As Pushkar is sacred to Lord Brahma, all food (with the exception of the
Pushkar Resort ) is strictly veg: meat, eggs and alcohol are banned, and taking drugs is considered highly offensive. However, its
restaurants cater for both Indian and foreign palates, offering national dishes as well as pizza, spaghetti and apple pie. Be wary of the many buffets offering tempting all-you-can-eat menus; most are likely to consist of terribly unhealthy reheated food, and it's safer to stick to the more expensive places. This does not apply to
buffet breakfasts , however, with unlimited supplies of cereal, toast and curd - try the
Omshiva Buffet , on the fourth floor, above
Hotel VK , near the
Pushkar Palace . One other word of
warning : think twice before downing a
bhang lassi at one of the stalls in the bazaar. Although
bhang (ground cannabis leaves) is legal here, it can cause intense, and protracted, psychological distress if you're not used to its mind-altering properties.
Krishna , Brahma Mandir Road. Tasty Indian dishes, including south Indian dosas at breakfast, and Israeli-style felafel and hummus. Open 8am-10.30pm.
Moondance , opposite the Vishnu temple. Nepali-run, with nothing Indian on the menu. Attempts at Thai and "Maxican" food are tasty but nothing like the real thing; the pizza and pasta is the best in town. Open 8.30am-11pm.
Rainbow , Brahma Mandir Road. Rooftop restaurant above the Krishna , serving veg curries, pasta, pizza, felafel, Chinese dishes and even attempts at enchiladas and moussaka . Open 8am-midnight.
Raju , Ajmer Road. Not to be confused with Raju Garden Restaurant , this small basic place serves very cheap curries and good thalis. Open 7am-10pm.
Raju Garden Restaurant , off Main Bazaar near Ram Ghat. Delicious Indian, Chinese and Western food of a standard rarely matched by other restaurants. Particularly renowned for its vegetarian shepherd's pie, and baked potatoes with peanut butter, garlic cheese and imported Marmite fillings. Open 8am-11pm.
Sanjay , Main Bazaar. Rooftop seating overlooking the lake; the food - veg curries, thalis, pizza - is nothing special, but the buffet breakfasts (Rs40) are good. Open 7am-noon.
Sunset Café , east side of the lake near the Pushkar Palace . As its name implies, an ideal spot from which to enjoy Pushkar's legendary lakeside sunsets, offering German-bakery snacks and cakes, in addition to a main menu.
Venus , Ajmer Road. Set back from the lake, with a garden and roof terrace overlooking the main bazaar. Currently the most popular restaurant in town. Sumptuous "sizzlers" are the house speciality, but they do a full range of Indian dishes, and Western pizzas and pastas that seem to improve each year. Open 7am-10.30pm.
White House , near Marwar bus stand. Standard budget travellers' menu, made from home-grown vegetables and served on rooftop terrace with good views over the town and Gayitri temple. Their speciality is delicious mango tea, and they also lay on pukka brahmin food if given a little advanced warning.
