Near North Campus is this Tibetan market called Majnu ka Tila. A small yet vibrant community of Tibetan people, most of whom are refugees live here and run their businesses. They’ve carved out a space for themselves and bring to our city a new cuisine, and a whole new and unique aesthetic. We recommend exploring the area at least once and we’re showing you how to do it within a day. Ready?
Follow the Tibetan prayer flags to the entrance of the community. A narrow lane will lead you to an open courtyard with a temple. Along the fringes of this space sit a few vendors, all of whom sell a popular Tibetan street food called La-thing. It’s a type of flat noodle made from flour (usually mung-bean). The vendors do two varieties – one dry and one with soup, with the spice content of your choice (go for very spicy, if you dare).
Moving on, you’ll spot cafes like Kham Coffee House, the popular AMA Cafe (it’s almost three floors large now!), or Coffee House, all of which are great options for when you want to catch up with your friends or bae over endless cups of coffee.
For a full-fledged meal, head to Dolma House where you can sample Gyuma, a homemade sausage, made from a variety of meats. We prefer heading to the AMA restaurants though (yes, there are two). They’re not as crowded as Dolma, and their food is equally good (or maybe even better). We recommend that you try the Devil Momos here.
Further along, the way, take a break from all eating and indulge your inner shopaholic with some retail therapy at Mapcha, KOJA, or these accessories stores. You’ll find all sorts of casual clothing, dresses, and tees to shoes, and even stationery here starting at INR 100. Do check out Akama – The Tibetan Shop, which is a one-stop shop for all handicrafts, tapestries, books, and shawls.
There’s plenty more to see and do along the way, and we’re sure you’ll come back with your bags full, happy stomachs, and many stories to tell.
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