Jaisalmer Restaurants and Dining

(Jaisalmer, Rajasthan, India)

There are plenty of restaurants and similar eateries all around central Jaisalmer, often close to the Gandhi Chowk, the fort or the Nagar Palika. The best dining experiences tend not just to be about the food itself, but also the views. The majority of restaurants in Jaisalmer all have one thing in common, they provide really tasty food, and lots of it, at an extremely affordable price, meaning that for many, this really is a holiday highlight.

Those restaurants with the best views tend to overlook sights such as Jaisalmer Fort itself, the Salim Singh-ki Haveli and the Gandhi Chowk. Numerous popular dining venues also offer garden seating, such as the Desert Boy's Dhani Restaurant at the Seemagram Campus, or rooftop settings beneath a high tented roof, available at the Trio on the Gandhi Chowk, where evening musicians add even further atmosphere.

What to Eat

Spicy Indian food is very much the staple in Jaisalmer restaurants, with many specialising in sizzling Tandoori dishes, both meat and vegetarian, such as that provided at Kebab Corner on the Hanuman Chowk. Rajasthani cuisine tends to be very vegetable based, with large quantities of strong and hot spices, even by the standards of India. 'Dat-bati' is a very famous dish in Jaisalmer, and comprises spiced lentils, baked wheat balls and lots of clarified butter (ghee).

Most dining venues tend to serve Rajasthani sweet courses before the actual meal itself, and a large number of restaurants in Jaisalmer regularly feature the following on their menus:

• Besan Chakki - a very sweet dish, made using gram flour (besan)
• Churma - ground wheat, with ghee and jaggery (unrefined Asian sugar)
• Ghevar - honeycomb dish, often topped with thickened milk or syrup
• Ghotua Ladoos - sweet meatballs made with gram flour