Kolkata being the safe heaven for street food lovers is pretty famous for its “Fuchka”. The crispy balls paired with ‘pur'(poor) made of mashed potatoes, dried yellow peas, green chilli and masalas, dipped in ‘tokjol’ (tamarind water mixed with spices) indeed gives one the taste of heaven.While this is the basic form of Fuchka, various variations can be found too. Some of them being – Doi Fuchka, Misti Fuchka etc.With time, several new joints have sprang up that experiment with the ‘pur'(poor) and serve the people with new kinds of cocktail fuchkas that contain a variety of things in each bite. But none of this can beat the raw authenticity of roadside basic Fuchka’s charm.
1.Dakshinapan
Every residence of Kolkata knows about this place. Reason? Because it serves one of the best Fuchkas in the city! The speciality here is the ‘Dum Aloo Fuchka’ . He sells ‘Dum Aloo’ as a separate dish too. One plate of fuchka costs anywhere around Rs.40-50 per plate which is a little higher than the rest, but the taste is worth it all.His location is just infront of the main gate of Dakshinapan. Right from where the Dhakuria bridge ends.
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2.Gariahat More
Gariahat is one of the top two local markets in Kolkata. One of the most busiest places, that sees waves of crowd throughout the day. The quick escape to all the hustle and bustle is the Fuchka joint in Gariahat more. The stall is among many other food stalls yet manages to stand out because of the delight it has to offer. The second the Fuchka filler with ‘pur’ and ‘tokjol’ enters the mouth, it seems as if the world has come to a standstill. No exaggeration, it indeed tastes so good. One plate here costs Rs. 20-30.It is located right at the Gariahat crossing.
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3.Vivekananda Park
Maharaja Chat Centre is world famous let alone Kolkata. Starting from residents to non-residents to famous Bollywood actors, there are very few who don’t know about Vivekananda Park’s fuchka joint. The man behind this masterpiece Dilip da is quite a known face too. Don’t forget to try the Dahi fuchka here. The vehicle that he brings all the stuff in is wrapped in a blue cloth and popularly called BMW Mercedes. The price of one plate fuchka here costs something around Rs. 30-40.The location is right beside Vivekananda Park, opposite Kamala Girl’s High School.
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4.Burra Bazar
This place remains crowded right from the hour it starts selling till the hour each and every fuchka is sold. One might even have to wait in line to get to te fuchkawala to taste the unearthly tasty fuchka that he makes. The fuchka here comes in a different shape than the rest of the Kolkata, which adds to its popularity. And that is absolutely justified. One plate costs around Rs.20-40. And he sits right infront of the Burra Bazar Police Station.
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5.Chakraberia
This joint along with selling one of the best tasting fuchkas has a twist that adds to the humanitarian side of this beautiful city. By now we know that mashed potato is one of the chief ingredients of fuchka. But the locality consists of quite a good number of Jain population, hence aloo or potato is replaced by green banana. This does not lessen the taste by one bit. Although here you’ll get the traditional styled fuchka too. One plate costs around Rs.20-30.
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6.Victoria Memorial
Being on the main attractions of Kolkata, fuchka joints beside Victoria are the best too. Tourists, locals, residents while leaving witnessing the beautiful Victoria Memorial make sure that they halt and have fuchka here while the sun sets and the Victoria gets all gorged up in lights. The speciality here is the Misti Fuchka. In Misti Fuchka, the tokjol is replaced with a sweet chutney that melts the moment the fuchka goes inside the mouth. The cost of fuchka per plate here is around Rs.30-40.
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7.C.i.t Market
Another busy market in the heart of the city is CIT Market. There is nothing one cannot not get here. Starting from utensils to food to sweets. Everything is available. Although the place is overcrowded with fast food stalls, Kalu da’r fuchka wins over everything. And this place is pretty cheap as well. The cost lingers around Rs.10-20 per plate.The market is located at Chetla, and the stall is right at the end of the market.
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8.Lake View Road
This locality has many educational institutes present, and this fuchka joint is student’s favorite. The fuchkawala is known for his good behaviour and excellent service. He serves a variety of fuchkas – doi fuchka, misti fuchka, ghugni fuchka and never says no. The price of one plate is around Rs.20-30.Location is Lake View Road, at the end of the road of Sai Baba temple.
