India GOSweets of Pune and the shops that make them
Pune's sweet map is short and old. Chitale Bandhu for bakarwadi and Maharashtrian mithai, Kaka Halwai by the Dagdusheth Ganpati temple, mastani at Sujata or at Gujar Cold Drink House, where it is said to have started, and Kayani Bakery's Shrewsbury biscuits in Camp.
What to try in Pune
Five things that are either Pune's own or done best here. Each name opens the dish page.
Mastani
A Pune invention: a milkshake so thick it is eaten with a spoon, topped with a scoop of ice cream and chopped nuts. Mango is the classic; Sujata also makes sitaphal (custard apple) and some thirty other flavours.
Bakarwadi
Strictly a snack, not a sweet: a tight spiral of spiced gram-flour dough with coconut, poppy seed and tamarind, deep-fried. Sweet-savoury, sold by the kilo, and the tin that goes home with every visitor.
Shrikhand
Yogurt hung until it is as thick as cream, sweetened with saffron and cardamom and served cold. It appears on the big Maharashtrian thalis and at Chitale in season.
Puran poli
A thin flatbread stuffed with sweet lentil and jaggery, eaten with ghee poured over and sometimes warm milk. Festival food in Maharashtra, and a regular on Pune's unlimited thalis.
Piyush
A thick saffron-and-cardamom drink built on shrikhand and let down with buttermilk, sweeter and heavier than lassi. Bedekar Misal serves its own with the city's benchmark misal.
The two old mithai houses
Chitale Bandhu Mithaiwale is the name behind Pune's edible souvenir. The family business began as milk distribution in Bhilawadi, Sangli district, in 1939, and Raghunath "Bhausaheb" Chitale opened the Pune sweets and snacks shop in the early 1950s. It now sells bakarwadi by the thousands of kilos a day, alongside soft pedha, amba (mango) barfi and seasonal shrikhand. The Bajirao Road original and the Deccan outlet are the classics; branches are all over the city.
Kaka Halwai dates to 1890 and has its flagship near the Dagdusheth Ganpati temple in Budhwar Peth, with outlets across Pune. Locals stop for a quick traditional breakfast and leave with boxes of mithai, which makes it the obvious stop after the temple.
Where to drink mastani
Two addresses settle the question. Gujar Cold Drink House, a century-old cold-drink house founded in 1923 in a by-lane near Mandai in Budhwar Peth, is credited with introducing mastani; its signature Bajirao Mastani is a tall glass of layered creamy milk crowned with ice cream. Sujata Mastani in Sadashiv Peth perfected the recipe in the 1960s and still sets the standard, with more than thirty flavours made eggless and without preservatives. Mango has been the bestseller for half a century; sitaphal is the connoisseur's choice. Sujata now has outlets across the city, so the drink is rarely far away.
Mastani is the summer order: from March to May average daytime highs in Pune reach 36–38°C.
Bakeries: Shrewsbury biscuits and chocolate cake
Pune's Parsi-Irani baking is its own sweet tradition. Kayani Bakery in Camp has been open since 1955 and has barely changed. Its Shrewsbury biscuits, buttery and crumbly shortbread, are the stuff of local legend: over three hundred kilos are baked a day and they routinely sell out by afternoon, and on festival weekends people queue from opening. The soft mawa cake and the dark chocolate-walnut cake are the other orders. It is takeaway only, so go in the morning.
Cake N Counter, a tiny bakery up a flight of stairs off East Street, has baked since 1986; generations of Punekars have marked birthdays with its chocolate and chocolate-walnut cakes. Popular items sell out, so order a day ahead and collect from the shop.
For something sweet with tea, the old Irani cafes, such as Cafe Goodluck on FC Road (since 1935), serve bun maska with sweet milky Irani chai. More in cafes in Pune.
Sweets on a thali
Some of Pune's best sweets are not sold over a counter but served as part of a meal. At Shabree, on top of Hotel Parichay on FC Road, the unlimited Maharashtrian thali includes puran poli and shrikhand. Hotel Shreyas in Deccan Gymkhana, an institution since 1966, puts puran poli among a dozen-plus dishes. Durvankur Dining Hall in Sadashiv Peth serves shrikhand with soft puris, and aamras (mango pulp) in mango season is the highlight. At Bedekar Misal in Narayan Peth, the house-made piyush is what cools the fiery misal down. More in thali in Pune.
What to carry home
A short list for the suitcase.
- Bakarwadi — Keeps for weeks in a sealed tin; Chitale sells vacuum-sealed packs for travel.
- Shrewsbury biscuits — Kayani's boxes travel well. Buy in the morning, before they sell out.
- Mithai boxes — Chitale and Kaka Halwai pack pedha and barfi in gift boxes.
- Eat on the spot — Mastani and shrikhand are served cold: have them where they are made.
FAQ
What snack is famous in Pune?
Bakarwadi, a sweet-savoury fried spiral of spiced gram-flour dough, best known from Chitale Bandhu. For street snacks, vada pav and misal pav; see street food in Pune.
What is Pune's own sweet?
Mastani, a spoon-thick milkshake topped with ice cream and nuts. Gujar Cold Drink House (1923) is credited with introducing it, and Sujata Mastani perfected the recipe in the 1960s.
Who founded Chitale Bandhu?
Raghunath "Bhausaheb" Chitale opened Chitale Bandhu Mithaiwale in Pune in the early 1950s. The family business itself began as a dairy in Bhilawadi, Sangli district, in 1939.
Which is the oldest sweet shop in Pune?
Of the shops in this guide, Kaka Halwai is the oldest, dating to 1890. Its flagship is near the Dagdusheth Ganpati temple.
Where can I buy bakarwadi to take home?
At Chitale Bandhu: the Bajirao Road original, the Deccan outlet or any branch. The vacuum-sealed packs are made for travel.
What else should I eat in Pune?
Misal pav, vada pav, sabudana vada and a Maharashtrian thali. The full list is in what to eat in Pune.
Sources (1)
Facts checked: 15 October 2026. Prices and hours are approximate; check locally.
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