The best Dal Makhani in Delhi
Also spelt dal makhni and kali dal. A curated shortlist, shaped by your votes.
Editorial picks
Selected from published food guides and local reporting. How the list works
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Number 1.Bukhara
- Open
- 12.30-2.45pm and 7-11.45pm daily
- Where
- Bukhara, ITC Maurya, Sardar Patel Marg, Diplomatic Enclave, Chanakyapuri, New Delhi 110021
Dal Bukhara is the reference version, black lentils held on low heat for close to a day; have it with tandoori roti. Book a fortnight ahead, and read the five star bill before you sit down.
What to orderdal Bukhara with tandoori roti
0 votes
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Number 2.Gulati
- Open
- Noon to midnight, all week
- Where
- 6, Pandara Road Market, near India Gate, New Delhi 110003
Order the dal makhani with a pudina paratha. Queues after seven in the evening are routine, so book or go early, and do not confuse it with Veg Gulati next door.
What to orderthe dal makhani with a lachha paratha and the burrah kebab
0 votes
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Number 3.Moti Mahal
- Open
- Noon to 11pm daily; some list it to midnight
- Where
- 3703-3704, Netaji Subhash Marg, near Golcha Cinema, Daryaganj, New Delhi 110002
The dal makhani is cooked overnight and eats well beside the butter chicken. Go to the Daryaganj original rather than a franchised outlet, and take the invention story as contested rather than settled.
What to orderdal makhani with the butter chicken
0 votes
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Dhaba - The Claridges
- Open
- 12.30-2.45pm and 7-11.30pm daily
- Where
- Dhaba, The Claridges, 12 Dr APJ Abdul Kalam Road (Aurangzeb Road), New Delhi 110011
Order dal makhani with the balti meat and an amritsari kulcha. Despite the name, this is a hotel dining room: roughly Rs 5,500 for two, smart clothes, and two separate service sittings.
What to orderdal makhani with balti meat and an amritsari kulcha
0 votes
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Kake Da Hotel
- Open
- Noon to midnight daily
- Where
- Shop No. 67, Municipal Market, Connaught Circus, Connaught Lane, Connaught Place, New Delhi 110001
Dal makhni with a butter naan runs under Rs 300. Tables are shared and the room is small, so avoid weekend evenings, and check you are at the Municipal Market shop rather than a franchise.
What to orderdal makhni with a butter naan
0 votes
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Kake Di Hatti
- Open
- 8am to 1am, open every day
- Where
- 654-655, Church Mission Road, near Fatehpuri Masjid, Chandni Chowk, New Delhi 110006
A half plate of the tandoori handi dal makhani goes a long way with one stuffed naan between two. The room is pure vegetarian and cramped, and it shuts by eleven, so no late supper.
What to orderhalf plate tandoori handi dal makhani with a stuffed naan
0 votes
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Rajinder Da Dhaba
- Open
- Evenings only, about 3.30pm to 11.30pm
- Where
- AB-14, Safdarjung Enclave Market, Nauroji Nagar Marg, opposite Safdarjung Club, New Delhi 110029
It is listed as Dal Rajinder Xpress on the menu, thick enough to eat as a gravy with butter naan. Hours vary by the day and parking in the market is a scrum, so ring first.
What to orderDal Rajinder Xpress with a butter naan
0 votes
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Daryaganj, DLF Mall of India
- Open
- Noon to 11pm, shut 4-6pm Mon to Thu
- Where
- D424-425, Third Floor, DLF Mall of India, Plot M-03, Sector 18, Noida 201301
Dal makhani with the butter chicken, the pairing the family claims to have created; Moti Mahal disputes that in court. It sits on the mall's third floor, so book at weekends and expect mall prices.
What to orderdal makhani with the butter chicken
0 votes
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