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In its latest list of the 11 top cuisine destinations in the globe in 2023, Eater selected Kolkata as the only Indian city. The metropolis of West Bengal, Kolkata, is known for its magnificent indigenous Bengali food but has also been a receptacle for the flavours of cultures worldwide. If an epicurean uses criteria like the ones listed on the website mentioned above—history of cuisine, must-try dishes, the culture that moulded the food scene, people and their bond with food; Kolkata rules the rest. Kolkata Roll, one of many delicacies, has become almost a byword for the city. Many other establishments around the country and the world made futile attempts to duplicate the flavour.
Why is Kolkata Roll one of the hallmark dishes? Is there an intriguing backstory? How to find the best roll in town? When the hunt was for the best places to try Kolkata roll and Kolkata kathi roll, the first place recommended by many was Nizam's. It has been the heaven for epicureans for nearly a century.
Meanwhile, several other hubs across the city serve these iconic Kolkata rolls. We spoke to some local foodies and enthusiasts in the City of Joy to learn about the 10 best places to sample this dish. It was pretty challenging to sum them up. Nevertheless, we could get a comprehensive list.
A list of 10 best places to eat Kolkata roll
Poorna Banerjee, a Food Writer and Blogger, says it is a roll in Kolkata instead. The moniker of kathi comes from Kathi kabab. "In Kolkata, rolls are not just made of kabab. There are egg rolls, veg rolls, chicken rolls, mutton rolls, and the list goes on."
Nizam's: Recommended by Adrika Das @the_girlinthekitchen.
This place is said to be the place where Kolkata Kathi Roll originated. Adrika, with the Insta handle @the_girlinthekitchen, shares that her first encounter with Kathi roll. "I was fascinated by seeing the skewers at Nizam's paired with nuggets of history shared by my mom," recollects Adrika, a die-hard fan for the past 15 years. The magic lies in the marination of the meat, which uses a lot of curd and an array of spices and is left overnight for the meat to tenderise and absorb all the flavours.
Must try: Chicken kathi roll
Price for two: Rs. 200-250 (depending on the number of meat pieces goes into the stuffing)
Address: Nizam's, New Market Area, Kolkata.
Kusum Rolls: Recommended by Ritaja Sengupta @ joey.doesnt.share.food_xo
Kusum Rolls, located at Park Street, has been one of the go-to places for foodies and locals to grab a kati roll. This place is known for its sizeable rolls, wide variety, customisation options, and budget price. Ritaja, a food blogger, who runs food blogging through her Instagram handle, joey.doesnt.share.food_xo, highly recommends this place.
Must try: Classic egg-chicken roll.
Price for two: INR 200- 250 (approximately)
Address: Park St, Taltala, Kolkata.
Campari: Recommended by Poorna Banerjee @panushwari.
The Bengali style roll is prevalent in the southern part of Kolkata, especially in and around Gariahaat. These classic eateries carry the legacy of Kolkata's cabin-style food joints (old-school Calcutta-based cafes). Compared to their counterparts, these places are space crunched; thus, there is no room for tandoor. Here the stuffing for rolls is fried. "Meat is cooked or braised for a long time or cooked until dry. The result is a completely different taste than tandoor-cooked meat," describes Poorna.
Must try: Tandoori fish roll
Address: Campari, 155B, Rash Behari Ave, Dover Terrace, Ballygunge, Kolkata.
Parama Roll Corner: Recommended by Poorna Banerjee @panushwari.
Kolkata rolls are categorised into native pure Bengali style restaurants, and the other half belongs to the Bengali Muslim way of preparing the roll. The latter has thick, flaky outer layers of paratha with meaty inside give the most solid bite. The Bengali roll, or the Calcutta style, has a very thin porotta but is cooked thoroughly. Parama is a highly recommended place to try pure Bengali style or Kolkata roll. It is made with a thin paratha, and meat stuffing gets fried with minimal oil instead of being tandoor roasted.
Kolkata special chicken roll, Image By: Poorna Banerjee
Must try: The classic egg roll and egg chicken roll.
Price for two: Rs. 150- 350 (Approximately)
Address: Parama Roll Corner, Gariahat Rd, Ekdalia, Ballygunge, Kolkata
Hot Kati Roll: Recommended By Roibat Bhowani @kolkatafoodographer and Ishita Dan @littlehealthyish
The city's sizeable population are ardent fans of rolls served by this food joint. And they might sample rolls from other counterparts but keep coming back to this place. Roibat Bhowani, who has the Instagram handle @kolkatafoodographer, has been a devotee of Hot Kati Roll located at Park Street. "I can never get over Hot Kati Roll. I have been a regular patron. It has imbibed into my taste buds since childhood, and there is a nostalgic charm about it," says Roibat.
