Pune travel guide

Misal pav

Pune and Maharashtra's most beloved breakfast—spiced sprouted moth bean curry topped with crispy farsan, raw onion, tomatoes and lime, served with bread rolls (pav); each area of Maharashtra has its heat level and style; Pune's Katakirr Misal has queues from 7am

Vada pav

Mumbai's defining street food—a spiced potato fritter inside a bread bun with dry garlic chutney and thin green chili; eaten by 12 million Mumbaikar's daily from stalls outside every railway station; cheap, filling and addictive

Mastani (milkshake)

Pune's iconic dessert drink—a thick milkshake so substantial it almost requires a spoon; topped with multiple ice cream scoops, nuts and dry fruits; invented at Sujata Mastani near Bajirao Road; the Pune Mastani is legally a Pune cultural object

Bhakarwadi

Pune's beloved spiral snack—a spicy-sweet roll of chickpea paste flavored with sesame, coconut, tamarind and chili, tightly rolled, sliced and deep-fried; Chitale Bandhu Mithaiwala since 1950 is the defining source; the contrast of crunch and tangy filling is pure Maharashtra

Shrewsbury biscuits

Pune's most famous confection—melt-in-mouth pure-butter shortbread biscuits invented at Kayani Bakery in 1955; kept in a tin, they last for weeks; people carry them from Pune as gifts; simple, perfect and completely irreplaceable despite imitations across India