Possibly due to a high influx of tourists from Israel, a number of Middle Eastern restaurants have opened in Varanasi, all of which serve very similar food, cater to a predominantly tourist clientèle, and charge a little over Rs 100 for a thali.
Haifa Cafe: Assi Ghat, (in Hotel Haifa). Most popular for its Middle-Eastern cuisine such as the thali (delicious!), but has a wide range of Indian and continental dishes and is also popular at breakfast. The Jordanian brothers aren't here anymore. Its now just a regular hotel.
The food is awful too with the Jordanians gone.
Hayat's: near Assi (new location), managed by authentic middle-easterners (from Jordan). Try the labanha (dry yoghurt), or the baba ghanSoush (eggplant) with pita. The Nanas (mint-lemon drink) are the best in town. The feta is a tad high in salt, but at least they have it. The restaurant has a tent-like lounge atmosphere that gives it a cult presence. Ask for "hello to the queen" and see smiles.
Very very expensive�; not worth it.
Phulwari / Sami Cafe: near the Vishwanath Temple crossing, you sit beside a religiously near-defunct but architecturally gorgeous Mahadev temple, and sip on iced teas and nanas. Some locals still consider this a holy site and aren't too happy about the cafe being so close.
This temple has been usurped by thugs who sponsor this restaurant. Avoid on ethical grounds. No other heritage Indian temple has a restaurant in its courtyard�!
Tahsin's Mediterranean: located at Sarnath, in The Golden Buddha hotel, is runed by the same Jordanian brothers of Hayat's. Big garden and outdoor wood-operated oven for pizzas and pastas.
The Most Frequently Asked Travel Questions about Varanasi
Where To Stay & Best Hotels in Varanasi - updated May 2024
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Varanasi Travel Guide from Wikitravel. Many thanks to all Wikitravel contributors. Text is available under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0, images are available under various licenses, see each image for details.
