MG Road is the most happening street, with old stone and architectural buildings, wide one-way roads, shops on both the side of the streets, vendors selling clothes and food hub. A place loved by all Punekars. Here are a few eatery outlets one should never miss:
1.Arkie’s Born Bakers
Whenever you are craving for a perfect cake or a pastry, this is one place you should rush to. They serve doughnuts, cakes, pastries, bread, pizza and burger along with hot drinks. Desserts are just perfectly moist, chocolaty and mouth-watering. Dutch Truffle pastry and Ferrero Rocher pastry are all time favourites. The grilled sandwiches too are yummy. Apart from one on MG Road in Rahul Towers, there are 2 more outlets in Pune.
2.Kohinoor Restaurant
Kohinoor is an old restaurant which serves the best bun-muska and tea (cutting chai) that one could get on MG road. One will usually find people eating egg curry, egg bhurji along with pav and biryani. An eggetarian will always leave this restaurant with a big smile on his/her face.
3.Zaika Pure Veg
Zaika is a vegetarian restaurant which serves North Indian, Chinese, South Indian cuisine. Pav bhaji and Chinese are tasty, however one should try Punjabi food as well especially- Paneer Tikka masala and butter naan. The ambience is average; the service and quality are good. It is a perfect place for a heavy lunch on Sunday noon.
4.Mona Food
Mona Food is a North Indian and Chinese Vegetarian restaurant. One dish which you will find on most of the tables is ‘chole bhature’. This place provides you with a large quantity yummy meal with soft music in the background and soothing ambience, along with fast service. It is reasonable as a meal for one (chole bhature) cost 110 Rs only. Chinese served here is tasty.
5.Marz-O-Rin
Marz-O-Rin is like ‘THE CHILLING’ place in Camp; it has its own goodwill, with same employees and the same taste for over decades. It serves pasta, cakes, cookies, biscuits, pastry sandwiches, shakes, crushes and what not. You will always have to wait and will find people taking takeaways of chutney/chicken sandwiches along with cold coffee. Outside sitting is very ethnic with old wooden tables and chair and glass lamps. Green apple crusher, macaroni with cheese/ chicken, cold coffee, coconut macarons and chutney sandwich is a must try.
6.Clover Sandwich and Pizza
A man stands with his small covered kitchen amidst the clutter of other hawkers on their hath-gadi behind clove centre. He serves different types of sandwiches- grilled and toast. Cheese vegetable sandwich leaves the taste of spicy green chutney along with crunchy vegetables and mild cheese in your mouth. If you love street food and not a hygiene freak, you should definitely try this place.
7.Bagicha Corner
This outlet belongs to the chain of “Bagicha Corner” of Mahableshwar. They serve shakes, ice-creams, corn snacks like sandwiches etc. The two mandatory servings of the place is strawberry with cream, with those fresh strawberries from Mahableshwar and raspberry crush which you wish to just keep on having. Corn roll has all the flavours in perfect amount and is so mouth-watering.
8.Cafe Barista
Café Barista is a very comfortable place to sip your coffee and simultaneously work peacefully. You can sit here for as long as you want with the perfect ambience, glass walls allowing you to look through and the aroma and smell of coffee makes it just perfect. This is the only cafe on the street and comes at the extreme end of MG Road.
9.Karachi Sweet
Karachi Sweet is an age old renowned and trusted sweets mart on MG road. One unique thing here is the green chutney they serve along with samosa. It is sweet, but also spicy with a lot of coriander in it. Samosa too is very tasty which makes the combination much more appealing and delicious. This place serves a sweet called as ‘Sev Barfi’, trust me, you wouldn’t have tried a better ‘Sev Barfi’ anywhere in Pune and I doubt how many sweet marts would even serve you one.
10.Matki Bhel
Matki bhel is a chat variety, which has sprouts along with onion and two to three different types of namkeen mixed along with lemon and green chilli paste and garnished with lots of sev and coriander. A man stands outside Archies on MG Road and serves matki bhel and you will usually find people with a cone shaped newspaper filled with matki bhel while they are street shopping.
