4 Best Restaurants in Pushkar, Rajasthan

This four-story, family-run restaurant is a good choice for continental cuisine (think veggie burgers and Israeli salads) as well as Indian classics, with spice levels suited to the Western palate; the pizzas and pastas are popular, too. It's also a good place for breakfast, as it usually stocks a few pastries from a nearby bakery, makes paranthas (potato-stuffed flatbreads) that are fresh and not too oily. The café also serves "real" filter coffee. For views of Pushkar and the surrounding desert, sit on the rooftop terrace.

This small café and bakery offers a range of healthy, light food, be it a tofu stir-fry or one of the interesting salads—all prepared to order. If you have had one too many naans or paneer-butter-ghee packed lunches, head here for a sandwich with homemade bread, cheesecake, or a healthy vegetarian or vegan meal.

A favorite with backpackers, this quirky vegetarian restaurant in an old whitewashed-blue building near the Brahma Temple has chilled trance music in the background, and reasonably quick and attentive service. The lengthy menu has everything from pizzas, thalis, extensive breakfasts (fit for a king) with Italian espresso, 20 types of grilled sandwiches, 12 types of soup, many flavors of lassi (chocolate, rose, mixed fruit), pasta (a favorite is ravioli in sage sauce), Mexican favorites, and Israeli and Middle Eastern food like falafel, to crepes (vegetable, sweet, or salty) and apple pie. You can eat downstairs in a/c comfort or head to the rooftop and have a meal with a view.

If you like to people-watch, this small terrace restaurant with lovely lake views is the place to be---expect to see an eclectic mash-up of dreadlocked backpackers, ornately adorned desert dwellers singing and dancing, and plenty of local priests eager to perform pujas (Hindu ceremonies). The menu mixes Indian (stuffed parathas or a thali), Italian (pizza, lasagna, bruschettas) and Mexican (enchiladas), though the international dishes aren't quite what you are used to back home; the veg sizzlers, lasagna, and banana pancakes are particularly popular here.

Come in the early evening, when scores of tourists and locals gather in front of the restaurant on Pushkar Lake's eastern shore to watch the sun set.