"A 120-year-old galouti kebab for about ₹140 — among the world's most legendary eateries. Go once, go hungry, and go solo."
Tunday Kababi does one thing, and it has done it since 1905: the galouti kebab, a minced-meat patty so soft it is said to dissolve on the tongue. The original shop sits on the lane between Chowk Gol Darwaza and Akbari Gate in old Lucknow, founded by Haji Murad Ali — nicknamed “Tunday,” Urdu for one-armed, after he lost an arm as a boy. The recipe runs to a guarded 160-odd spices. A plate costs about ₹140. This is a pilgrimage, not a fine-dining room.
There is no chef to name in the fine-dining sense — the kitchen is the legacy of Haji Murad Ali, who opened the shop in 1905, and it has been run by his descendants ever since. The story is the spice mix: a secret masala said to fold in roughly 160 ingredients, ground by the family and never written down, which gives the galouti its melt-on-the-tongue texture. The recipe was reputedly developed for a Nawab of Lucknow who had lost his teeth and wanted a kebab he could eat without chewing.
The order is simple. The galouti kebab — traditionally buffalo, minced to a paste and shallow-fried — is the entire reason to come, eaten with the ulte tawe ka paratha, a flaky griddle bread folded around it. A plate runs about ₹140 in Lucknow (the Delhi outlets charge more), which makes it some of the best-value great food on earth. Tunday Kababi has been named among the world's most legendary eateries and has its own Wikipedia entry — rare for a kebab stall. Come hungry, carry cash, and do not expect a menu beyond kebab and paratha.
Set expectations honestly: the Chowk original is a cramped, frantic, tiled hole-in-the-wall, often standing-room, with a queue spilling into the lane and the griddle working in full view. There is no dress code, no reservation, and no ambience in the white-tablecloth sense — the theatre is the cooking and the crowd. Lighting is harsh, the sound level is loud, and seating is a scramble. None of that is a flaw; it is the point. Go at an off-peak hour if you want a seat, and embrace the chaos.
Come solo or with a small, hungry crew for a food pilgrimage, not an occasion. The galouti is best eaten standing, fast, hot off the griddle, with a paratha and no ceremony — a single diner can be in and out in fifteen minutes and remember it for years. It also makes a fast, cheap business or team lunch if your guests care more about legend than linen. See our Lucknow dining guide and the best Indian restaurants worldwide.
Not for anyone who needs a tablecloth, a wine list, a reservation, or a calm room — this is a frantic, cash-only kebab stall, and that is exactly its charm.
Yes — it is one of the genuine food pilgrimages of India. The galouti kebab here, served since 1905, is widely regarded as the original and the benchmark, and Tunday Kababi has been ranked among the world's most legendary eateries. At about ₹140 a plate it is extraordinary value. Judge it as a legendary kebab stall, not a restaurant. See our Lucknow guide.
The original is in Chowk, on the lane connecting Chowk Gol Darwaza and Akbari Gate in old Lucknow — the shop founded by Haji Murad Ali in 1905. There are now branches elsewhere in Lucknow and beyond, but the Chowk original is the one purists make the trip for. Go off-peak to avoid the worst of the queue.
Order the galouti kebab with the ulte tawe ka paratha — that is the dish that made the place, and it is essentially the whole menu worth your time. The kebab is traditionally buffalo, minced to a paste with the family's secret spice mix. Carry cash and come hungry; portions are small but you will want several.
A plate of galouti kebab runs about ₹140 at the Lucknow original, with the Delhi outlets charging closer to ₹180. It is cash-first and cheap by any standard — some of the best-value great food anywhere — so a full meal of kebabs and paratha rarely climbs far. There is no reservation and no cover.
Yes, if speed and legend matter more than comfort. A solo diner can eat in fifteen minutes, and it makes a fast, memorable team or business lunch for guests who want the real Lucknow rather than a hotel dining room. Expect a crowd, noise and standing room. See our best business-lunch spots.
No reservations — walk in, carry cash, and expect a queue. Go at an off-peak hour for a seat.
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