Presents healthy, slow-cooked Indian street food rooted in tradition & purity
Also serves South Indian specials, traditional Indian sweets & desserts, teatime cakes and cookies, hot and cold beverages, home-made ice creams and freshly baked breads
Women-led workforce drives a powerful model of community empowerment
Variously called, Kashi, Banaras and Varanasi at different times (the last being its current official name), this abode of Gods, steeped in spirituality, is also famous for its divine street food culture. Every street, corner and crossing is bursting with crowds thronging street food carts and small outlets, among the more popular places being Godowlia Chowk & Thatheri Bazaar, Kachori Gali (Chowk Area), Assi Ghat & Lanka Area and Vishwanath Gali.
So, when inspired by that culture a second food joint of Chhota Banaras springs up in Sector 8 Chandigarh, after the success of the first one in Sector 17, it does not take time for the food lovers of the tricity to flock the place.
A few months into its journey the Chhota Banaras management invited your own news portal LifeInChandigarh.com to review the outlet in Sector 8 Madhya Marg where big names like Gopal’s and Sindhi Sweets are already deeply entrenched.
Housed in a popular block, where besides Gopal’s and Headmasters, Kap Kids has also opened shop very recently, Chhota Banaras it already attracting every passerby’s attention, because of its very name, and seeing the crowds within.
Second of three restaurant brands promoted by Munish and Puja Aggarwal serving pure, traditionally cooked healthy and tasty food, this one might just have stolen a march other the other two brands – Back to Source and Café Well-Being – because of the sheer popularity of street food, that too served guilt-free.
Apart from the popular street foods like Chhana Tawa Bhatura, Chana Kulcha, Aloo Puri, Pav Bhaji, Vada Pav, Batata Vada, Kachori with Aloo Sabzi and Papdi Chaat, Chhota Banaras serves a wide variety of South Indian Specials, including varieties in Ragi, teatime cakes and cookies, hot and cold beverages, home-made ice creams, freshly baked breads, and a complete range of sweets and desserts.
We chose to start with their speciality, the Rose Gulkand shake. It was just heavenly! No exaggeration!
Considering that the glass was quite big, it was expectedly filling. Left with little room to try out too many things, we asked what else is extra special on the menu. From among the many choices, we preferred Chana Tawa Bhatura because of the emphasis on tawa, as opposed to deep fried.
Crisp from the outside and soft and fluffy inside, with a hint of stuffed paneer, it reminded us of the famous Rogani Naan served at Back to Source with its dough fermented overnight. It went well with the slow-cooked gravy chana blackened with amla and served with onion and green chillies smeared with delicious green and imli chatni and aachaar.
A serving of small cubes of their choicest sweets, including milk cake, dhaniae ki barfi, melon seeds barfi and kalakand, rounded off our heart’s fill.
Though the long menu was compelling, that’s all we could have.
Later interacting with LifeInChandigarh.com, Chef Umesh, who hails from Bihar, shared that “Chhota Banaras is built around the idea that Banaras is not merely a place, but a lived experience. It represents a slower, more mindful way of living where food is prepared with patience and authenticity, and traditions are practiced daily rather than preserved as nostalgia.”
He added that the menu at Chhota Banaras is inspired by the vibrant street food culture of Banaras and other parts of India, offering a range of traditional and comfort dishes, including Chana Bhatura, Aloo Puri, Kachori with Aloo Sabzi and a variety of south Indian offerings.
The beverage selection complements the food with nostalgic Indian favourites such as Gulkand Shake, sweet Lassi, Badam Milk and Nimbu Pani along with a fermented option – Mint Kombucha.
Monica Rani, who leads a 20-member strong team of women employees at the Sector 8 outlet, reveals that “A defining feature of the Sector 8 outlet is its strong focus on women empowerment. Around 80 per cent of the 20-odd woman employees hail from adjoining villages and have stepped into a professional environment for the first time. These women are actively involved in all aspects of food preparation – from grinding spices and preparing ingredients to creating signature dishes and in-house masalas like pav bhaji blends.”
Encouraged by the success of Chhota Banaras in Sectors 17 and 8, the management is actively pursuing opening two more outlets – one in Panchkula and the other in Curo, New Chandigarh.
“In all other cities we have a sweets shop and bakery. Why we are calling the Panchkula facility as our flagship is because we have added a full-fledged large format vegetarian restaurant for the first time anywhere. Henceforth we have plans to carry forward this restaurant format as we expand in the tricity to Chandigarh, Mohali and beyond.”
On the issue of competition from rivals, Juneja, who was accompanied by his wife Rita Juneja and another director in the company Vinay Sood, said “We are not here to compete with anyone. We have faith in God and our work – the variety and quality of our products, their taste, our facilities and our service.”
Janta Premium, spread over 6000 square feet (ground & basement), has on offer 150+ items in its multi-cuisine dining and more than 300 items in its sweets and bakery sections.
Gujiya (Plain), Gulaab Anjeer Gujiya, Pan Gujia, Long Latta Gujiya, Cranberry Gujiya, Shahi Badam Gujiya, Strawberry Gujiya, Gud Saunf Gujiya, Kaju Gujiya, Mango Gujiya, Coconut Gujiya, Chocolate Gujiya, Khajur Gujiya, Baked Gujiya, Baked Dark Chocolate Gujiya, Chandrakala, Pineapple Gujiya, Samosa Gujiya, Baked White Chocolate Gujiya, Kesar Gujiya, Dry Fruit Gujiya and ‘Fiber24’ sugar free Gujiya.
Having already had a great experience of visiting Back to Source in Sector 17 over the years, your own news portal LifeInChandigarh.com, on an invitation from the Aggarwals, recently visited their Café Well-Being in Sector 22-C Chandigarh, which is located diagonally opposite and across the road from Hotel JW Marriott.
“Refined oils and over-processing have distorted our understanding of food. We use cold-pressed oils, ‘desi khaand’ instead of refined sugar and single-source cow and buffalo milk across our kitchens,” shared Munish, who has a knack for thinking up something new each time he enters the kitchen, as Puja put it.
She showcased some fermented recipes using cabbage, cucumber, cauliflower among other vegetables, crafted by her using lactic acid fermentation, alongside naturally fermented and probiotic-rich beverages like
Fresh salad with a mix of fermented cabbage and carrot, and Nachos with fermented salsas are another attraction.
As in all their cafes, the décor and furniture at Café Well-Being, Sector 22 are minimalistic and sustainable. Here even the walls are painted with natural lime.
Well-stocked merchandise shelves vend a wide range of cookies, biscuits, biscotti, dry snacks, breads, pickles, fermented drinks, cakes, gir & desi cow ghee and cold-pressed oils.
A glimpse of specials on Café Well-Being-Sector 22 Menu
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