed ice-cream sundaes in various colourful combinations. Mains from around Rs80.
5 Four Seasons Bhagat Singh Marg The most popular veg restaurant in town among locals, with top-notch dosas and uttapams along with a large selection of moreish north Indian curries, plus some Chinese. Big portions cater to local tastes and can be a bit spicy. Expect a short wait for a table.
6 Lassiwala Opposite Niro's, MI Rd Opening time: Daily 8am–4pmA Jaipur institution for its sublime lassis, served in old-style, hygienic terracotta mugs. Its popularity has sparked a small lassi-wallah-war, with two impostors setting up shop to the right (as you face it) of the original.
7 LMB Johari Bazaar, Pink City The only proper restaurant in the Pink City, and the best-looking place to eat in town, with stylish chrome and coloured-glass fittings. Sadly, the food (mains from around Rs90) is over-spiced and pedestrian, while service is irritatingly intrusive. There's a good sweet-counter outside.
8 Mohan's Sansar Chandra Rd Cosy and unpretentious little veg restaurant, popular with locals thanks to its well-prepared and excellent-value food, with virtually everything under Rs60. There's not much room, so you might end up sharing a table.
9 Natraj MI Rd Long-established pure-veg restaurant offering a big range of north Indian standards, plus thalis, dosas and superb sweets piled up at the counter by the door. Mains Rs110–160.
10 Niro's MI Rd Some of the best non-veg food in Jaipur, with Rajasthani specialities such as sula (lamb), lal maans (mutton) and gatta along with a big choice of tandooris, tikkas and other meat and veg curries, plus Western and Chinese dishes. Mains from Rs110–200. Licensed.
11 Om Tower Restaurant Om Tower, MI Rd Rajasthan's first revolving restaurant, on the 14th floor of the landmark Om Tower. The head-spinning views, of course, are the main attraction, but the food (veg only) is quite presentable, with a good selection of the usual north Indian standards at somewhat above-average prices (mains around Rs160–190), but no alcohol.
12 Peacock Rooftop Restaurant Pearl Palace hotel, Hari Kishan Somani Marg, Hathroi Fort The lovely little rooftop restaurant gives the city's fancier restaurants a real run for their money. The fairy-tale decor is an attraction in its own right, and there's a big menu of veg and non-veg curries (Rs40–80), as well as a few Chinese dishes, Western snacks, pizzas, and cold beer. Purified water is used to wash all fruit and veg.