Khau Galli – JLT

Khau Galli is quite a name to live up to; in Marathi, khau means treat and galli means a small lane. The term is synonymous with street food in Mumbai, the street food capital of India. Based in JLT’s Cluster T, Dubai’s Khau Galli is better looking than most Mumbai’s Khau Gallis. Its interior is one of the best executed retro themes in the business and yes, it does have a strong element of Bollywood.

I made the mistake of visiting Khau Galli with someone not accustomed to desi street food who, on top of it all, turned out to be spice and chilli intolerant. Sadly, it was only after our meal that I realised what good use I could have made of JLT’s canal…by pushing the idiot in. Anyway, I ordered pani puri and bhel puri to start followed by an extremely farty chole, a delicious bhindi masala and quite a nice yellow daal, all of which we ate with plain naan. Rather than a sweet I ordered a dhai vada to end our meal, hoping the cool yogurt would stop my friend from crying. It didn’t. What’s important though is that the food at Khau Galli is right up there with the trend setters in Karama – The Bhukkad Café, Love At First Bite, Dhaba Lane, etc.

Service is a Khau Galli strong point. In addition to being extremely friendly I found the staff infinitely accommodating as well. Although there are a number of notable outlets in and around JLT which specialise in Indian street food, Rajdhani Street, Bikanervala and Chandini Chowk to name a few, I feel it is Khau Galli which offers the best combination of ambiance, service and food, and is most definitely worth a visit.

Hey! Now read this –
Xerxes physically dines at, or orders from, each and every venue he reviews. He pays in full for whatever he and his companions eat, drink, take away or occasionally throw at each other. Xerxes accepts no money, gifts, discounts or free meals in return for reviews or favouritism. What you have read was NOT influenced in any way by the venue. Join me on Instagram @ravenousxerxes or email me on xerxes@dellara.com.