From Rishikesh and Lansdowne to Mussoorie and Shimla, the hills are well-loved for treks, rafting, and bungee jumps. But there’s another adventure waiting in the mountains that often goes overlooked: the food.
This monsoon, Delhiite Anubhav Sapra—best known for pioneering the food walk culture in the capital through his company, Delhi Food Walks—is hiking through the hilly terrains of Kasol and Manali for his ongoing YouTube series, following unusual and iconic flavours and stories nestled in the hills of Himachal.
Mountain food is far more diverse than the usual momo, thukpa, or Maggi. Over the years, dining spots in Kasol and Manali have introduced Israeli and Mediterranean flavours like shakshuka, falafel, and schnitzel into the mix. Alongside these global influences, traditional Himachali staples still hold their ground—like siddu, a steamed bread stuffed with sweet or savoury fillings such as lentils, walnuts, or poppy seeds, and Himachali dham, a rare-to-find all-vegetarian feast typically reserved for special occasions.
Joined by local entrepreneur Khushboo Barry, Sapra hops across iconic and lesser-known spots in the mountains. “It’s always good to go with someone who knows the place—someone who can take you around, tell you where to eat, what to avoid, and give you a deeper understanding of the place,” says Sapra—a principle reflected in much of his work outside Delhi, where he often collaborates with locals.
In the recently released first episode, the duo engages in long conversations with café owners, uncovering the stories behind their journeys. They dig into kosher-style chicken shipudim and German schnitzel at the 25-year-old Evergreen Café, sip hemp cappuccino at India’s first hemp café, Offlimits, and wrap up with a flaky “prashant” (croissant) at one of Kasol’s oldest German bakery.
Over six days, Sapra and his team explored Kasol and nearby spots—including Manikaran Sahib, a gurdwara in Kullu known for its natural hot springs and a langar that runs 24 hours. In search of an authentic Himachali dham, they travelled to Kailasha - The Himalayan Village, a resort in Kasol. “Himachali dham is similar in spirit to the wazwan in Kashmir,” says Sapra. “But unlike wazwan, which is mostly non-vegetarian, dham is entirely vegetarian.”
The most memorable meal of the trip, according to Sapra, came on the way to Hampta Pass. “There’s a 40-year-old dhaba called Kalzang Dhaba, started by a man named Kalzang and now run by his daughter-in-law,” he shares. There, Sapra was served local rice beer, vegetarian momo, siddu, local rajma, red rice, and a hearty curry with ghee and chutney. “It was the best food I had during the entire trip.”
The trip wrapped in a local village, where they explored Himachal’s food more intimately. “We tried different kinds of local sweets and spoke with a farmer who grows apples, peaches, and apricots,” he says.
Since launching his YouTube channel Delhi Food Walks in 2018, touring hill stations has become an annual tradition for Sapra and his team — exploring Kashmir, Kumaon, Shimla, and Dehradun.
Filming the series came with its fair share of logistical challenges—from unpredictable monsoon weather to grueling traffic and rough terrain. “It took us 15 hours to reach Kasol from Delhi—what should’ve been a 9-hour drive—just because of the traffic,” says Sapra. “Some stretches, like from Bhuntar to Kasol or on the way to Hampta, had terrible roads.”
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Sapra values depth over virality—his Kasol episode runs over 45 minutes, much like his other long-form food walk videos. “If someone’s planning a trip to Kasol, they should be able to watch that video and explore on their own. The idea is to document things properly, not dilute the content,” he explains.
His travelogues are documentary-style archives of regional food cultures. They aren’t just reviews where he rates a meal and moves on. Instead, he spends time with the people behind the food. “It’s not only about the food. It’s also about the story of the food vendor who started that place. It’s about the culture and history of food and the people who are into food,” he says.
He’s candid about his approach to content in an age dominated by quick consumption and fleeting trends. “A lot of content only interacts with food on a surface level,” he explains. “That virality is very short-lived. People have a short memory, they will forget it.”
The Road Ahead
Sapra’s Delhi Food Walks has expanded beyond Old Delhi—with newer trails in Humayunpur and Majnu Ka Tila that explore North Eastern and Myanmarese cuisine, and the “Delhi-Kabul” Afghani food walk in Lajpat Nagar. Reflecting on his work in the capital, Sapra says there’s still more to discover—especially in the NCR café scene.
“I’ve mostly covered street food in Central, North, East, South, and West Delhi through our street food walks,” he says. “Now I want to focus more on cafes, and restaurants in Delhi.”
After more than a decade of walking, filming, tasting, and listening, Sapra still speaks of food with a sense of awe. With the Kasol–Manali series underway, he’s already looking ahead to tour Mizoram and Andhra Pradesh—specifically Vijayawada, Araku, Godavari, and Visakhapatnam. “The target is to first visit these two places, and then maybe explore the world,” he says.
The first episode, ‘Kasol Food Walk’, is now on his YouTube channel Delhi Food Walks