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New Year Special | Ranveer Brar on UNESCO Gastronomy City Lucknow: 2026 will set the tone for Awadh’s rich food legacy
As Lucknow becomes UNESCO Gastronomy City, celebrity chef Ranveer Brar says we need to focus on lesser-known eateries
Lucknow’s designation as India’s second UNESCO City of Gastronomy, following Hyderabad, will propel its rich culinary heritage onto an upward trajectory in 2026, according to celebrity chef Ranveer Brar.
The Lucknowite, during a recent visit to his hometown, emphasised that the responsibility now lies with locals to champion the authentic food legacy hidden in its lanes, bylanes, and homes. Ranveer embarked on a morning food trail with HT City, exploring eateries beyond the city’s world-famous culinary landmarks.
‘Zimmedari bhad gai hai!’
“The year 2026 will set the tone for Lucknow’s rich food legacy journey going forward. UNESCO has recognized our food heritage, but what next? People knew about Awadhi food, but now it has been etched onto the world food map, so we can expect food tourism to boom in the city. We, as locals, now need to take the responsibility of promoting places which serve amazing food but are not so famous or prefer to remain so,” says the chef.
Ranveer asserts that popular food joints are surely the flag bearers, but we need to look beyond. “People will come to explore popular places like Tunday Kababi, Raheem’s, Mubeen’s, Idrees Biryani, Royal Café chaat, and so on. But, it should not happen that brands grow and lesser-known places suffer. Also, commercialisation should not make quality suffer. Lucknow should not go the Hyderabad way, as they were not able to capitalise on it fully,” he says.
Kissey aur kahaniyan!
“What makes the food special is the tales and the methods that are very unique to this region. Take the kulcha, for example—only here we use two types of flour balls (gilaf and khameer), prepare it with oil, and use fingers to shape it in an iron tandoor; it’s an art! That’s the reason you can’t get such stuff even in Delhi,” he says.
The chef explains that the concept of nihari actually mirrors its name. “Nihar muh means the first meal early in the morning, as workers used to consume it and then go for a day’s long work. That’s the reason in the Old City it’s served in the early morning with Irani roti which was later taken over by Gifali Kulcha. Timing is very important,” he says.
During a chat with Shoeb Quraishi of Mubeen’s and heritage content creator Maroof Umar, he discussed Gulam Hussain Ka Pul (near Akbari Gate), famous for its khansamas (cooks).
“In earlier days, we had the names of khansamas printed on wedding cards; that was the importance of this place. People should know all this. Shoeb, who himself comes from this locality, said that there are still over 100 families who are flag bearers of Awadhi food for major parties in Lucknow,” says Ranveer.
On a food expedition
On his food excursion, Ranveer stopped at Gol Darwaza in Chowk to explore makkhan malai. “Fresh Nimish, its strained milk, and the winter chill—you only get it when you have it from street food stalls in Lucknow,” says the chef.
Nestled in a narrow bylane, he visited Sewak Ram Misthan Bhandar. “Such places are a goldmine. Kachauri with allo-curry, kaddu sabzi, and galka served on a patta (leaf) is truly an experience. The winter special Jaunji Halwa was really special, and so was the Kali Gajar Halwa,” he says.
In the Jawai Tola locality, he stopped at a tea stall known for serving malai-bun.
“Fresh bun-malai, tea in a glass, a wooden bench-table setting, and the ambience—all of this is so nostalgic. It took me back to my student life when we had so many such chai joints,” says Ranveer.
He hopes more home chefs will come forward to promote Awadhi cuisine.
“The Kayastha khana, old Taluqdar food, people with Nawabi lineage, and others have amazing food recipes, and I hope they open their doors to home kitchens for food trials and culinary experiences, like the Mahmudabad Estate and some others are doing,” he adds.
