You think of Lucknow, you think of food! While the Tunday kebabs give the true taste of the Lucknowi cuisine, when in need of a little pick me up, the residents of the city will always turn to chaat. Basket chaat, gol gappe, raj kachori, there’s so much variety! If your mouth has started watering already, here are 7 famous chaat spots in Lucknow that you need to visit to add that zing to your evenings:

1. Royal Café: When in Hazratganj, you cannot miss Royal Café. Of walls covered with pictures of celebrities who have tried their food, counters laden with chaat and their skilled chefs preparing orders by the minute, having chaat at Royal Café is nothing short of an experience. Be it their famous basket chaat, palak patta chaat, gol gappe with different flavours of water or some dahi batashe to finish it off, it is one of the most legendary chaat outlets of Lucknow.

2. Shukla Chaat House: Another stop that you can make at Hazratganj for chaat is the Shukla Chaat House. Not only do they cook everything in desi ghee but also offer a great variety of foods right from the basic pani puri and dahi batashe to matar tikkis, which are a specialty of Lucknow.

3. Pandit Chaat Corner: Located at Naka Charbagh, Pandit Chaat Corner does their chaat a little differently. Instead of serving their potates as tikkis, they smash and fry it and all chaat fanatics love it. Their matar ki chaat and pani ke batashe are also must haves.

4. Jain Chaat Bhandar: If you’re in or around Lalbagh Chowk, you cannot not stop at Jain Chaat Bhandar, one of Lucknow’s most famous chaat shops. Everything here sells out by 9 p.m. owing to the delicious taste of their aloo tikki, pani puri and dahi batashe.

5. King of Chaat: King of Chaat in Hazratganj absolutely holds true to its name. This joint in Lucknow has been around for years and their crispy aloo tikkis laden with fresh yoghurt, delicious chutneys, masala, the paapdi chaat, pani ke batashe or golgappas are being loved by the residents of the city and tourists ever since.

6. Pandit Ramnarayan Tiwari Chaat Wala: Ganeshganj in Lucknow houses another legendary chaat shop named Pandit Ramnarayan Tiwari Chaat Wala. Chaat lovers can enjoy pani ke batashe here in five different flavours. Not just this, their batashas filled with mashed potatoes and boiled chickpeas and dahi bade take the chaat game a notch higher.

7.Shri Kalika Chaat House: Shri Kalika Chaat House, an old and small chaat shop in Aminabad is one of the very few chaat shops in the area currently being run by the fourth generation owners. A must try here is the papdi chaat, matar ki tikki and pani ke batashe.

Lucknow is a city that loves its sweet and spice and no wonder, chaat, which so deliciously combines these two flavours is a favourite of the residents here. So when are you visiting one of these spots?