The question isn’t – to eat or not to eat, the dilemma is where to eat? Ma wants a relief from cooking every year and like every year, she will end up trying the new delicacy which she has learnt from one of the cooking channels. Baba admonishes eating out all the year and will end up ordering his favourite egg chicken roll once again when around Maddox Square. Kolkata Durga Pujo always means a close fight between street food and eating out in a restaurant. Most Bhojon roshik Bangali maintains a balance between the two. So here is a quick glance into some of the food festivals which you cannot miss . 

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Polashir Mangsho in Aaheliana

Aaheli, The Peerless Inn – Being the first fine dining Bengali restaurant, what Aaheli will offer for Kolkata Durga Pujo is always eagerly anticipated. There is A La carte as well as buffet spread to ensure that the best combinations of Bengali food reaches the guests in this Durga Pujo. The menu has Shitol Modhur Daab as welcome drink and then the vegetarian spread will have dishes like begun posto, paturir panch kahon, bahari aloor bora. The non veg section will have Chingrir Chalchitra, Poddar pabda, doi chingri, koi er horo gouri. Indulge yourself into desserts like postor cutlet, Him Sudha etc.There will be additional Lokkhisona thali and Monihari Mangshor Thali 

Date – 4th to 8th October , Buffet and Thalis will be available for both lunch and dinner 

Cost – Meal for two will be INR 3000 plus taxes for Peerless Inn Kolkata , and INR 2500 plus taxes for Aaheli Rajarhat. Buffet will be at INR 1895 plus taxes per person at Peerless Inn Kolkata and 1499 plus taxes Aaheli Rajarhat 

Contact – 9831780403 for Peerless Inn Kolkata and 6290820229 for Aaheli Rajarhat 

Is Aaheli the first authentic Bengali fine dining restaurant ? (Link)

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Taj Bengal KolkataCal 27 and Sonargaon. The all day dining and the specialty Indian restaurant has some great offers lined up. Cal 27 will have special buffet offerings and Sonargaon will have special Bengali Thalis. It’s called Pujo celebrations

Date – From 5th till 8th October

Timings – Sonargaon – 12.30 pm till 3.15 PM and 7 PM till 11.30 PM and 12.30 PM to 3.15 PM for lunch and 7 PM till 10.30 PM for Cal 27

Cost – Sonargaon – Niramish Thali @Rs 2400 plus taxes and Amish Thali @Rs 2900 plus taxes , Cal 27 – Buffet @INR 2000 plus taxes and @INR 3000 plus taxes with unlimited beer and wines 

Have you checked out the new restored rooms of Taj Bengal Kolkata ? Click (here)

Contact – Please call  03366123939 for reservations 

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The spread which will be on the offering for Nabami at Chilekotha

ChilekothaThis 50 cover restaurant in Dover Lane, which focuses on nostalgic Bengali food and a personal favourite of ours, has a food festival with different menus for each days of Kolkata Durga Pujo. What’s a Durga Puja Khawa dawa if you are not indulging yourself in lavish meals and that too, different ones each day. It’s Aharey Bodhon on Shashthi, Swadey Saptami on Saptami, Bhoger Ashtami, Oithijher Nobomi and Chetepute Bijoya. It’s a vast menu yet some of the dishes which drew my attention and I will love to try are – Muchmuche chingri, Katla macher rezala, Thakurbarir mangsho, Dhakai fulkopi, dalpuri, hing diye alur dom and many many more. In addition to the buffet, the a la carte menu will also be available and that’s worth trying out. 

