UP’s Muzaffarnagar is a treasure trove of amazing street food and scrumptious old-school picks. Established in the 17th century, the town was under Mughal control till the 1800s, so naturally, there’s a strong Mughal and Awadhi influence on the local food culture. However, while you’ll find classic picks like an Awadhi Tehri or some Mughal desserts, you’ll also spot some amazing street food.
Whether you're a fan of sweet treats like peda and jalebi or prefer savoury delights like aloo tikki chaat and samosa, Muzaffarnagar has something to offer for everyone. Here are a few things you shouldn’t miss when you’re in Muzaffarnagar.
Roasted Peda
A quintessential sweet treat of Muzaffarnagar, peda is a delicacy made from khoya, sugar, and flavoured with cardamom, saffron, and nuts are roasted in ghee, so it has slightly smokey edges. After Mathura, Muzaffarnagar is perhaps the best known for this sweet melt-in-your-mouth delicacy. Besides malai peda, Sikri peda and mawa peda, roasted peda is perhaps the biggest seller in the city.
Rescommendation: Nandi Sweets
Type: Vegetarian
Price: Rs 50-150
Aloo Tikki Chaat
A popular street food in Muzaffarnagar, this number is also a popular breakfast item. It features crispy potato patties, seasoned with spices and herbs, are topped with tangy tamarind chutney, creamy yoghurt, and a medley of savoury and sour chutneys. It’s often topped with crumbled kachoris or papdis. Besides aloo tikki chaat, the dahi bhala tikki chaat sells big during snacktime.
Recommendation: Chandbali Chaat Bhandaar
Type: Vegetarian
Price: Rs 50-100
Tehri
Muzaffarnagar has quite a few old-school Tehri shops and people often queue up in front of them to sample this Awadhi speciality. It’s a Bangladeshi one-pot pilaf made by cooking basmati rice with a variety of vegetables and spices. It’s said to have been invented by vegetarian bookkeepers, so the dish is widely made only with vegetables. It commonly includes potatoes, carrots, peas, cauliflower, beans, and bell peppers.
Recommendation: Haji Maqbool Ki Tahri
Type: Vegetarian
Price: Rs 150-200
Kachori Sabzi
Another beloved street food of Muzaffarnagar, kachori sabzi is a savoury indulgence featuring deep-fried dumplings made from flour and filled with a spicy lentil or potato mixture, offering a burst of flavours with every bite. Served alongside tangy and aromatic potato curry (sabzi), this hearty dish is a popular breakfast option, providing a hearty and satisfying start to the day.
Recommendation: Jain Chaat Corner
Type: Vegetarian
Price: Rs 75-100
Patte Wali Chaat
This crumbled kachori delicacy is popular across many parts of UP. Kachori is typically deep-fried and filled with a spicy mixture of lentils, spices, and herbs. The outer layer is crispy and golden brown, while the filling is savoury and aromatic; typically it’s crumbled on a plate and topped with tangy tamarind chutney and spicy green chutney, and alongside hot chhole masala.
Recommendation: Chandbali Chaat Bhandaar
Type: Vegetarian
Price: Rs 50-100
Imarti
Imarti Is a popular delicacy which is similar to jalebi, but much more indulgent. They’re made from a fermented batter of urad dal flour, which is shaped into intricate spiral or circular patterns and deep-fried until crispy and golden brown. After frying, the imartis are soaked in sugar syrup flavoured with cardamom, saffron, and sometimes rose water, which gives them their characteristic sweetness and aroma.
Muzaffarnagar is famous for its sizeable imartis which have a crispy exterior and a soft, spongy interior. They are often garnished with chopped nuts such as pistachios or almonds before being served fresh.
Recommendation: The Mithai Art
Type: Vegetarian
Price: Rs 50-100