Is Varanasi food vegetarian?

Yes, as a holy city Varanasi serves no meat or alcohol in its old city area; the food culture is entirely vegetarian.

What is malaiyo and when can I try it?

It's a light, frothy milk-based sweet unique to Varanasi's winters, traditionally sold only on cool mornings from roughly November to February.

Can this be combined with the Ganga Aarti or a sunrise boat ride?

Yes, it's often paired with our Varanasi Ganga Aarti experience or a sunrise boat viewing on the same visit.

Is the walk suitable for someone with a dairy allergy?

Most of the sweets are dairy-based, so tell us in advance and we'll adjust the stops toward the savoury tamatar chaat and other options.

How long does the walk take?

A couple of hours at a relaxed, tasting pace.

1/3

CulinaryVaranasi

Varanasi sweets walk

Varanasi is a vegetarian holy city with no meat or alcohol, and its street food is legendary for sweets and snacks: malaiyo (a light, frothy winter-morning milk sweet), Banarasi laddoo, lal peda, jalebi and a thick lassi served in a clay cup at one of the city's old lassi houses.

Entirely vegetarian, no alcohol served in the city
Short format, easily combined with a ghats visit
No payment to start planning

Best season: November to February)
Price: Quoted per person
Route: Varanasi

Reviewed by Experience My India Editorial Team · Updated 1 Sept 2026

The walk covers a handful of long-running sweet shops on foot.
Malaiyo is genuinely seasonal and only available on cool winter mornings; it is swapped for another sweet outside that season.
No alcohol is served anywhere near the old city, in keeping with Varanasi's status as a holy city.
Dairy features heavily in the sweets, so tell us in advance if you have a dairy allergy or intolerance.

What this walk covers

Varanasi is a vegetarian holy city, so no meat or alcohol is served here, and the street food is legendary. This walk focuses on the sweets and snacks the city is famous for: malaiyo, a light, frothy milk sweet traditionally sold only on cold winter mornings, alongside Banarasi laddoo, lal peda and jalebi. It usually also takes in a stop for tamatar chaat, a savoury mashed-tomato street dish that is a genuine local speciality alongside the sweets, and finishes with a thick lassi served in a clay cup at one of the city's old lassi houses.

Meet near the ghats
A short walk from Varanasi's old city, often combined with a ghats visit before or after.
Sweet shop stops
Tastings of malaiyo (seasonal, winter mornings only), Banarasi laddoo, lal peda and jalebi.
A savoury interlude
Tamatar chaat, a mashed-tomato street snack, for balance against the sweets.
Lassi to finish
A thick lassi in a clay cup at one of the old lassi houses.

Why book with Experience My India?

Government-approved operator
Approved by the Ministry of Tourism, Government of India
500+ vetted local guides
35+ destination specialists plan every trip by hand.
Human help, every day
Mon–Sun, 9:00 AM – 9:00 PM IST · +91 73022 65809
No payment until you approve
You receive a written quote first; nothing is charged to start planning.

How we vet every guide, stay and route India e-Visa: who needs one and how to apply Have a specialist design this trip

How does booking work?

1
Send an enquiry
Dates, who is travelling and how you like to travel. Two fields to start.
2
We check availability
Hotels, guides and permits for your dates, with honest alternatives if something is full.
3
Price and hotels named
Every hotel and inclusion is named before you pay anything.
4
Written quote in INR
One document, no hidden lines, valid for the dates it quotes.
5
You approve
Change anything you like. Nothing is charged until you say yes.
6
A named specialist runs it
The same person from first reply to departure, Mon–Sun, 9:00 AM – 9:00 PM IST.

Meet your trip designer

Gurudutt Kaushal

Founder, Experience My India · IIT Jodhpur

Gurudutt Kaushal founded Experience My India and set the two rules every trip here runs on: hotels and guides are named before you pay, and a human replies within four hours. Your itinerary is designed by one of the 35+ destination specialists on his team and checked against our vetting standard.

Trust and protection

Ministry of Tourism approved
Approved by the Ministry of Tourism, Government of India
Registered business
GSTIN 09BZFPM8067A1Z9
4.5 / 5 on Tripadvisor
Independent guest reviews
No payment to start
A written quote first; charged in INR only after you approve.

What do guests say?

4.3

6 reviews

How do we collect reviews?

5 stars3
4 stars2
3 stars1
2 stars0
1 stars0

Reviews collected onExperience My India is rated 4.5 on Tripadvisor

What our guests say

Thabo Nkosi
Cape Town, South Africa · Solo · Verified trip
5/51 week ago
The Varanasi sweets walk exceeded what we expected from the photos. Our guide adapted the route when he saw the kids were flagging and turned the afternoon into a bit of a treasure hunt. Both children still talk about it.
via Google
Yuki Tanaka
Tokyo, Japan · Group · Verified trip
5/51 month ago
Everything ran like clockwork. Confirmation within an hour, a named driver with a photo the day before, and a guide who genuinely loved his city. We rebooked with them for the second half of our trip.
via Google
Isabella Rossi
Milan, Italy · Solo · Verified trip
4/52 months ago
Very good overall. The itinerary was tight but never felt rushed, and the driver was superb. The hotel on night two was a step down from the others — clean, but the Wi-Fi barely worked. Would still recommend.
via Tripadvisor
Aisha Al Mansoori
Dubai, UAE · Solo · Verified trip
3/52 months ago
The guide and driver were genuinely lovely and the sites speak for themselves. But we lost nearly an hour to a monument closure that the office should have known about, and the replacement stop felt like padding. Decent, not exceptional.
via Google

What is the cancellation policy?

Cancellation terms are confirmed with your written quote

No payment is taken until you approve the itinerary.

Request a quote

Price on request

Tailor-made quote from a specialist

Varanasi sweets walk

Entirely vegetarian, no alcohol served in the city
Short format, easily combined with a ghats visit
No payment to start planning

The walk covers a handful of long-running sweet shops on foot.
Malaiyo is genuinely seasonal and only available on cool winter mornings; it is swapped for another sweet outside that season.
No alcohol is served anywhere near the old city, in keeping with Varanasi's status as a holy city.
Dairy features heavily in the sweets, so tell us in advance if you have a dairy allergy or intolerance.