Kolkata Evening Food Tour: Zakaria Street Kebabs & Kathi Rolls
Day tour
Food tour
Standard
Departure point
→
Destination
Kolkata, India
Kolkata
1N (Participation Duration)
Walking (Transportation)
English (Language)
Number of participants 0/8
0 booked
Tour description
Zakaria Street runs beside the Nakhoda mosque in the old Muslim quarter, and from late afternoon it fills with charcoal smoke. This is the other Kolkata - not the Bengali one of fish and mustard, but the Awadhi and Mughlai one that arrived with the exiled Nawab of Awadh in 1856 and changed the city's food for good.
We eat suta kebab, minced meat wound around a skewer with thread so it holds together over the coals; haleem, wheat and meat pounded together for hours into a thick porridge; and Kolkata biryani, which is unlike any other in India because it contains a whole potato - a story your guide will tell you properly, because it is a good one.
We also eat the dish Kolkata gave the world: the kathi roll, a paratha wrapped around skewered meat with onion, lime and chilli, invented here in the 1930s so that office workers could eat kebab without greasy hands.
We finish with phirni, ground rice set with milk and cardamom in a small clay pot, and a firni-shop chai.
Small group, maximum 8 guests.
We eat suta kebab, minced meat wound around a skewer with thread so it holds together over the coals; haleem, wheat and meat pounded together for hours into a thick porridge; and Kolkata biryani, which is unlike any other in India because it contains a whole potato - a story your guide will tell you properly, because it is a good one.
We also eat the dish Kolkata gave the world: the kathi roll, a paratha wrapped around skewered meat with onion, lime and chilli, invented here in the 1930s so that office workers could eat kebab without greasy hands.
We finish with phirni, ground rice set with milk and cardamom in a small clay pot, and a firni-shop chai.
Small group, maximum 8 guests.
Meeting point:
View on map
Nakhoda Masjid, Zakaria Street, Chitpur, Kolkata
We meet outside Nakhoda Masjid on Zakaria Street. Your guide will have a small sign with your name. Mahatma Gandhi Road metro is about a 10-minute walk.
Detailed itinerary
Stop 1 - Nakhoda Masjid: We start at the mosque with your guide on the Nawab of Awadh's exile to Kolkata in 1856 and what it did to the city's cooking.
Stop 2 - Suta kebab: Minced meat wound onto a skewer with cotton thread so it survives the coals, grilled and served with onion and lime.
Stop 3 - Haleem: Wheat, lentils and meat pounded together for hours into a thick savoury porridge, finished with fried onion, ginger and lemon.
Stop 4 - Kolkata biryani: Long-grain rice layered with mutton and a whole potato, lightly spiced compared with Hyderabad's version. Your guide explains where the potato came from.
Stop 5 - Zakaria Street walk: A guided pass along the street with your guide on the Muslim quarter, the mosque and the food that only appears here.
Stop 6 - Kathi roll: A paratha wrapped around skewered meat with onion, green chilli and lime - invented in Kolkata in the 1930s and now eaten everywhere.
Stop 7 - Phirni and chai: Ground rice set with milk and cardamom in a small unglazed clay pot, with a last clay cup of tea.
Stop 2 - Suta kebab: Minced meat wound onto a skewer with cotton thread so it survives the coals, grilled and served with onion and lime.
Stop 3 - Haleem: Wheat, lentils and meat pounded together for hours into a thick savoury porridge, finished with fried onion, ginger and lemon.
Stop 4 - Kolkata biryani: Long-grain rice layered with mutton and a whole potato, lightly spiced compared with Hyderabad's version. Your guide explains where the potato came from.
Stop 5 - Zakaria Street walk: A guided pass along the street with your guide on the Muslim quarter, the mosque and the food that only appears here.
Stop 6 - Kathi roll: A paratha wrapped around skewered meat with onion, green chilli and lime - invented in Kolkata in the 1930s and now eaten everywhere.
Stop 7 - Phirni and chai: Ground rice set with milk and cardamom in a small unglazed clay pot, with a last clay cup of tea.
Tour price includes
• Small-group English-speaking local food guide (maximum 8 guests)
• All food and drink tastings listed in the itinerary
• Chai and a soft drink
• Bottled sealed water and wet wipes throughout
• All taxes and service fees
• All food and drink tastings listed in the itinerary
• Chai and a soft drink
• Bottled sealed water and wet wipes throughout
• All taxes and service fees
Tour price excludes
• Hotel pick-up and drop-off unless stated
• Additional drinks beyond those included
• Personal travel insurance
• Tips for your guide (appreciated but never expected)
• Meals and purchases outside the programme
• Additional drinks beyond those included
• Personal travel insurance
• Tips for your guide (appreciated but never expected)
• Meals and purchases outside the programme
Cancellation policy
Free cancellation up to 24 hours before the tour start time for a full refund. Cancellations within 24 hours are non-refundable. Tours run rain or shine except in serious monsoon flooding.
Other notes
Runs daily at 17:30.
Ramadan: during Ramadan Zakaria Street becomes one of the great night food streets in India, with stalls running from sunset until late. We adjust the timing - ask us when you book.
Hygiene and licensing: Kolkata's municipal authority suspended the food licences of a number of well-known eateries in September 2026 following hygiene inspections. We do not use any premises under suspension, we re-check licence status before every departure, and we always hold substitutes. On the tour: sealed bottled water only, no ice, no raw chutneys, no pre-cut fruit.
Durga Puja in October closes many eateries for around ten days and makes the city centre impassable in the evenings. We do not run during the main puja days.
Dress: please cover shoulders and knees; this is a conservative neighbourhood.
This is a meat tour with no meaningful vegetarian version - vegetarians should take our morning College Street walk instead.
Entirely on foot, about 1.5 km in narrow, very crowded lanes. Not suitable for wheelchairs.
Ramadan: during Ramadan Zakaria Street becomes one of the great night food streets in India, with stalls running from sunset until late. We adjust the timing - ask us when you book.
Hygiene and licensing: Kolkata's municipal authority suspended the food licences of a number of well-known eateries in September 2026 following hygiene inspections. We do not use any premises under suspension, we re-check licence status before every departure, and we always hold substitutes. On the tour: sealed bottled water only, no ice, no raw chutneys, no pre-cut fruit.
Durga Puja in October closes many eateries for around ten days and makes the city centre impassable in the evenings. We do not run during the main puja days.
Dress: please cover shoulders and knees; this is a conservative neighbourhood.
This is a meat tour with no meaningful vegetarian version - vegetarians should take our morning College Street walk instead.
Entirely on foot, about 1.5 km in narrow, very crowded lanes. Not suitable for wheelchairs.
Detailed price list
| Guest type | Price |
|---|---|
| 大人 | $45 |
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