Both Mahrukh and Mahvish grew up in Kashmir but are now settled in Delhi.

All these years when we were growing up in Kashmir there were not a lot of eateries or Cafes around then. Just a few places like Coffee Arabica, Little Hut, Hatrick where people would go to grab a bite or an ice cream, and the very famous Seekh Tujj stalls lining the Dal Lake and in Khayyam.

The food scene has come a long way since then. The last time we visited, we weren’t even able to visit all of the new cafes that have sprung up.

Dhaniwal Korma at “Ahdoos”

We visited many though, and were quite impressed by the variety and quality of taste they have all put up. We could easily say that some of them could decently compete with the cafes in Delhi or Bombay. If we had to recall our favourite food experiences in Srinagar, it would be places like Ahdoos, Nun Kun, Cafe Liberty, Shamyana (our all time favourite), Caliph’s Pizza etc

There’s also this lovely Tea Place named Chai Jai that will offer you a scenic view of the Jhelum and allow you to have a quiet time with friends while you sip on to some Kehwa, sitting in an English+Kashmiri setup.

Even in places like Pahalgam, you will find some hotels that serve delicious food; both Indian and Chinese.

Some of the Hotels we ate at were Hotel Mountview (we liked this the best), Hotel Pine and Peek, and Pahalgam Hotel. Pahalgam Hotel also has this quaint little coffee Shop named Cafe Log Inn that is situated right in the main market and overlooks the street. Evenings there can be magical.

There’s actually so much to do now and so many places to hang out at. With these new eateries coming up time to time and offering varieties of food, you will never be bored!

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