The taste has retained its original flavour braving every odd. Ishita Dan is another fan of Hot Kati Roll and says it is popular among students and youth.
Must try: Classic chicken roll and mutton roll, double chicken kathi roll
Price for two: Rs 150-200 (approximately)
Address: Park St, Dharmatala, Park Street area, Kolkata.
Anamika, Badshah, Bedwin and Zeeshan: Recommended by Souvik Bhattacharya @thegoodfoodbro
Anamika
Don't go by name! Anamika is a small new-age shop on the pavement of New Alipore, describes Souvik Bhattacharya, a food blogger from Kolkata. From its myriad choices from the menu, there are a few which can't be missed out. The passerby gets lured by the intoxicating aroma of the Egg Mutton Roll.
Must try: Egg mutton roll
Price for two: Rs. 150-240
Address: Anamika, New Alipore, Kolkata
Badshah
Badshah at Lindsay Street is one of the oldest places in town where we can still sit inside and enjoy a mouth full of Mutton Kebab Roll. One can wash it down with a chilled beer, recommends Souvik and counts it among his Kolkata's top five favourite kathi roll joints.
Must try: Mutton badshahi kathi kebab roll
Price for two: Rs.400-450 (approximately)
Address: Badshah, Lindsay Street, New Market Area, Kolkata
Zeeshan
Zeeshan is one of the well-known Mughlai restaurants in Kolkata, but in their vast menu, the roll has a long list of loyalists. "The place makes some crispy laccha paratha for the Kathi roll,' informs Souvik. Unless a customer asks for it, it usually doesn't laden the roll with sauces.
Must try: Chicken roll, Egg Mutton Roll, Double Mutton Roll
Price for two: Rs. 100- Rs 220 (Approx)
Address: Zeeshan, Park Circus, Near 7 Point Crossing Central, Kolkata
Bedwin
Bedwin has evolved over time regarding the taste, preparation and presentation of kathi rolls. As Souvik highlights, today, it has less to do with the kind of skewer used but with anything wrapped within a paratha called Kathi roll. The stuffing inside the paratha is versatile. It can be customised as egg-chicken, double egg-chicken, potato-egg, or potato-cheese. Healthier versions use whole wheat bread as wraps, while fillings can be vegan too.
Kolkata kathi roll, Image by: Souvik Bhattacharya
Must Try: Egg chicken roll, potato cheese roll.
Price for two: Rs.150-300
Address: Bedwin, Gariahat Road, Kolkata
While a part of Kolkata holds on to the traditional and kathi rolls, there are some innovating many new flavours and variations. Almost all the foodies in the city highly talk about Jabbrr Afghani for this genre.
Jabbrr Afghani: Recommended by Ritaja Sengupta @joey.doesnt.share.food_xo
Jabbrr Afghani is meant for those gourmands who love experimenting with food. One of the crowds pulling elements is its humungous rolls. On the menu, there are 3-foot-long to 6-foot-long kathi rolls. "This popular food joint in Salt Lake has several contests around the over-size rolls for gastronomes," informs Ritaja.
Kebabs in Jabbrr Afghani, Image Source: dmoodiefoodie@Instagram
Must try: Jabbrr mutton roll and the chicken-mutton kathi roll. One can't miss the long and humungous kathi roll.
Address: Shaila Tower, beside CCD, GP Block, Sector V, Bidhannagar, Kolkata
USP and Evolution of Kolkata Roll
Poorna defines the USP, "Kolkata roll has a very delicate balance. We don't like stuffing too many things. It includes tomato sauce, chilli sauce, chillies, and lemon at max. Finely chopped cucumbers and sliced raw onions are staples in most rolls." The ideal wrap is supposed to be like a flaky porotta with multiple layers as it cuts through the stuffing. Ishita Dan advocates that the tender meat and lavish serving as stuffing in every roll make the Kolkata kathi roll an enigma. Talking about the emerging trends, Poorna says that different rolls are created out of experimentation. A few players are making Kolkata roll with rumali roti or pita bread as the base. But the classic Kolkata kathi roll remains constant.
