Dining out at Chandigarh’s popular restaurants

Painstakingly designed by Le Corbusier, Chandigarh is a city of contrast. This city of pink cassias and mango blossoms, of box stores and open spaces, of convertibles and Hummers zooming past the perfectly manicured roundabout, boasts myriad shades. It is not only famous for tourist attractions such as the Rock Garden and Sukhna Lake, but also for its restaurants. It all dates back to the trendsetting twin-flavoured 'softy' sold at every other kiosk in the charming Sector-17 market, when McDonald's was a distant dream. We then had the uber chic Yankee Doodles (sadly the rechristened Hot Millions never caught my fancy) doling out gelatos to die for and serving fast food in times when even the French fries were a dreamy treat. Chinese take-outs were unheard of, except here in Chandigarh, where we had the problem of plenty! Chandigarh has been a trendsetter of sorts and eateries take the lead. Here’s a list of popular restaurants in Chandigarh that you must not miss during your trip to this beautiful city. The list can go on and is in no way exhaustive, for the lively Gusto Cafe, the very European 'Garlic and Greens' and the likes of Sindhi Sweets do need a special mention; some for the food, some for experimenting with novel concepts and yet others for simply being there, forever, kicking and alive, thriving in this ever evolving culinary realm of gourmet food and satisfying varied taste buds.