Read our first experience about Chilekotha here

Date – From 4th till 8th October All day open from 12 noon 

Cost – The buffet is priced at INR 1260 ( All inclusive) and INR 840 for kids ( All Inclusive) 

Contact – Call 9830787841 for reservations 

Madhushree and Debjani had a very successful bengali food festival here. Check out the food they prepared. (Link)


Kolkata Durga Pujo 2019 JW Marriott

The spread at JW Marriott Kolkata as a part of Pujar Thali

JW Kitchen, JW Marriott Kolkata – It’s food and more at this popular 5 star property on the Bypass. They have a special stay package as well as various activities lined up inside the Hotel. In case you thought there is no food, then wait. From three outlets –  Grand Ball room, Vintage Asia and JW Kitchen one can enjoy various cuisines and delicacies. The star attraction will be Baul Sangeet, Abritti, Chhau Dance and many more. Multiple cultural programs with artists like Sujoyprasad Chatterjee, Succhonda Ghosh, Folk Band Miliputs are lined up.

Vintage Asia had a menu relaunch with Chef Alxsander Cheng coming in. Read it here. (Link)

The Grand Ball room will serve the Pujo Mahabhoj from Saptami to Nabami. JW Kitchen will have Indian, Continental and Asian favourites which will include Stir Fry Asian Greens, Murg Tariwala, Chingri Macher Malaikari, Sorshe Maach etc. The signature Pan Asian restaurant – Vintage Asia will also boast of Puja Specials. For Pandal hoppers there is special midnight buffet to take care of hunger pangs. 

Date – Various offers starting from 4th till 8th October

Cost – JW Kitchen – Lunch (12:00 pm- 5:00 pm): INR 1450++ per person -Dinner (7:00 pm – 11:30 pm) INR 1650 ++ per person, -Midnight (12:30 am- 3:00 am) INR 1270 ++per person , Unlimited alcohol package ( INR 999 AI ) 

Grand Ballroom – Mahabhoj – -Lunch (12:00 pm – 3:00 pm) INR 1350 ++ per person

Vintage Asia – INR 1999 plus taxes for a 4 course degustation menu 

Booking Number – Reservations: +91 33 6633 0000


ITC Sonar and ITC Royal Bengal – 

In this Pujo, ITC is offering special stay packages at ITC Royal as well as ITC Sonar which will include Kumortoli Walk, Pandal hopping, Belur Math visit, performing Anjali, observing Kumari Puja, Sindur khela and many more Kolkata Durga Puja centric activities. You can check the website or call the number below for reservations. 

Grand Market Pavilion, the all day dining at ITC Royal Bengal will have lunch and dinner buffet at INR 2150 plus taxes, Ottimo the Italian outpost and Royal Vega the delectable vegetarian cuisine from royal kitchens of Kolkata will have a la carte menu. Eden Pavilion at ITC Sonar with authentic Bengali Cuisine will have lunch and dinner buffet at INR 2150 plus taxes. You can also opt to go to Pan Asian for a set menu for lunch and dinner at INR 2499 plus taxes and Dum Pukht will have a Set Lunch for INR 2499 plus taxes

Date –  The special stay packages are available from 26th September to 13th October 2019 and the food festival is from 4th till 8th October. 

Contact – Call 033 2345 4545/ 4446 4646 for reservations 


Hyatt Regency Kolkata From a lavish lunch to midnight buffet ending at 3 AM, Hyatt Regency Kolkata has left no stone unturned to offer you the best feast during this Durga Pujo. Its called Bongo Bhojan in Waterside cafe  Its a lunch and dinner buffet which will have 101 offerings and who can ignore some of the star attractions of Kolkata food like Fish Kabiraji , Mangsher Chop, Murgir Fuluri, chicken roll, egg roll , Paneer roll, Bati Chingri and there lots  more. 

In case you want to look beyond then there is Gucci, which has lunch and dinner buffet called Durga Puja divine feast. The North Indian Thali with various combinations served here has a little bit of everything and some of the dishes worth trying out are Peshawari Paneer Tikka, Bhatti Ki Kukkad, Methi Murg, Kumbh Palak, pudina Lachha paratha and many more 

Date – 4th to 8th October at Waterside cafe and Guchhi

Cost – Lunch – INR 1999 AI , Dinner – INR 1999 AI and Midnight Buffet – INR 999 AI per person at Waterside cafe. 

