Patna.

Chourasiya ji ki Purani Litti Dukan

Signature: ghee-dipped sattu litti

Established 1956 opposite the masjid at Pillar 6 on Station Road, this is among the oldest continuously running litti carts in central Patna. Ghee-dipped sattu litti with mustard oil chokha — the rustic version locals push tourists toward when correcting them about restaurant litti.

Tip: Open 11am-7pm. Cash only. The cart sets up against the wall — there is no seating; eat standing or take to the parked car.

Spice Court

Signature: ahuna mutton

Hotel Maurya's poolside fine-dining room and Patna's #1 TripAdvisor restaurant for several years running. Built its reputation on a serious Bihari menu — ahuna mutton sealed in a mud pot, Bihari kebab, regional fish curry — alongside the standard hotel multi-cuisine.

Tip: Order from the Bihari section, not the continental — it's the kitchen's distinctive work. Lunch service runs 7:30am-4pm and dinner 7:30-11pm with a closed window in between; the gap traps walk-in tourists.

Takshila

Signature: takshila ae raan

Hotel Chanakya's signature restaurant — the hotel itself opened in 1981, and Takshila has been the city's go-to Awadhi-Frontier room for over thirty years. Slow-cooked kebabs and the house ae raan are what regulars order.

Tip: The ae raan needs an hour's notice — call ahead or order it as you sit down. The biryani is dum-cooked and the rice doesn't reheat well; avoid the lunch leftover round at 3pm.

Tandon's

Signature: kesar peda

Founded in 1981 in the old Patna University belt, Tandon's built a four-decade reputation on a tight, traditional menu. The kesar peda uses real saffron rather than colour, and the chandrakala (khoya pastry in syrup) is the shop's signature.

Tip: The chandrakala is fragile — eat in-store the same day rather than packing for travel. Laung latika sells out by mid-evening on weekends.

Anand Vihar

Signature: vegetable hyderabadi biryani

A neighbourhood family restaurant on Bailey Road in Khajpura — separate couple-only and family seating, ₹300 for two and a menu that mixes North Indian, Chinese, biryani and Bihari without specialising.

Tip: Couples seating is upstairs; family floor downstairs gets noisy on weekends. Stick to the biryani-and-litti combo; the Chinese section is functional rather than memorable.

Bansi Vihar

Signature: masala dosa

A pure-veg South Indian room on Frazer Road that opened in 1994 and became the default family lunch spot for travellers walking out of Patna Junction. Ranked top-10 on Patna's TripAdvisor list for over a decade.

Tip: Avoid weekend lunch (1-3pm) — the queue outside the lift can run twenty minutes. The filter coffee is genuinely brewed, not pre-mixed; ask for it after the meal.

Madhubani Painters