In the course of our travels we have realised something mother was saying for all along – breakfast is the most important meal of the day. It helps immensely if we start the day with a wholesome breakfast. We keep looking for popular breakfast options wherever we go. Some of our travel breakfast experiences are so amazing, that while we reminisce, it makes our mouth water.

Breakfast stories from our travels

Hunger pangs hit you everywhere, more so when you travel. Be it the mountain air, or the sea breeze, or sheer sense of freedom, we tend to have a larger appetite when we are away from home. We think of big breakfast ideas so that we can sustain longer and do not need to stop often for food.  But how do we decide what is the best thing to eat for breakfast at a new place? Simple – we ask around and sometimes a friendly stranger gives an idea that makes us hungry for the food and the story. We believe in this strategy because we have a holistic approach to travel. It is not only covering the sites but also feeling the real pulse of a place.

Food habits are a great reflection of the local culture and complete our travel experiences. And no matter where we are, we have realised people take breakfast, the first meal of the day, very seriously. So do we.

Some of our travel breakfast experiences are a bit blah but some are so amazing, that while we reminisce, it makes our mouth water.  We shall be updating this list from time to time, as and when we have more breakfast stories to share.

American Breakfast in Delhi

Let us start this gastro trip from our favourite city Delhi. If you like sunny-side-up eggs, sausages, bacon and baked beans, this one is for you. The American breakfast fills you up and the calories are burnt through the day. When we are looking for American breakfast in Delhi, we visit The All American Diner, India Habitat Centre, Lodhi Road. They open at 7 and there is no waiting if we reach early. Our favourite is their all-day breakfast platter Sunrise Skillet. They serve that on a real skillet that has sausages, fried bacon, scrambled eggs and pancakes and each item is tastier than the other. If we order extra pancakes with maple syrup on the side, it becomes a brunch keeping us fueled for long.

English breakfast in Kolkata

If you are looking for a similar experience in Kolkata, we recommend breakfast at Flurys. It was a bit of a distance from where we put up, but we reached Flurys, Park Street early, so as to avoid a waiting. They had bacon, sausages, eggs, bakery, tea and coffee. But we loved the original open sandwich that had ham, chicken slices, fried egg, grilled vegetables like bell pepper, tomato and perhaps mozzarella. It was decadent, filling, and sheer richness on taste buds. We keep coming back to Flurys for breakfast when in Kolkata and order this dish. Also, Flurys rum balls are to die for, absolutely unparallel in the country.

Breakfast in the hills – Nainital

Hills make us hungrier. While travelling, we always start our day with heavy breakfast so that hunger pangs don’t impede our activities. One of the best breakfasts in the hills we have had is at Sakley’s Mountain Café, Nainital, Mall Road. They were placing freshly baked cakes at their window when we were walking past that morning. We were drawn like the proverbial moth to a flame. The next hour was chicken sandwiches, softest pancakes, English tea cake, and coffee. While having breakfast, we could see busy life pass by and also had a peek of the calming Naini Lake. Yes, we came back here for breakfast the following two days of our stay.

Lovely Omelette Centre, Mussoorie

Everything tastes extra special in the hills. Take the case of Lovely Omelette Centre on Mall Road, Mussoorie.  Not to exaggerate, we would have had thousands of omelets in our lives. Yet there was something about this simple place with benches for fewer than 10 people. The owner was a little snooty and we had to do a lot to draw his attention. But when he served our cheese omelets, we believed he was entitled to all his pride. The omelet was a melt-in-the-mouth texture, slightly spicy, and in combination with the cheese, it was a riot on our taste buds. We could clearly see why this place was so popular.

Sweet French Toast, Fagu

The French toast that we often have for breakfast is savoury. One of the very few things that we miss from the Colonial era is sweet French toast for breakfast.  We had these slices of heaven at The Apple Blossom, Fagu, Himachal Pradesh. This is an HPTDC or Himachal Pradesh Tourism Department (HPTDC) run hotel that exudes strong old-world charm. Their sweet French toasts are egg-dipped bread slices that are fried and topped with powder sugar. The egg-milk batter in combination with the sprinkled sugar gives the dish mild sweetness. It is a perfect European breakfast item with tea or coffee. Believe it or not, we keep coming back to this place pulled by this dish.