Vegetarian – 1499 and Non Vegetarian – 1699 for lunch and dinner at Gucchhi

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KOlkata Durga Pujo 2019

Bhapa Chingri as a part of the spread in The Westin

Seasonal Tastes in The Westin Kolkata has Pujo Bhoj from Panchami to Dashami (3rd to 8th October) which will have Bengali delicacies like Kosha Mangsho and Luchi, shorshe maach, Bhetki Paturi, Fish Kaalia, Mutton Curry, Mishti Pulao, Kolkata Biryani, Doi Murgi with some Tangra chinese, Momo and thukpa . The spread is available for both lunch and dinner. 

Date – 3rd to 8th October

Cost – Lunch at INR 1599 plus taxes and INR 1999 plus taxes ( for domestic alcohol) and dinner at INR 1599 plus taxes with alcohol packages at INR 999 for domestic brands and INR 1500 plus taxes for premium brands. 

Contact number – 033 – 4037 1234 


Waterside cafe , Hyatt Regency Kolkata – Waterside cafe, the all day dining of Hyatt Regency Kolkata will usher in the Durga Puja

Vivanta by Taj –  Vivanta by Taj will have Kolkata Durga Pujo festivities across all the outlets – Mint, Wink and Swirl. Mint, the All day dining, will have Purbo and Paschim Bangla exotics like Ilish Mach Shorshe bata, Narkol Dudh Chingri, Bele Macher Shukto, Lau Kankra, Rosomalai, Chandrapuli, kesar Badam doi etc. Wink, the Bar, will have unlimited beverages table snacks and one veg and non veg starter. 

Date – 4th till 8th October 2019 available for lunch and dinner 

Cost –  INR 2298 plus taxes for Lunch and INR 2598 plus taxes for dinner at Mynt, INR 1998 for Wink 

Contact – Call 8240117754 for reservations 

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Kolkata Durga Pujo 2019 - Traffic Gastropub

Traffic Gastropub – In case you want to enjoy some music and some pubbing in this festive season, then Traffic Gastropub is the place. They have a special menu which has some of the well known street food from Kolkata with some twist.There is dry chili chicken, Poddar er paneer er chop, Mashir Mangshor Chop, Kosha Mangsho Pizza, Chingri malaikari Pizza to name a few.

Date – 4th to 8th October , 12 noon to 1 AM on 4th and 8th October and 12 noon to 2 AM on 5th, 6th and 7th October

Cost – Varies from Rs 175 to RS 550

Contact – Call 7797504404 for reservations 


Pour House – Sector V – There are special welcome drinks, both alcoholic and non alcoholic. Try out the Nomoshkar, which is made with Homemade Kashmiri Kahwa with gin and honey and The Divine Spirit and Whisky 21. The starters include Kolkata Soya Champ, khashi Mangsho sheek kebab, and others where as the main includes Dal Makhni kebab platter, Butter chicken kebab platter, kochi pathar jhol platter, Biryani and more

Date – 3rd to 8th October

Cost – INR 2000 plus for meal of two

Contact – Call 7003915522 for reservations 


One of the dishes from The Brewhive for this Pujo

The Brewhive – On the occassion of Kolkata Durga Puja, The Brewhive the gastropub has an assortment of dishes which are traditional and some innovative ones too. There is green cheese and croquettes panchforon flavoured chicken skewers, murshidabadi chicken saslik to name a few. There are thin crust pizzas too and and the main course includes dal makhni, paneer tawa masala, biryani and chaap. The dessert will have bhapa malai dab shondesh and baked boondi pie.

Date – 3rd to 8th October

Cost –  Meal for two will be INR 2500 plus taxes

Contact –  Call 6292121484 or 6292121485 for reservations


The Daily fry at The Daily Kolkata

The Daily  – This newly opened cafe with some delicious food bowled us over from Day 1. When a super talented chef Urvika Kanoi is at the helm of affairs, then one can expect the best only. For this Kolkata Durga Pujo, some of the dishes which have been introduced are – The digha Delish (a refreshing welcome drink) , cheese Sambousek , The daily fry among the small plates and Roti  Canai, Asian Curry Bowl for the mains . Don’t forget to check out the desserts from The Daily dessert Bar. 

