Chapter 3 of My Darjeeling Trip
Travel becomes easier due to the internet. We get all the information and can easily make our trip itinerary.
I am thankful to travel bloggers due to which we could seamlessly plan our Darjeeling trip and the places to visit, shop and eat for the best experience.
And I hope through my blog, my precious readers can execute and plan your trip. It makes me happy when my blog is helpful to you in any way.
Darjeeling is an amalgamation of Bengali, Tibetan, and Nepali cultures. Therefore, you can see the diversity in their local foods. They have an English influence too and you can find delicious English breakfast in cozy cafes.
And the Darjeeling teas to savor!
Shopping in Darjeeling is fun and you can buy winter clothes and souvenirs. If you like antique jewellery, handcrafts, and curio items then you may find many shops from where you can purchase.
Although there are a lot of places to eat and shop in Darjeeling, I am sharing the places I have visited during my trip.
We had visited in winter during peak season which means a lot of crowds, long queues, and missing out on things.
What to eat and places to eat in Darjeeling?
1) Glenary’s
Darjeeling trip cannot be completed without visiting this famous food cafe. When you are walking around the mall road, you will find the white colonial Glenarys building with a red color signboard above their name which looks attractive.
During our visit in December, they had put a “HOPE” signboard. They keep changing the signboard occasionally and maybe when you visit, you may find another signboard. How cool is that?
Also, there is a corner in front of the store where travellers can stand and click amazing photos.
It is a two-storey building- Glenarys bakery & the café is on the ground floor and the Glenarys restaurant is located upstairs.
We had decided to have our lunch at the Glenrays restaurant but due to peak season, the waiting period was so long that it was not guaranteed whether we could get a table.
Thus, we went to the bakery and picked some bakery items to take back home and some to eat. While my husband was waiting in queue for the billing process, I tried my luck to wait at the café queue which was comparatively less.
After a while, we got a table at the café and ordered pizza. The pizza was crisp and crusty.
The ambience gives an old charm vibe, just like a European café. They had done Christmas décor which made the café looks alluring.
Although it was Christmas Eve and the café was too packed, still, the staffs were managing it well and were courteous. One of the staff- Neha happily agreed to the photo.
This outlet is so famous that I thought it must be expensive, but to my surprise, it is quite reasonable (In fact other cafes are costly) and that’s why every traveler visits Glenarys.
Timings: Glenarys breakfast opens at 8:30 am
2) Street foods: Momos
Darjeeling is known for its tea, but it’s also famous for momos. I love momos and was very excited to try Darjeeling momos.
When we started our journey on the hill via Kurseong road, our cab driver stopped at a small food outlet for a lunch break.
We ordered tea, momos, and noodles. The momos were very good and tasty which made the tiring journey bearable. The chow mien was also delectable.
On Christmas Day, we dedicated a full day at Darjeeling Mall road and walked around enjoying the cold and festive Christmas market. There was one stall that had momos and we tried but it was ok.
So we thought we should later try the street momos.
Street foods: Momos
The street food market starts after 5 pm. Before that, we tried momos from a local shop which was ok and now I was a bit disappointed. However, I had still hope from the street food.
We tried street food momos and it was ok again. I live in Delhi and the momos are mouth-watering. I was expecting at least the same taste as Delhi momos, but it was not.
My craving for Darjeeling momos was not fulfilled as it was not as tasty as I was expecting. If you visit Delhi, do try the momos, you will love it.
3) Keventer’s
Keventer’s is one of the must-visit places in Darjeeling Mall road and known as one of the best eateries in this quaint hill town.
It is recommended for its famous English breakfast as this outlet was established during the British colonial times.
They have a few small tables and it gets occupied soon. Therefore, we could not get a chance to have our breakfast or evening snack due to the peak season. A long queue was waiting!
Hence, we bought the ice cream from the takeaway section.
This place is also famous for the Barfi movie shooting.
Timings: Opens at 8 am
4) Noodles/ Chowmein/ Thukpa
A Tibetan local who I met in Siliguri recommended me to try their cuisine- Thukpa which is one of the popular dishes in Darjeeling.
But I was apprehensive to try it esp when I have my favourite food- chow mein.
I enjoyed eating noodles in hotels and small restaurants. It was sumptuous and delicious. We even tried fried rice which was good.
So whenever you are in Darjeeling, don’t miss indulging in noodles.
Street food Chowmein: We tried street food noodles but it was not cooked properly so we couldn’t eat them fully. But that is not the case with everyone; we found other vendor food good.
Lion’s Gate at Chowrasta
We have not visited but were recommended by a reader (Darjeeling is his hometown) on Twitter.
Where to buy Darjeeling Tea?
There are many stores from where you can get good quality Darjeeling teas to take back home for you and your loved ones.
It is recommended to buy the teas from the store that would provide you an invoice so that you can be sure of the quality you have purchased. Avoid buying it from the roadside stalls, our cab driver insisted we buy from them, but we didn’t.
We purchased Darjeeling tea from:
- Happy Valley Tea Estate
When you visit Happy Valley, you can buy Darjeeling tea from their boutique. It is a tad expensive than the other tea stores.
2. Golden Tips
You will find many outlets on Mall road. They have different varieties in different ranges and you can buy according to your budget. We purchased most of our tea packets from here.
3. Nathmulls
We found one small store in Mall road and purchased one packet.
Shopping in Darjeeling trip
When you visit Batasia Loop, you will find many shops downstairs and street sellers upstairs.
In Mall road, you can find many street shops selling woolen clothes, souvenirs, bags almost everything.
We checked at some curio store for buying the souvenirs. But the cost of fridge magnets was expensive compare to the street market.
Although the quality may differ, however, we didn’t find any difference and I feel street markets are the best place for shopping esp if you are buying souvenirs. Isn’t it?
We purchased shawls from the store located inside the Sterling resort. The price was reasonable.
Hope you like reading this post and a few of my recommendations. If you know any good place to eat and shop in Darjeeling apart from the above, then do comment down below, so that it will help others.
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Read other Chapters of My Darjeeling Trip:
- Darjeeling Trip Itinerary for 3 nights and 4 days during Winter
- Best Places to visit in Darjeeling in December
Read other Travel Diaries:
- Shimla Travel Diaries from Delhi – Itinerary and Budget
- Nainital- Escape to the City of Lakes
- Kashmir- A Dream Trip
