India GOMysore pak in Mysore
In Mysore, Mysore pak is bought from the family of the palace cook who is credited with creating it: Guru Sweet Mart, a small counter at the corner of Devaraja Market, run by his great-grandsons. Its soft ghee pak is often still warm and keeps only a few days. For gift boxes and flavoured versions, the other old name is Bombay Tiffany's, selling since 1932.
Invented in this city's palace kitchen and named after it, the ghee-drenched original is nothing like the dry cubes sold elsewhere.
🟨 Mysore Pak
Gram flour, sugar and an unreasonable amount of ghee. The traditional hard kind sets porous as steam escapes through the hot batter; the soft modern kind takes even more ghee and melts on contact. Invented in the Mysore palace kitchen.
How it's eaten
The soft kind and the hard kind are different sweets. Try the soft one first.
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Where to buy it
Four counters, from the original to the modern chain.
Guru Sweet Mart, Devaraja Market
At the corner of the market building on Sayyaji Rao Road. By tradition the sweet was invented by Kakasura Madappa, a cook in the palace kitchen, and his great-grandsons run this counter. The recipe is gram flour, sugar and a great deal of ghee, sold soft, often straight from the crates. Price level ₹.
Bombay Tiffany's, Devaraja Urs Road
Since 1932, Mysore's other Mysore pak name. A softer, richer style and flavoured versions, chocolate above all, beautifully boxed and a top pick for gifts. The counters also sell badam halwa and chilled badam milk. Price level ₹₹.
Indra Café's Paras, Sayyaji Rao Road
A pure-vegetarian landmark opposite Devaraja Market since 1956, with its own sweet counter for Mysore pak and badam halwa. Useful if you want a sit-down tiffin or thali and the sweet in one stop. Price level ₹₹.
Shree Mahalakshmi Sweets, around the city
A local sweet house founded in 1989, now with around ten outlets. Besides the classic ghee version it makes cashew, almond and sugar-free Mysore pak, plus savouries such as chakli and masala cashews. Price level ₹.
Soft today, boxed for home
The soft kind and the hard kind are different sweets, and the soft one is worth trying first. The soft kind from Guru Sweet Mart dissolves rather than chews, and it is a fresh product: it lasts a few days, so buy it towards the end of your stay, or simply eat it on a bench by the market, which is what most people end up doing. For gifts, Bombay Tiffany's boxes its own softer, richer style. Pataka Mannar's, a chaat counter in Vontikoppal, sells it hot alongside pani puri.
The palace-kitchen story and how the sweet spread across the South are on the Mysore pak page. For other sweet shops, see sweets in Mysore.
A Devaraja Market morning
Guru Sweet Mart and Indra Café's Paras are both on Sayyaji Rao Road by the market, so a walk through Devaraja Market, past heaps of garland flowers, kumkum and spices, ends naturally with breakfast at Paras and a piece of warm pak at Guru. The market sits between the palace and the cafés: Mysore Palace, from whose kitchen the sweet came, is a short walk away.
❓ FAQ
Where can I get the best Mysore pak in Mysore?
For the original soft ghee pak, Guru Sweet Mart at Devaraja Market, run by the family of the cook credited with inventing it. For boxed and flavoured versions, Bombay Tiffany's.
How long does Mysore pak keep?
The fresh soft kind keeps only a few days, so buy it near the end of your trip. For gifts, Bombay Tiffany's sells it boxed; ask at the counter how long a box keeps.
What is the history of Mahalakshmi Sweets?
Shree Mahalakshmi Sweets is a Mysore sweet house founded in 1989 that has grown to around ten outlets, known for cashew, almond and sugar-free Mysore pak.
Is Mysore pak vegetarian?
Yes: gram flour, sugar and ghee, with no egg. Because of the ghee it is not vegan.