11.Goti Soda
There is a man who stands along with his stall (popularly known as hath gaddi). He serves lemon water, lemon soda, goti soda etc. A glass of soda cost 30 Rs and he provides with the best handmade soda- sweet or salty as per your demand. While you are shopping during summers or after snacks a glass of soda refreshes you completely.
12.Cafe Toons
Cafe Toon’s is this funky place with cartoons drawn on the walls, an all time favourite of the youngster. It is constructed underground and the only chilling hub which provides drinks on MG Road. It serves bar snacks and different drinks like Long Island Ice Tea etc. Finger chips are most loved and ordered, with live match screenings etc. Nachos with cheese, burger, pizzas etc. is too available here and served in a trending unique way.
13.Pune Zarthosti Seva Mandal
You will never get stale food here as this place has an offer of buy one get one free after 8:45 p.m. This is a small counter on the street of MG Road, with people who love chicken surrounding the counter. Chicken biryani, chicken cutlet, chicken burger etc. are mouth- watering. This place also serves vegetarian food though non-vegetarian course is tastier.
14.Mahalaxmi Dhokla
Earlier this place was called Aunty’s dhokla. It serves dhokla in a unique form- cold dhokla, along with hot tamarind and green chutney, garnished with- coconut, coriander and sev. If you reach this place after 7:30 p.m. you will return empty handed as it is always filled with people eating there or taking parcel etc. This is one of the most hygienic places on the street, everything covered etc. As well the man here serves dhokla as per weight; hence to all the foodie people there, you will always get the same quantity.
15.Royal Bakery
Royal bakery is this small old bakery which produces its own unique biscuits, cake, khari, bread etc. You can’t leave this place without buying coconut biscuits. They are perfectly baked- crispy but yet soft and adequately sweet. It also bakes crispy triangular khari- which is made up of maida and butter. If you are a tourist in Pune make sure you buy cake, cookies etc. from here when you decide to go back home.
16.Pasteurs
Pasteur is a place right beside Marz-O-Rin, the only eatery place which is open on the MG road till 11:30 p.m. and beyond. They serve chats, pav-bhaji, shakes, sandwiches etc. It is like shop in a beach. Sundays is when there is no place to stand in there. Softy with chocolate dip is a must try. Pani-puri is also a chat which attracts youngsters, etc. throughout the day. There is no ambience as such- Mario-Miranda’s cartoons on the wall, you have to stand and eat unless you are lucky enough to get a table/chair. The food covers for it all.
17.Budhani & Sons
Budhani & Sons is like local Haldiram. It is an iconic old shop which has earned goodwill due to the quality of the snacks made. You will find all dry snacks- potato wafers in different flavours, bobbies, etc. made by Budhani & Sons themselves. It also sells packed biscuits etc. from other brands. Budhani’s chip is a mandatory addition in the menu during kids’ birthday parties.
18.Hotel Aurora Towers
Hotel Arora Towers is a three-star hotel on MG Road. This is a place on MG road which displays class, style, ambience etc. Food is tasty here and is a nice place for Punekars to conduct meeting over a cup of tea.
19.Poona Coldrink House
This is one of the most trusted places for dairy products on MG road like matka dahi, lassi etc. This place serves mastani, ice-cream, faluda etc. When you visit here, you will find every table having at least one bowl or glass of faluda which appears very colourful. Especially, the pista faluda is love. It’s is not something very different but still unique in its own way. During summers one should definitely go and try sweet matka dahi, it soothes your body.
20.Priya
Priya is another very old restaurant on MG road which is famous for south Indian food. Especially, idli and uttapa are served with sambar and white coconut chutney. The coconut chutney is remarkable and adds flavour to the meal. One mandatory dish that everyone must try is vegetable cutlet, my mouth is already watering!
