- Breakfast dishes
- Kachori sabzi, tamatar chaat, choora matar (Incredible India)
- Sweets and drinks
- Malaiyyo, chena dahi vada, Banarasi lassi and chai
- Cooking fat
- Mostly desi ghee, so not vegan
- Where
- Eateries on the ghats and in the lanes behind them
Varanasi is easy for vegetarians, and the breakfast is half the reason to go. The risks are not meat, they are ingredients you did not ask about. Here is what the official pages say and the questions to ask.
1. What the city is known for
Incredible India lists iconic Banaras food as Kachori Sabzi, Tamatar Chaat, Choora Matar, Malaiyyo, Chena Dahi Vada and the Banarasi Lassi and Banarasi Chai. Its food guide adds litti chokha, dahi chutney golgappe and Banarasi Thandai. It says most popular eateries are on the ghats or in the narrow lanes behind them.
2. What to know about the cooking
The same guide says the food here is mostly made with desi ghee, and that local food is influenced by neighbouring Bihar and West Bengal. So dishes are vegetarian, but not vegan, and you cannot assume the fat or the dairy.
3. Menu phrases to use
- "Is this fully vegetarian and cooked without egg?"
- "What is it fried or cooked in?" if ghee or dairy matters to you.
- "Is there onion or garlic?" if you avoid them, since we found no official note on this.
- "What is in the thandai?" before you drink anything you have not had before.
4. Easy meal stops
For parents who dislike crowds, eat breakfast at your hotel or a place close to it, and keep the street food for a short walk. We do not name eateries we have not checked.
5. What we could not verify
We found no official list of pure-vegetarian eateries or Jain-friendly options. Ask your hotel to name places and confirm them yourself.
Sources
Incredible India, Varanasi and Varanasi food experiences (incredibleindia.gov.in). Checked on 30 October 2026.
A Miranda House graduate and lawyer who traded courtrooms for slow travel. Cheshta travels with the batches we host ourselves, with a soft spot for travelling alongside elders.
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