Restaurant Guide to Aundh, Pune

After spending close to three years in Pune, most of these as a bachelor grazing on street food, I have come to better appreciate the pleasures of home cooked food. I adore home cooked food and if I find any restaurant which serves food like home cooked food, I adore the same even more. The search for such sumptuous, home cooked, restaurant food has relieved me from a large part of my monthly salary, month after month.

I spent most of my time in Pune in Aundh and so my list of favorite restaurants in Pune will obviously reflect the Aundh bias. The list is in no particular order and is basically just a compilation of restaurant reviews for restaurants I have visited in Aundh and Pune.

Thali Restaurants:

While there are numerous restaurants like Neelam and Rasoi Ghar which do provide thalis in Aundh, I liked Neelam, near Medipoint the best for its Phulka chapatis and slightly less spicy food. Though none of these restaurants are really healthy places to eat out, I have never fallen ill after eating at all of these places.

The best thali I have had in Pune till date is at Mayur Thali. Rajdhani was a serious let down, especially after our amazing experience at Rajdhani, Hyderabad. So was Shabree, which is supposedly a Maharashtrian thali restaurant, but I didn’t find it Maharashtrian enough the last time I visited. Mehek, in Kalyaninagar was a revelation. It served some really amazing food for the price – (150 bucks a fixed thali). The best part at Mehek was the Daal Baati that they served. It was really heartening to find authentic Daal Baati in Pune. By and large the vegetarian thalis in Pune, except for the ones like Durvankur and Shabree which promote themselves as Maharashtrian vegetarian thali restaurants serve Gujarati like food cooked by Marwari and Rajasthani cooks.

Chinese Food in Aundh

Donuts at Peterdonuts, Aundh

Recently opened Mainland China is now the best bet for Chinese food. Cafe Maroo with its eclectic interiors and similar food, does attract its share of patrons. Kimling has been open since a long time in different avatars and it does serve decent Thai food.

Cafes and Ice Cream Joints in Aundh

Cafe Peterdonuts, Gaikwad Petrol Pump

Want to spend some time together with friends in a cool place? Think that the CCD opposite to Shiv Sagar is too boring. Want to have donuts and don’t want to travel all the way to MOD at Phoenix Mall, Viman Nagar for the same.  Just visit Cafe PeterDonuts near Gaikwad Petrol Pump.

Zaikaa, Opp Cafe Peterdonuts

Ever tried Black Pepper ice cream? How about Cardamom ice cream? Try out  Zaikaa, opposite to Cafe Peterdonuts, if you are bored of eating the fruity Naturals ice creams.

Rajasthani Kulfi, Opp. Camshot, Parihar Chowk

Beautiful fruity kulfi. The chikoo flavored ones taste exactly like a chikoo. If you have lived in Gujarat or Mumbai, you would have had this one before for sure.

Some of our Favorite Restaurants in Aundh

Polka Dots: Near Parihar Chowk, Aundh

By far the best place for continental food, Italian and also amazing desserts in Aundh. Extremely reasonably priced, considering its clientele, location and food, its a must visit for good continental food.

Squeeze, Behind DAV school

Beautiful  sandwiches and salads cooked the healthy way. This is one of those places I love and  consider to be the closest to home made food. Though, the prices here are will ensure that you never end  up overeating their beautifully cooked food.

Skips  Cafe, Opp. to Croma, Aundh

Undoubtedly one of the oldest cafes, with a beautiful ambience, excellent home cooked sandwiches, salads, pastas and sometimes special desserts. This is another place we visit quite regularly to hang out and also have food that will not kill us. There are quite a few cafes around Skips, but we vote Skips Cafe in Aundh as the best place to eat.

Do say Idlicious, Baner Road, Balewadi

By far the best South Indian food in Pune can be had at this small joint on Baner Road. And yes, I have been to Vaishali and Roopali numerous times. They can’t hold a candle to this simple, delightful, honest South Indian food. Idlicious first started off as a South Indian restaurant in Aundh and then after spending 6 years (or more) treating the residents of Aundh to the best breakfast in Aundh, they left for Baner Road. Friends who visit Pune, still do ask for the address of this joint. So here it goes: Suyash Mall, Pancard Club Road, Balewadi, Baner Road.

Saarthi and Shiv Sagar restaurant: Aundh and Baner Road

Like the usual Shiv Sagar restaurant chains, this one serves everything under the roof  from Chinese and Mexican to North as well as South Indian food. Prices are perfectly value for money and the reason why it is always full of people. Saarthi near Medipoint is a new and in my opinion a better, cheaper alternative to the Shiv Sagar brand of food.

Giridhar Veg. Restaurant, Parihar Chowk

Famous for its chai, Misal  Paav, Daal Khichadi and evening Punjabi thalis, Giridhar is an amazing value for money restaurant. Like the usual value for money joints, it focuses on serving lots of customers, very fast at minimal prices. It serves spicy, tasty street food like taste – not at all healthy, but definitely satisfying. I adore its Daal Khichadi and for 60 bucks its probably the best dinner we had when in a hurry.

Pizza Hut and Kadhai as well as the restaurants in their vicinity are also great places to eat at. There are many other good places to eat at in Aundh, but these are the ones I have usually returned to.