Food and local cuisine in Nainital
Nainital's food has two distinct layers: the everyday tourist-town fare of the Mall — North Indian standards, chaat, South Indian tiffin, cafés and bakeries — and, underneath it, the genuine Kumaoni cuisine of the surrounding hills, which is what the curious traveller should seek out. Kumaoni cooking is mountain food: hearty, built on hardy local grains and pulses, gently spiced, and shaped by what grows on the terraced hillsides. It is worth asking for the regional dishes specifically, as they do not always headline the menu.
The signature everyday dish is aloo ke gutke — boiled potatoes tossed and tempered with cumin, dried red chillies and, characteristically, jakhya (a local seed that adds a nutty crackle), finished with coriander. Simple, warming and quietly addictive, it appears as a snack, a side and a breakfast alike. Alongside it you will find the pulses the region is known for: bhatt ki churkani (also called churdkani or dubke), a dark, thick, savoury curry made from black soybeans that is a Kumaoni staple, and gahat (kulath), horse gram, cooked into warming preparations said to suit the cold hills. Green leafy dishes such as kafuli (a spinach-and-fenugreek-style gravy) round out a home-style thali, typically eaten with rice or with rotis of local millets like madua (finger millet).
On the sweet side, Kumaon has two icons. Bal mithai is the region's most famous confection — a fudge-like sweet made from roasted khoya (milk solids) cooked to a deep brown, then coated all over with tiny white sugar balls; it is closely associated with Almora but sold widely across the hills, including in Nainital's shops, and it travels well as an edible souvenir. The other is singori (singauri) — a soft khoya sweet wrapped and served in a cone of green malu (maple-relative) leaf, which lends it a faint, distinctive aroma; it is best eaten fresh and is a lovely, only-in-Kumaon treat.
Because of the Tibetan community, the town also does a brisk trade in Tibetan and Himalayan snacks — steaming plates of momos (dumplings) and bowls of thukpa (noodle soup) are easy to find, especially around the Tibetan Market and the Mall, and make a perfect cold-weather bite. Bakeries and cafés along the Mall, some of them long-established, are a Nainital institution in their own right, good for tea, coffee, cakes and a warm place to sit and watch the lake.
Vegetarian travellers are exceptionally well served: the bulk of Kumaoni cuisine is vegetarian, from aloo ke gutke and the various pulse curries to the leafy dishes and millet breads, and pure-vegetarian eateries are everywhere. Jain-friendly food (without onion and garlic) can usually be arranged, though it is worth confirming when you order rather than assuming. As anywhere in the hills, favour busy places with high turnover, drink sealed or filtered water, and ease into unfamiliar dishes rather than overdoing it on the first day.
Culture, festivals and etiquette
Nainital's culture is layered — a living Kumaoni hill culture of Hindu tradition, mountain agriculture and local dialect, overlaid with the colonial inheritance of churches, boarding schools and a lakeside promenade, and threaded through with a Tibetan community that arrived in the mid-20th century. The everyday language is Kumaoni alongside Hindi, and while English is widely understood at hotels and on the Mall, a few words of Hindi are warmly received in the markets and villages.
The town's signature festival is the Nanda Devi Mela, held over several days around late August or September at and around the Naina Devi Temple, honouring the regional goddess Nanda. It is Kumaon's great annual fair — processions, decorated palanquins, folk music and dance, and a huge crush of pilgrims and stalls filling the Flats and the lakefront. It is the most vivid time to see local devotion and Kumaoni culture in full flow, though the town is at its most crowded then. The autumn Sharadotsav (Autumn Festival) brings cultural programmes, competitions and events to the town, and Kumaoni observances of the wider Hindu calendar — Uttarayani in January, the region's own baithki Holi singing traditions, Nanda Ashtami, and the harvest and local festivals of the hills — give the year its rhythm. Festival dates shift with the lunar calendar, so confirm them close to your travel dates.
A few points of etiquette make for a smoother, more respectful visit:
- At the Naina Devi Temple and other shrines, remove your shoes before entering, dress modestly, and be discreet with cameras — photography of the inner sanctum is often restricted. During the Nanda Devi Mela, expect long queues and heavy crowds, and follow the stewards' directions.
- On the lake, wear the life jacket provided, follow the boatman's instructions, and do not throw anything into the water — Naini Lake is the town's lifeblood and its cleanliness is a genuine local concern.
- On the trails and viewpoints, carry your litter out, stick to marked paths, and if you hire a pony, agree the rate and route beforehand.
- In the markets, bargaining is normal and expected in the informal Tibetan market but not on the Mall's fixed-price shops; keep it good-humoured either way.
- General respect: this is a working town and a pilgrimage centre as much as a resort. Keep noise down at religious sites, ask before photographing people, and be patient with the seasonal crowds and traffic, which locals live with year-round.
A practical note on altitude and safety: at around 2,000 metres the air is thinner and cooler than the plains — take the first day gently, carry a warm layer even in summer evenings, and keep an eye on weather and road advisories in the monsoon, when the hill roads can be affected by landslides.