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Vegetarian Punjabi thali with dal, sabzi, roti, and lassi
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Food & drink · 2026-04-12

Vegetarian Punjab: 10 dishes and where to eat them

Punjab is 60% vegetarian by daily practice — here are the 10 essential veg dishes and the specific restaurants that do each best.

The essential five

1) Dal makhani — Kesar Da Dhaba, Amritsar, cooked overnight, $3. 2) Chole bhature — Bharawan Da Dhaba, Amritsar, $2. 3) Sarson da saag with makki di roti — Pal Dhaba, Chandigarh, winter only, $4. 4) Amritsari kulcha — All About Kulcha, Ranjit Avenue, $2 with chole and chutney.

5) Rajma chawal — Sagar Ratna Ludhiana or any dhaba on GT Road at Karnal-Ambala truck-stop level, $3.

The other five

6) Paneer tikka — Punjab Grill Chandigarh, $12, the reference version. 7) Lassi (sweet) — Ahuja Milk Bhandar, Amritsar, $1.50. 8) Jalebi — Novelty Sweets, Amritsar, 50 cents. 9) Aloo paratha — Crystal Restaurant, Ludhiana, $2. 10) Kadhi pakora — any home-style dhaba, best at Giani Tea Stall Amritsar for lunch, $3.

Veg travellers have it easy in Punjab. Even non-veg dhabas run a full veg menu because the Sikh Guru's kitchen at every gurdwara serves langar that is 100% vegetarian by rule.

Questions, answered

Is Jain food available?
In Amritsar and Chandigarh yes, ask for 'no onion no garlic' at any restaurant. Bikanervala and Haldiram's chains do this by default in their Jain menus.
Vegan options?
Harder. Dairy is central to Punjabi cooking. Focus on chole, aloo dishes, roti, and rice. Blue Tokai Chandigarh does oat milk lattes.

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