Parathewali Gali, Delhi

It is time for some North Indian breakfast and the worthiest place to start this section is undoubtedly Parathewali Gali, Chandni Chowk, Old Delhi. Paratha or parantha are fried stuffed breads. The stuffing could include seasonal vegetables, mashed pulses, cheese, and even sweet milk solids called rabri or khurchan. It is a staple traditional Indian breakfast in many Delhi households but we love what they serve at the shops in Parathewali Gali. As you can imagine, it is very filling and much as we love the taste, we can barely manage one and a half per person. With a glass of sweet lassi or blended yogurt, we are set for the next five hours.

Murthal ke Paranthe – road trip essentials

Whenever we embark on a road trip from Delhi, we skip breakfast at home if we are crossing Murthal, Haryana. Murthal is a village on the highway NH1 that connects Delhi with our favourite state Himachal Pradesh. Murthal is now an agglomeration of roadside eateries or dhabas, albeit in fancier avatars. They serve stuffed parathas with potato – onion; mixed vegetables; cauliflower; radish or paneer. The parathas are topped with butter and we have it with curd. Just in case we feel a little lethargic after this heavy meal, we finish it with the caffeine kick of strong milk tea or chai. Our trips seem incomplete if we have not had parathas as Murthal.

Poha at Nakki Lake, Mount Abu

Mount Abu, Rajasthan has a brilliant ecosystem with a huge lake in the middle of the Aravali Range. After a jogging session around Nakki Lake, we were surprised to see so many carts selling poha, a savoury flat rice dish with a hint of sweet. The poha was fresh, super affordable and light on the stomach. The dish was mildly spiced and the combination of salt- sweet-tangy was very refreshing in the morning. We had multiple servings of poha during our stay at Mount Abu. Poha is a Gujarati dish but we found the food scene in Mount Abu to be more Gujarati than Rajasthani. Some shops were selling Gujarati snacks like fafda too.

Kachori at Udaipur

Rajasthan is high on fried snacks. When we visited Udaipur we threw all health caution away and gorged on these savouries, especially kachoris, a delicacy here. Kachoris are stuffed breads which swell up like a small balloon when fried. We visited Jagdish Temple Udaipur, early morning and were drawn to the crispy kachori sprinkled with bhujia, or crispy savoury bits, that were being sold at a shop just outside. They pierced the kachoris added potato curry, curd, spices, coriander leaves and bhujia. In Udaipur, they add bhujia to almost everything. We even have had burgers topped with bhujia. But the kachoris, albeit spicy, were very tasty and filled us up for long.  Though available all day long if you go for breakfast you will get freshly fried kachoris.

Bedai at S.S. Kachoriwala, Gwalior

Gwalior in Madhya Pradesh is also high or snacks and savouries especially during breakfast and evening tea. While in Gwalior, we asked around for food recommendations and it appeared our trip would remain incomplete if we did not visit S.S. Kachoriwala. It was a takeaway joint in a busy market – Naya Bazar and parking was difficult. When we reached the outlet finally, still at an early 8.30 or so, we were behind three rows of customers. But things moved fast and we got our plate of bedai (a variety of poori which is harder and has spices in it) topped with chutney and potato curry. These were tasty and super affordable and we could then justify the popularity. We also liked their samosa and crispy dessert jalebis that we had later.

South Indian breakfast at Vijaywada, Andhra Pradesh

The standard South Indian breakfast would comprise thick rice crepes or dosa, rice cake – idli accompanied with tangy and spicy lentil soup – sambar, and grated coconut chutney. We were at Vijaywada to attend the social media summit and we had this breakfast every morning. The high cereal presence in this fare kept one full for longer and the carbohydrate provided energy bursts to work through the day. On one of the mornings, we had fried dumplings or vadas during breakfast. These were crispy and somewhat oily but helped break the monotony of the same items that we were having every morning.

Chinese breakfast at Tiretti Bazar, Kolkata

Kolkata has a China Town with settlers here for centuries. They hold a legendary Chinese breakfast market early morning, with more options during weekends. We love chicken dumplings, stuffed buns, meatball soup, fried breads, sticky rice pudding, and almond pies. A meal for three, with things packed for home, cost us about Rs. 500 and we were full to the brim when done. There was no sitting arrangement here, only some moveable tables where we could rest the soupy dishes. The market started winding up by 8 am and was cleared by 8.30 so one needs to reach here early. But every item tastes simple yet different and divine so it is totally worth sacrificing the early morning sleep.

Many a time during our travels, our day has been so busy, or the place so remote, that we have not been able to find any food option. We learnt our lesson the hungry way and now, we can never underestimate the benefits of waking up early for breakfast. Breakfast fills us up, puts us in excellent spirits, and creates amazing stories that we can share with you.

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