RESEARCHED LOCAL PICKS · 5 NOVEMBER 2026
Cuttack’s own dahibara aloo dum, its biryani, the Pahala sweet stop on NH16 and a few sit-down restaurants – each with a map link and the date its details were checked.
Cuttack does not need an introduction to anyone from Odisha. The Silver City runs on its food as much as on its silver filigree and its Durga Puja. One street snack was born here and still carries the city’s name wherever Odias travel, its biryani has a style of its own, and just outside the city the highway doubles as one of the state’s most famous sweet stops. This is a researched list of the places Cuttack is known for, with the areas, timings and recent visitor feedback that help you plan. Sources and their dates are at the end, because hours at small stalls change often.
Poster uses the Digi Jasmine brand logo and original illustrative artwork – not photos of the listed places.
The quick answer
Dahibara aloo dum, the dish Cuttack calls its own
Dahibara aloo dum is Cuttack’s soul food. Baras made from urad dal are soaked in water, then rested in light yoghurt until soft, and served under a generous pouring of spicy aloo dum and ghuguni. The classic version comes with nothing else on top – no onion, no sev – while the newer carts load it with chopped onion, coriander and jhuri. Odisha loves the dish enough to celebrate it every year on 1 March as Dahibara Aloodum Dibasa.
The combination was started in 1950 by Raghunath Sasmal, known across Odisha as Raghu Mausa, when he was fifteen. He first sold it near Barabati Fort and later moved to Bidanasi. Raghu Mausa died in August 2025 at 94, and his family continues the same stall in Bidanasi – same original recipe, same sal-leaf plates, still no toppings (The Federal, September 2025).
The names below come with what recent visitors actually reported, because fame and current form do not always match:
Bandha Chowk, Bidanasi
Raghu Dahibara Aludum
The original 1950 stall, now run by the founder’s family. Its current listing (September 2026) shows it open 4:30 to 5:30 pm daily. Recent reviews are split: fans call it the authentic original; others find it fiercely spicy and are surprised there is no onion, sev or spoon. That spartan plate is the classic style – go expecting the original, not a loaded one.
Bandha Chowk, Bidanasi
Listing hours4:30-5:30 pm daily (Sep 2026 listing)
Google rating3.8 from 2,618 reviews (Sep 2026)
Ring Road side, Behera Colony
Ranka Dahibara
The morning favourite: in an August 2026 r/Cuttack thread it “stood up to its hype” at Rs 60 a plate, and locals in the comments backed it up.
Ring Road side – listings place it at Behera Colony
Best timeMornings
PriceRs 60 a plate (Aug 2026 report)
Dolamundai
Kalia Bhaina
Tasty and well rated in the same August 2026 thread, also Rs 60 a plate.
Dolamundai
PriceRs 60 a plate (Aug 2026 report)
Barabati Stadium area
Kuna Tuna
The loaded style – onion, coriander and jhuri on top – at Rs 70 a plate as of August 2026. Honest note: recent local feedback is mixed, with several regulars saying it has slipped from a few years ago. A commenter preferred Megha Dahibara right beside it.
Barabati Stadium area
PriceRs 70 a plate (Aug 2026 report)
Recent feedbackMixed (Aug 2026)
More evening names. OTV’s March 2025 list also names Trinath Sahoo (spicy-sweet balance), Ishwara at Biju Patnaik Chhak, Binod at Deula Sahi and Babula as popular evening joints. The stadium carts are listed as running through the day.
Cuttack biryani, and the name behind it
Cuttack biryani looks familiar at first – a large piece of meat and a potato, close to the Kolkata style – but one thing sets it apart. As Tuku Mian, the city’s veteran biryani ustad, told food writer Indrajit Lahiri, Cuttack biryani uses gulnad, and that is what makes it different from the rest (moha-mushkil.com, 2022). Expect a slightly sweet, onion-rich gravy and a thin raita on the side.
Buxi Bazaar, near UCO Bank and the YMCA
DFC Dada’s Biryani (Deep Food Corner)
The best-documented biryani name in the city. Its current listing (September 2026) shows it open 12:30 to 3:30 pm and closed on Mondays, rated 4.2 out of 5 across roughly 5,800 reviews, and Zomato puts it at about Rs 500 for two. Locals say the mutton biryani is the famous order.
