Top things to eat in Kolkata

Kolkata is still the most affordable city in India in terms of food. Given that Kolkata was the capital of British India till the year 1911, people from all over India came and settled here. The Marwaris, Gujratis, Punjabis, Tamils and hill people started their trades in various parts of the city. In this process they got their cultures and food to the Kolkata Food Guide. Over time, such eclectic mix of regional food, with some local influence, led to a rich culinary spectrum in this city. Even now, the Chinese food in Kolkata is perhaps the best in the country. In fact, the street food of Kolkata can be fodder for a standalone article. You can visit Kolkata just for a gastronomy trip.

The top things to eat in Kolkata most defintely should include biryani, Bengali sweets, mishti doi, bakery, roadside tea or “cha”, fuchka, Chinese and Tibetan food specially momos.

Momos in Kolkata

Momos are after all a food with Tibetan origin. Why Kolkata momos?  To answer this question we need a little background. Kolkata has been the gateway to rest of India for the hill people. Nepalese and Bhutanese people settled in the hill stations Darjeeling and Kalimpong in North Bengal would travel to Kolkata all the time for education, business, shopping or a leisurely break. In fact, the nearest international airport to the state of Sikkim is Kolkata and people from Sikkim kept coming to Kolkata all the time. Along with them, they got their popular food items, particularly momos, to the city.

Best Momo Shop in Kolkata

This was way before momos were carted to various localities like fuchka in Kolkata. To the best of our knowledge, the earliest exclusive momo shops in Kolkata were all in the Elgin Road area between Rabindra Sadan and Netaji Bhaban Metro stations. In fact, the bylanes here have a visibly high Tibetan population. None of these places were fancy and we were almost eating out of the households.

Hamro Momo was among the first momo joints in this area. Many momo places opened after Hamro, and we have tried almost all of them. We are of the unanimous opinion that Hamro Momo is the best.

Hamro Momo in Kolkata

Hamro Momo is not a restaurant. It is a time warp. It does not offer any fancy seating arrangements and there are three tables here. But it features among legendary eateries in Kolkata for its tasty and affordable food. When one of us first visited Hamro in his high school days at least 25 years ago, he would often have to share tables with other diners. He was very keen to revisit the experience and we went back again last week during our annual Durga Puja in Kolkata ritual. Hamro apparently has not changed. They still have 3 tables. And what the Delhiite noticed was that there was no air conditioning! Now that could be a bit much for someone who is not used to the high level of humidity in Kolkata. But the Calcuttan did not care!

Where is Hamro Momo in Kolkata

Hamro Momo is located off Elgin Road. We took the famous yellow taxi in Kolkata and got down at Rabindra Sadan Metro Station, Elgin Road side. Hamro was a few metres in the opposite lane. The other landmarks close to Hamro are Exide crossing, Lukkhy Babu goldsmith shops and Shambhu Nath Pandit Hospital.

What to try at Hamro Momo

Hamro is a Tibetan food joint, the sort that you would find at Majnu  ka Tilla. They have a long menu but there best items would be momos, thukpa and chop suey.

Our favourite dish here are pork steamed momos. They serve these with mouth burning home made chili paste and a bowl of seasoned stock like a clear soup. The description is making our mouth water. The momos are soft and juicy and they steam the momos fresh on order. The pork filling is mildly spiced. Earlier, they would put in more filling though. A single plate of 5 large momos is still enough for a light meal.

The chicken steamed momos are nice as well and some swear by their fried momos. These are tasty too but the fried momos tend to fill us up more than we want.

The other must try dish here is the American Chop Suey. It is moderately sweetened and has decent helping of chicken pieces. Some places tend to make a dessert out of American Chop Suey but Hamro gets the taste just right. They serve it with a fried egg on top. Earlier the yolk was left soft and when pierced, would run and mix beautifully with the chop suey adding to its thickness. When we tried the dish this time, the egg was deep fried and we missed the taste of the yolk in the dish. A single dish of chop suey is enough for 2 people.

Pro tip

The predominant clientele at Hamro is from the local offices and colleges. Therefore, they are sometimes closed on Sundays and holidays. Do check beforehand.

Also, it is a small room, more like a joint, which can get a little stuffy if full with diners. If you are sensitive to heat and humidity, avoid Harmo Momos during summer. But if you are looking for great food at affordable prices (our meal for 2 costed less than Rs. 300/-), the Kolkata food trail should lead you here.