WHERE TO EAT

 India has one of the greatest cuisines in the world, which is why I’d like to apologize in advance for this list. Instead of suggesting “where to eat in Delhi”, it should probably be called “where to eat butter chicken in Delhi”.

I usually do a better job of presenting a more well-rounded list of places to eat but butter chicken or murgh makani is one of my absolute favorite foods in the world and a big reason why I had been wanting to visit north India for the longest time. With limited time in the city, I couldn’t resist eating it at virtually every meal.

If you like butter chicken as much as I do, then you’re going to appreciate this list. But if not, then I promise to come up with a more diverse list on my next trip to Delhi (I hope).

1. Moti Mahal

What better way to kickstart this list of butter chicken restaurants in Delhi than with the place credited for inventing the dish? Moti Mahal is a chain of Punjabi restaurants known for popularizing dishes like tandoori chicken and murgh makani.

As the story goes, Moti Mahal was already famous for their tandoori chicken, which is tandoor-roasted chicken marinated in yogurt and spices. As delicious as it is, tandoori chicken has a tendency to dry out, so the cooks at Moti Mahal started recycling the chicken juices left in their marinade trays by adding butter and tomato. The sauce was then mixed with the chicken to create the classic now known as murgh makani or butter chicken. It was an instant hit and quickly became one of the most popular types of curry in India and the rest of the world.

For me, one of life’s greatest pleasures is to dip freshly baked naan into this rich and creamy curry. It is so unbelievably good. This is why I couldn’t visit more restaurants in Delhi. After a meal of murgh makani, naan bread, and basmati rice all to myself, I was pretty much done and asleep.

Moti Mahal is a restaurant chain with many branches in Delhi. Being the butter chicken fan that I am, it was important for me to go to the original branch in Daryaganj. If it isn’t convenient for you to go to this one, then check out this map for Moti Mahal branches in Delhi.

Expect to Spend: Around INR 500 per person

2. Kake Da Hotel

If you check out my Delhi location map, you’ll find a few restaurants in Connaught Place. But of course, I couldn’t help but do a search for “best butter chicken in connaught place” which led me to Kake Da Hotel, a place that’s been known for serving killer butter chicken since 1931.