Surat

Eat

thumbnail|Surat has its own Pani Poori variety Some special and unique dishes of Surat include Locho, Surti Undhiyu, Rasawala Khaman, Cold coco and Surti Ghari. Many of the popular types of food of the state of Gujarat originated in this region. Surti cuisine is not as sweet as the stereotypical Gujarati food, but rather on the spicier side.

Come winter and Suratis will emerge at River Tapi's banks to eat Ponk. Ponk is a unique roasted millet.

Surat is also known for its celebrations of Chandi Padvo usually which usually comes around October. This is the biggest full moon day of the Hindu calendar year. On this day, Surtis buy almost 100 tons of Ghari and other Surati delicacies, then head to Dumas where they have dinner/late night snack under full moon.

There is a popular adage in India which translated means if Kasi is a stairway to heaven, Surat is the place for food. The variety of cuisines is quite large, varying from the local Gujarati Thalis to South Indian food. There are a lot of nice eateries like Indian curry, Klassic, Deewan-e-Khaas which will give you the flavour of a traditional Indian food and for South Indians, Mysore Cafe, Vishnu's, and the Mallu Restaurant provide a good eat-out. The roadside stalls (laari in local parlance) provide tasty and inexpensive food.

Drink

Alcohol is banned in Gujarat. Only foreign tourists and people with drinking licences can purchase liquor. However, the people of Surat are fun-loving and tend to find alcohol in the city. There are some places in Surat such as Golvad, Dumas and Olpad where people can find alcohol more easily under the table from the bootlegger. It's easy for foreign tourists to obtain a liquor permit, but it is not advisable to look for liquor under table as the risk of getting adulterated liquor and suffering from severe health problems is high.

Stay safe

Surat is one of the safest city in India, and even travelling at night is not a matter for concern, as the city night life is such that people don't interfere much with other. Everybody is busy with their own friends and family; leave them alone, and you'll be fine.

Go next

Dumas & Hajira. Dumas 16 km from Surat and Hajira 28 km from Surat are well known health resorts on the creek of Arabian Sea. Hajira has two wells with water rich in iron and sulphur. The pleasant Hazira beach is fringed by feathery casurina trees. Vansada National Park. Located in Valsad district, the park is a home to leopards, tigers, panthers and wild boars. The best time to visit is between October to March. Water Park: Chhab Chhaba Chhub(near Hazira) is very good water park to visit with friends, families, and couple, where lot of water sports rides are available.