Puneri Vegetarian Food

Baby corn masala, Amrapali, FC Road Pune

If you have visited India, it is not uncommon to come across a restaurant that serves exclusively vegetarian food. I lived in Pune for almost 7 years and had the fortune to experience its restaurant scene, with it's abundant vegetarian options.

Paneer Chili, Amrapali, FC Road

Vegetarian restaurants in Pune serve authentic Maharashtrian, South Indian to Italian vegetarian cuisines. I tried a little bit of all during my recent visit to the city. It was as good as I had when I left the city almost a  decade ago.
Pune's South Indian fast food joints are popular amongst both natives and the city's college-goers as places to engage in "deep conversations" over a cup of coffee. I visited Vaishali and tried the vegetarian beet cutlets as well as a regular masala dosa with filter coffee. Recommended.

Kacchi Dabeli, a street vendor, Bombay-Pune Highway

On the same vibrant Fergusson College (F.C. Road), in a nondescript corner behind the famous Roopali is a restaurant called Amrapali that serves the best vegetarian curries I have ever tried so far. I have probably had their baby corn masala 100 times before and yet I still came out licking my fingers. The portions are in that sweet spot that you are satisfied yet still leave you wanting more.

When I lived in Pune, I lived off its street (taperi) food, which included authentic Maharashtrian breakfast options like pohe, sabudana khichadi, or vada pao. I was disappointed to not see many of these street vendors in the Deccan area this time around. But if you are ever in India and brave enough to try its street food, don't miss the spicy Kacchi Dabeli (a spicy mixture of veggies and pomegranate served in a bun), vada pao (a potato cutlet served in a bun) and misal pao (a spicy mixture of veggies cooked with sprouts in a curry and served with bread) among others.

Mushrooms and garlic bread, Little Italy

Finally, I went to another of my favorite restaurants on Bund Garden road called the Little Italy that serves Italian vegetarian food. It offers a variety of pastas, pizzas and a few Mexican specialties like enchiladas, and nachos with cheese. I tried their mushroom with garlic bread and a pesto pizza and they were both delicious.