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9.Hazra More
Hazra is a busy place. It has many educational institutes present as well as offices and cinema halls. So, different type of people come here in different parts of the day for different purposes. The speciality of thus joint is the misti fuchka that it serves. Tastes magical. Here, one plate typically costs Rs.20-30.Location is right at the Hazra crossing, infront of the Hazra park.
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10.Rashbebari Gurudwara
Rashbehari being the midpoint of Chetla and Gariahat, has a number of banks situated and a busy metro station. Therefore, it sees a good crowd throughout the day especially in the evening. And the fuchka joint that is located here is pretty famous among the people. It serves absolutely basic traditional form of fuchka but adds one masala that he calls his ‘secret masala’ that does the wonder. One plate costs Rs.20-30 approximately.Location of this fuchka joint is just opposite the Rashbehari Gurudwara.
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11.Vardhaan Market
Vardhaan Market is a shopping complex that has numerous shops of bariety of things. And the place remains always crowded with shoppers flocking around. The fuchka joint in Vardhaan market is famously known for the maker’s own home made masalas. The special ingredients he puts are methi, dhaniya, ajwain, saunf and jeera that makes the main taste of the fuchka. Prices are a little high here, onle plate approximately costs Rs.40-50. But whoever has tasted it, has not been disappointed.Location just infront of Vardhaan Market, Camac Street.
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12.Jadavpur
One of the top Universities of this world the famous Jadavpur University is the heart of this place. Bot only the students of JU but many other people come to JU everyday since its open to all and a popular hangout zone.The fuchka joint right infront of Gate no.3 of JU serves mouth-watering fuchka and that too for a very cheap rate. One plate costs somewhere around Rs.20-30.
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13.New Market
Along with Gariahat, the other busiest market places in Kolkata is New Market. Hub of shops and stalls, everything required is available here that too in a pocket friendly price. It can be easily guessed that there must be several fuchka joints here. You’re right, there are. But the one that is the best in the area is the one just opposite Sreeleather’s, Lindsay Street. One plate of fuchka costs Rs.20. And the taste is heavenly.
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14.Russell Street
One of the few reasons why Russell Street is known for is Nankuram’s Fuchkas. This joint is one of the oldest in the city. Why it has been successful in surviving for such a long period of time is easy to guess. Because of the kind of fuchka it serves. Here, yet again a special mix of masalas are used to prepare the pur which remains a secret till date. One plate here costs almost Rs.30-40.Location is right at the beginning of Russell Street.
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15.Alipore
This particular joint serves the most number of varieties of fuchka in the whole world. Pravesh, the owner serves 20 different types of fuchkas. The two most popular varieties are the chocolate fuchka, and bullet fuchka. He also serves free fuchka to toppers for a year. Apart from these, there are many other varieties that are served. This place is a bit costly, but totally worth it. One plate costs approximately Rs.40-50.Location of this joint, is just beside Alipore Garden Cafe.
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16.Ultandanga More
Ultadanga is another busy place in the heart of the city of joy. The fuchka joint present here caters to the huge crowd it gets to witness everyday with utmost swiftness. Not one customer has left the joint unsatisfied. One plate costs almost Rs.20-30.Location of this joint is right at the crossing of Ultadanga, near P C Jewellers.
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17.Dharmatala
Dharmatala as it is called the ‘Office Para’ that literally translates to ‘Office locality’ remains busy throughout the day with office-goers and commuters and others. Although there sit many fuchkawalas in the area, the one near New Empire Cinema is hands-down the best. One plate here costs Rs.20-30.
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18.Triangular Park
Triangular Park is the mid-point of four ways that all lead to busy economic places. Thus, the area sees huge waves of people all day. The shopping mall ‘City Style’ attracts lots of people everyday who quintessentially don’t leave the area with a dry fuchka in their mouth. The best fuchka in the area is the one just opposite the shopping mall. One plate here typically costs Rs.20-30.
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19.Lake Kali Bari
Ballygunge is famous for good quality fuchka joints along with other things. But the one that deserves special mention, is the one just outside Lake Kalibari. Apart from taste, the USP of this fuchka joint is that it is very hygienic. The owner offers filtered water which is something very very unique for roadside fuchka stall. One plate here typically costs Rs.20-30.
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