Buxi Bazaar, near UCO Bank and the YMCA
Listing hours12:30-3:30 pm, closed Mondays (Sep 2026 listing)
Google rating4.2 from about 5,800 reviews (Sep 2026)
Pahala on NH16, the sweet stop just outside the city
Pahala is not in Cuttack city itself – it is a stretch of sweet shops on NH16, on the highway between Cuttack and Bhubaneswar, and an easy stop in either direction. It is famous for rasogolla, the Odia contender in the long-running GI debate with Bengal. Pahala’s rasogolla is a different sweet from the spongy Bengali kind: firm on the outside, soft inside, sweeter, and cooked longer in the syrup.
The other thing to buy here is chhena poda – chhena kneaded with sugar and baked until the crust turns a deep caramel brown. It is often called Odisha’s answer to the cheesecake, and it is said to have been first made by Sudarshan Sahoo of Dasapalla in the early 1900s. Food writer Indrajit Lahiri’s advice from his Pahala stop: if you try one thing, make it the chhena poda. It is a fresh dairy sweet, so if you plan to carry it home, ask the seller how long it keeps and how to pack it for the journey.
NH16, between Cuttack and Bhubaneswar
Pahala sweet shops
A highway row of sweet shops rather than one name – rasogolla to eat there, chhena poda to carry home. It fits naturally into the drive in or out of the city.
NH16, between Cuttack and Bhubaneswar
Known forRasogolla and chhena poda
Sit-down restaurants for a full meal
Street food is the headline, but for a proper family dinner these names appear in current listings (October 2026):
Dargha Bazaar, Jail Road
Barabati Restaurant
A long-running multi-cuisine family restaurant in the heart of the city, opposite the old Big Bazaar complex.
Dargha Bazaar, Jail Road
StyleMulti-cuisine family restaurant
CDA Sector 10
Lalsa Restaurant and Lounge
A newer, lounge-style spot for dinner – Chinese and seafood – open late.
CDA Sector 10
StyleLounge-style, Chinese and seafood
Paika Sahi, Gopalpur
Voyage Multi Cuisine
Above SBI Bank at Paika Sahi, Gopalpur, on the highway side towards Bhubaneswar. Suited to family outings and small functions.
Paika Sahi, Gopalpur, above SBI Bank
StyleMulti-cuisine, functions
When to eat what
Travelling on? We keep the same kind of researched lists for Bhubaneswar and Keonjhar.
Frequently asked questions
What food is Cuttack most famous for?
Dahibara aloo dum above everything else – the dish was born here. Cuttack biryani and the sweets of Pahala come next.
Where did dahibara aloo dum start?
At Raghunath Sasmal’s stall in 1950, first near Barabati Fort and later at Bidanasi, where his family still runs it.
When is the best time to eat dahibara in Cuttack?
Mornings for Ranka and the early stalls, from about 4:30 pm for Raghu and the evening names, and through the day at the Barabati Stadium carts. Timings are as sources reported them – confirm locally.
Is Pahala in Cuttack?
No – it sits on NH16 between Cuttack and Bhubaneswar, so it works as a highway stop in either direction.
Is dahibara aloo dum vegetarian?
Yes – baras in yoghurt with potato curry and ghuguni. The sit-down restaurants above also serve vegetarian thalis and dishes.
Sources
Checked on 5 November 2026. Each entry above names the date of its own source.
- Raghu Dahibara Aludum listing (September 2026)
- The Federal – Raghu Mausa’s story (September 2025)
- r/Cuttack dahibara comparison thread (August 2026)
- OTV – famous dahibara joints of Cuttack (March 2025)
- DFC Dada Biryani listing (September 2026)
- Zomato – DFC Dada’s Biryani (checked 5 November 2026)
- r/Cuttack biryani thread (May 2026)
- moha-mushkil.com – Cuttack food and Pahala visit (2022)
- Restaurant Guru – Cuttack listings (October 2026)
Corrections
Spotted a wrong hour, an old address or a place that has closed? Tell us through the contact option on Digi Jasmine and we will put it right.