India GODal makhani in Delhi
Dal makhani was created in Delhi, in the kitchen of Moti Mahal in Daryaganj after Partition, and it is eaten mopped up with naan or with rice. Three addresses tell its story, from the room where it began to a hotel grill that made its own black dal famous.
Dal Makhani
Black lentils and kidney beans simmered overnight with butter and cream until they collapse into something closer to velvet than soup. Punjab's most exported dish.
How it's eaten
With naan or rice; the point is to mop, not to spoon.
The city's food with veg and non-spicy filters, in the app.
Open in India GO
Where to eat it in Delhi
All three are full sit-down restaurants from the India GO guide, and all cook meat as well as vegetarian food.
Moti Mahal, Daryaganj
The original Daryaganj restaurant where dal makhani was created after Partition in 1947, as a vegetarian partner to butter chicken. A comfortable dining room that has fed prime ministers and presidents. Order the dal makhani.
Gulati, Pandara Road Market
Near India Gate, serving since 1959 and busy late into the night, in a market built for after-work and post-theatre dinners. It is famous for its creamy dal makhani and paneer tikka, with old-school booths and walls full of mementos. The meat is on the tandoor side of the menu; for a fully vegetarian kitchen, its sibling Veg Gulati is next door.
Bukhara, ITC Maurya
Inside the ITC Maurya hotel in Chanakyapuri, a North-West Frontier grill for four decades. Its black dal is its own, Dal Bukhara, not dal makhani by name, and it is eaten with your hands: there are no forks. It is at the top of the price range.
Who made it went to court
Moti Mahal in Daryaganj was opened after Partition by partners who had worked at a Moti Mahal in Peshawar, among them Kundan Lal Gujral and Kundan Lal Jaggi. Wikipedia's articles credit Gujral, Jaggi or both with dal makhani, and in 2024 the Gujral family's Moti Mahal sued the Daryaganj chain, run by Jaggi's family, in the Delhi High Court over who invented it and butter chicken. The full story is on the dal makhani page.
With naan or rice
Dal makhani is eaten with naan or rice; the point is to mop, not to spoon. It has no meat or egg, but butter, cream and ghee mean it is not vegan. More addresses are in restaurants in Delhi and what to eat in Delhi.
❓ FAQ
Where is the best place for dal makhani in Delhi?
Start where it was created, Moti Mahal in Daryaganj, then Gulati at Pandara Road Market, open since 1959.
Is there a vegetarian restaurant for dal makhani in Delhi?
Gulati, Moti Mahal and Bukhara all cook meat too. Veg Gulati, next door to Gulati on Pandara Road, is the all-vegetarian option.
Is Dal Bukhara the same as dal makhani?
It is Bukhara's own black dal, served under its own name, and eaten with your hands as everything there is.
What is dal makhani eaten with?
With naan or rice; you mop it up rather than spoon it.