Date – October 4th to 8th 

Cost – INR 900 plus for meal for two 

Contact – No reservations accepted


Kolkata Durga Pujo 2019 - The Lalit Great EAstern

The Buffet Spread in Alfresco, The lalit Great Eastern Kolkata

The Lalit Great Eastern Kolkata – They call it as the festive indulgence which covers stay, food and beverage, pandal hopping, dandia nights, SPA experiences and many more. And there are special rates available for the rooms as a part of the festive season throughout October. Food at Alfresco – There is lunch buffet, dinner buffet and then there is midnight buffet from 12.30 AM to 3 AM. So, the lunch and the dinner menu will have a wide array of food, which will include notun aloo diye murgur jhol, sapla chingrir ghonto, phul kopir paturi, hinger chorchori to name a few. A classic ending to this meal can be only with Mohabhog, chandrakala, butter stuffed lyangcha etc. There is also a special Navratri Thali available till 8th October. 

The Lalit Great Eastern Kolkata has been a place very close to our heart . Check out the reasons here. (Link)

Cost  – Lunch at 2050 plus taxes , Dinner at 2150 plus taxes and Midnight buffet at 999 plus taxes per person 

Time – From 5th till 7th October, Lunch from 1 PM to 4 PM, Dinner from 7.30 till 11.30 PM and midnight buffet from 12.30 till 3.00 AM

Contact Number – for reservations please call – 9007728074 / 9163329108


Chayna Ochayna from Monkey Bar

Monkey Bar Kolkata From Sept 27th till October 11th The Monkey Bar offers Chayna Ochayna . Curated and planned by reputed home chef Iti Misra, this is all known, loved Kolkata food with a twist. There is Rasogolla chat, Mangshor jhuri bhaja (Kosha Manghso in puja attire) Jaali Prawns, Mini Pantheras, Nolen Gur Panacotta and the list is endless. There is also a platter of Bhaja Bhuji, the Bihari Litti gets a new facelift in Tepa Kachuri and Paturi comes in the name of Bhekti Bhatey with gobindobhog rice. Don’t forget the famous cocktails like Toast To Kolkata, Trump card, Copper Monkey and Mangaa. 

Date – 27th September till 11th October , 2019 

Cost – Avg meal for two will be 1100 plus taxes for for food only and INR 1800 plus taxes for food and cocktails 

Contact – For reservations call 033 – 40606446 


Kolkata Durga Pujo 2019 - The Fatty Bao

Chairman Mao’s Pork Belly in The Fatty Bao

The Fatty Bao Pandals of Chinatown is a new concept for Kolkata and The Fatty Bao brings in the best of dishes of chinatowns across the globe. Tangra, Kolkata, London, Lima, Hong Kong and the list is endless. SO, crispy chili chicken with chili and garlic crumble from our own Kolkata China town with fried noodles. There will be Moo Shu chicken, Fish Puff from Hong Kong, Chairman Mao’s Pork belly from China, whole baby pomfret from Australia and many more. Don’t miss out on Beijing roasted Half duck – the 24 hour Beijing style marinated duck . In desserts there is chinese egg custard amongst others. 

Here is our The Fatty Bao Story when it was launched (Link)

Date – September 27th till October 11th 2019 

Cost – Meal for two – INR 1500 plus taxes for without alcohol and INR 2400 plus taxes with alcohol.

