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The best Sandesh in Kolkata

Also spelt shondesh, sondesh, kacha golla and kancha golla. A curated shortlist, shaped by your votes.

Editorial picks

Selected from published food guides and local reporting. How the list works

  1. Number 1.Bhim Chandra Nag

    Bowbazar, Nirmal Chandra Street College Street and Bowbazar

    Open
    8am to 8pm daily
    Where
    5 Nirmal Chandra Street, Bowbazar, Kolkata 700013

    Order the makha sandesh by weight, and a ledikeni if you want the sweet they made for Lady Canning. The Bowbazar counter shuts by eight, earlier than most, and fills after office hours.

    What to orderMakha sandesh, sold by weight

    0 votes

  2. Number 2.Girish Chandra Dey & Nakur Chandra Nandy

    Hedua, near Bethune College North Kolkata and Shyambazar

    Open
    7am to 10.30pm daily
    Where
    56 Ramdulal Sarkar Street, near Bethune College, Hedua, Kolkata 700006

    Sandesh is the only thing they make, so order the jalbhora and, in winter, the kora pak gurer sandesh. There is no branch despite the imitators, and the queue crawls at dusk.

    What to orderJalbhora sandesh

    0 votes

  3. Number 3.Makhan Lal Das & Sons, Notun Bazar

    Natun Bazar, Jorabagan North Kolkata and Shyambazar

    Open
    6am to 10pm daily
    Where
    313 Rabindra Sarani, Company Bagan, Natun Bazar, Jorabagan, Kolkata 700006

    Ask for the jolbhora talshansh, made in batches of ten or fifteen and shaped in front of you. The lane through Notun Bazar is too tight for a car, so walk the last stretch.

    What to orderJolbhora talshansh sandesh

    0 votes

  4. Nalin Chandra Das & Sons, Notun Bazar

    Nutan Bazar, Jorabagan North Kolkata and Shyambazar

    Open
    About 7am to 10pm, branch hours vary
    Where
    Nutan Bazar, 313 Rabindra Sarani, Kolkata 700006

    Two doors from Makhanlal in the same market, this is the shop for jalbhara talsansh and the green mango sandesh. Branch counters push the chocolate and butterscotch range, which is not why you came.

    What to orderJalbhara talsansh sandesh

    0 votes

  5. Balaram Mullick & Radharaman Mullick, Paddapukur Road

    Bhowanipore Bhowanipore, Kalighat and Alipore

    Open
    7am to 11pm daily
    Where
    2 Paddapukur Road, Bhowanipore, Kolkata 700020

    The norom pak nolen gur sandesh is what regulars queue for, with jolbhora a close second. Gur sweets appear only between roughly November and March, so ask what the season allows before ordering.

    What to orderNorom pak nolen gur sandesh

    0 votes

  6. Hindustan Sweets, Tollygunge Circular Road

    Buroshibtalla, New Alipore Behala and the south west

    Open
    About 7am to 10pm daily
    Where
    3 Tollygunge Circular Road, Buroshibtalla, New Alipore, Kolkata 700053

    Gurer kachagolla is the plate here, kneaded soft and barely sweet. Two unrelated shops in the city use this name, so aim for the Tollygunge Circular Road counter near Buroshibtalla, not Jadavpur.

    What to orderGurer kachagolla

    0 votes

  7. Sen Mahasay

    Fariapukur, Shyambazar North Kolkata and Shyambazar

    Open
    About 7am to 10pm daily
    Where
    1/1C Shibdas Bhaduri Street, Fariapukur, Shyambazar, Kolkata 700004

    Ratabi and talsansh sandesh are what to ask for, the second hiding a pool of liquid gur. Shibdas Bhaduri Street is the original counter, so use that one rather than the mall branches.

    What to orderTalsansh sandesh with a liquid gur centre

    0 votes

  8. Subodh Chandra Mallik

    Hedua, Manicktala North Kolkata and Shyambazar

    Open
    9am to 10pm daily
    Where
    64/1 Ramdulal Sarkar Street, Manicktala, Hedua, Kolkata 700006

    Kawrapak sandesh is the reason to stop, firm enough to survive a tiffin box in May. Ask for potoler mishti in the same breath, because they are made in small numbers.

    What to orderKawrapak sandesh

    0 votes

  9. Suresh Sweets

    Dhakuria Ballygunge and Gariahat

    Open
    8am to 10pm daily
    Where
    Shop 7, Sarat Ghosh Garden Road, Dhakuria, Kolkata 700031

    Paturi sandesh, steamed in a banana leaf packet the way fish is, is what to ask for. The shop sits in a Dhakuria alley and has namesakes nearby, so check for the Dhaka lineage.

    What to orderPaturi sandesh

    0 votes

  10. Surendra Nath Dey & Sons

    Vivekananda Road, Jorasanko North Kolkata and Shyambazar

    Open
    7am to 10pm daily
    Where
    14 Vivekananda Road, Jorasanko, Kolkata 700006

    Babu sandesh is the order here, with the kesar one beside it, and trays refill through the day. Expect a pavement queue at 14 Vivekananda Road, and no seating once you have bought.

    What to orderBabu sandesh

    0 votes

  11. VIP Sweets

    Chinar Park, Tegharia Salt Lake and New Town

    Open
    7am to 10pm, varies by branch
    Where
    Lokenath Mandir, Rajarhat Main Road, Chinar Park, Tegharia, Baguiati, Kolkata 700052

    Kala pata sandesh, set inside a banana leaf wrapper, is the one worth the detour on the airport road. Hours drift between branches, so ring ahead if you are cutting it close to a flight.

    What to orderKala pata sandesh

    0 votes

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