ContactFor reservations call – 9163432033 

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mishti at Oberoi Grand Kolkata Pujor Menu

The Oberoi Grand Kolkata – The Grand Pujor Mahabhoj is one of the most talked about Pujo feast in the city and this year also, it’s no different. It’s a 10 course buffet in different heads like Jolpona Kolpona, Aharer Baharey, Moner Sukhey till Indrer Dorbare. Hence, there will be traditional favourites like Kosha Mangsho, Betki Macher Paturi, Pabda Macher Jhaal, Tel Koi, Chingri Malaikari, some traditional vegetarian recipes like Chenar Devil, Chapor Ghonto, Chenar Muitha, Potol er Dolmar dum and others. Bengali sweets Bhapa Sondesh, Mishti Doi, Rajbhog, Chanar Jilipi will be there to make the grand ending on a sweet note. Each day of the festival will have different menu. 

A heritage walkthrough the hotel is worth trying out. Check it here (Link)

Cost – INR 2500 plus taxes per person 

Date – 5th , 6th and 7th October – Lunch and Dinner and 8th October Lunch only 

Contact – For reservations call – 033 2249 2323

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One of the dishes in The Salt House

The Salt House –  Pandal to table is the concept here where some of the well known dishes are getting presented with contemporary touch. So, there is Ghugni hummus and wood fired herb butter Khulcha, baked puff pastry Shingaras which comes with either spicy aloor dum, green pea and cauliflower or Irani chicken keema. There are pot stickers also which comes with 3 varieties and Pujor Biryani Thali comes with three varieties. All these are A la carte so go ahead and place the orders.  

Date – 28th September till 31st October, Available all day 

Cost – INR 1500 plus taxes for a meal for two 

Contact – 9836732154 , 86976 34551


First Innings, Stadel – The multicuisine restaurant has special bengali Lunch and Dinner buffet starting from 4th till 7th and lunch on 8th. Its Dashobhujar Agomoni – Bhuri Bhoj Assortment of various bengali dishes will be a part of the menu. There will be mochar chop, Dimer Devil, fish fry, bhaja bhuji to start off. There will be rice, dal, Maincourse vegetarian and non vegetarian . Some of the worth trying out dishes will be – parshe jhal, tomato chingri jhal, sorshe narkol chingri, kosha Mangsho, doi katla . The desserts will have khejurer gurer payesh, malpua with rabri, rosogolla

Date – 4th till 8th October , 2019 

Cost – Buffet – 1499 per person AI 

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Stay calm it’s Kolkata Durga Pujo . That’s not enough, we have more

In case you thought that’s all, hold on. There are many more. Paranthewali Gali which has some of the best parathas in the city has a special collection of parathas for the season. Devi Boron er Niramish Bhog will have parathas like Ranga Aloor Porota, Kolmi Shak aar moog dal er porota, Narkel ar postor porota to name a few. This will be available from 1st October till 31st October. Call – 9836760160 for reservations 

Dhokar Paratha from Paratha Gali

Aajisai one of the best places to address your Japanese food craving, will have 5 special dishes for this festive season. There will be Omu rice, Amazu chicken, Wasabi Prawns, Vegetable Harumaki and Chicken Dengaku Roll. This will be available from 3rd till 8th October. Call 033 46025050 for reservations 

Chicken Denguku roll from Ajisai

Ocean Grill – This seafood joint has introduced a Kolkata Durga Pujo Special menu which is an assortment of Bengali, North Indian, Chinese and Italian dishes. Enjoy Dahi ke Sholay, Mutton Shami kebab, Lachha onion salad, chef’s special pasta, Baked Boondi to name a few. There is also a special A La carte menu for this festive season. This one is available from 4th till 8th October.  

Dahi ke Sholay from Ocean Grills

In a mood to taste to Kolkata special Biryani, why not check out Aminia, which serves Biryani and more. Aminia has stepped into its 90th year and what an innings it has been for them. Check out our experience in Aminia. (Link)

The list is endless but again, it’s time I am feeling hungry. So I need to go and check out all these offers if possible and more.  Wish you all a very happy Pujo. It’s the time when one doesn’t need to search for a reason to be happy.

Oh yes, Please dont forget to stock enough Antacids for this mission …