Sushi, Neapolitan pizza on thela: Delhi-NCR's street food goes gourmet

Scene: Somewhere in Delhi-NCR, having street food.“Bhaiya, do plate golgappe aur ek aloo tikki chaat lagana.”Circa 2026:“Bhaiya, ek plate sushi aur mango sticky rice lagana.” And that's how Delhi-NCR’s street food order is getting a little fancier, a little gourmet, one cart at a time. When you say street food, a few staples immediately make you drool: golgappe, momo, dahi papdi chaat, chole bhature and more. (Are you already drooling?)But they now have company – neatly rolled sushi, delicate dim sum and wood-fired pizzas with puffy, lightly charred edges. The sort of order that once meant picking a cafe or restaurant. But not anymore. It's all available at near by thelas now. Even Delhi’s Ramlila melas have had stalls offering sushi this year. Elsewhere, carts are serving these dishes at prices lower than many restaurants charge, sometimes well past midnight.And one locality, one street at a time, there's a bit of gourmet-fication of food happening. So, here's what's cooking. Amidst the aroma of tikka, momo, or crunch of golgappa, sushi stall finds its place in Noida's sector 76 market. (Photo: Author) Sushi, dim sum, and moreFor Prachi Bhalla, founder of Steam Bites, Noida-based dim sum cart, a meal at Kylin (Japanese restaurant) sparked the idea of making dim sum at home.“We noticed how people in India were becoming more open to these kinds of food. But when I saw the prices, I started wondering whether I could make these dishes at home. It took me some time to crack sushi and dim sum, but once I did, I thought: why am I spending Rs 1,000 or Rs 1,500 when I can make them myself? That is how the idea came about. We wanted to sell them at a fraction of restaurant prices and make them more accessible." Ever imagined trying dim sum and sushi from a thela? (Photo: Author) She wasn’t the only one to find a business idea like that. After eating at YouMee, Prabal Tiwari and Rohan Kumar wondered whether they could serve sushi for less. Their answer is Sushi Senpai, a sushi cart also in Sector 76, where the rolling continues until 3 am.Over in Gurgaon, the menu travels a little further.Gaurav Bhareja and his wife brought Korean, Thai and Japanese dishes to their International Food Haven cart. “We brought these dishes to a cart because customers often like to see things being made live, what ingredients we’re adding, the prep, and then become more interested in eating,” Bhareja tells India Today.And for something sweet, there’s mango sticky rice: coconut-rich rice paired with ripe mango, a little tropical detour from the usual post-chaat ice cream.A four-piece vegetarian sushi plate starts at about Rs 220, while an eight-piece non-vegetarian portion can go up to Rs 550. Meanwhile, at dine-in restaurants, prices start at around Rs 500.Gourmet slice of Italy by the streetNext order: bubbling wood-fired pizzas.At Gusto Italiano and JP Pizzeria, puffy crusts, bubbling mozzarella and lightly charred edges make a convincing case for roadside pizza. Gusto Italiano, run by friends Kartavya and Puneet, both in their mid-20s, serves Neapolitan pizzas. Gusto Italiano serves gourmet Neapolitan, wood-fired pizza, calzones, garlic bread and more uptill 12:30 am. (Photo: Author) Puneet first learnt the craft from an Italian couple, Max and Jennifer. The next thing they knew, they had a cart fired up every day, serving delicious pizzas with garlic bread and calzones also vying for your order. Scrumptious slice of cheese, veggies and slightly charred crust (Photo: Author) Depending on the cart and toppings, prices range from around Rs 280 for an eight-inch pizza to Rs 600 for a ten-inch one.Some mutton gosht, pleaseTime for some meatier street food.This one is served like a plate at some five star. Yes, premium mutton with parottas is now part of the street food menu. Laham by Shabfoods is currently one of the many viral food stops in Delhi-NCR. This is not a plate in a fancy restaurant, but simply something delicious on the street side. (Photo: Laham by Shabfood) Started by two product managers, colleagues-turned-friends Rishab and Shashi Kant, the cart serves scrumptious Namkeen Gosht with bite-sized Malabar parottas. Interestingly, their meat comes all the way from Rajasthan! Laham only put up their cart on weekends (Photo: Laham) The opening offer to your appetite: Rs 149 for a half plate or Rs 250 for a full one.Sounds unbelievable, right? To get meat at such an affordable price. But that's the thing about street food – to be able to satisfy cravings at affordable rates.One common thread that emerged was how all the owners turned their passion for food into gourmet serving. Bhalla says she invested around Rs 1–1.5 lakh in Steam Bites, while Gusto Italiano’s founders put in roughly Rs 3–4 lakh. Laham’s founders started with about Rs 30,000–Rs 50,000. All say their ventures are now profitable. While for some it's a full time thing, for Rishab and Shahi, it's a delicious side hustle.This price drop stirs bit of scrutiny too. So, how do vendors make room for all that gourmet ambition? Much of the work begins before they reach the roadside.Challenges of gourmet street foodGetting gourmet onto the street takes more than firing up a cart. With limited space for preparation and storage, the groundwork begins in separate kitchens. From dough preparation to sauce, certain raw material is prepared before setting up the cart (Photo: Author) All the cart vendors we spoke to say they have set up small storage areas where they refrigerate their raw materials.“We prepare the sauce two to four hours in advance, and the basic tomatoes, imported from Italy, remain the same. Just add oregano, salt and basil—that’s it. The ingredients then come here and are kept in an icebox so the temperature is maintained, be it the dough, pesto sauce or marinara sauce,” says Puneet.Now, getting the food ready is one part of the job. Getting customers to understand it is another ball game.Finding customersEveryone knows about gol gappe but sushi, dim sum or mango sticky rice still cater to a niche palate. These dishes are yet to enjoy the mass appeal.“Customers often come without knowing what the food is. People look at our dim sum and ask for momo. We then explain what makes our har gow style preparation different – the rice or potato starch wrapper, the fillings and the four variants we offer. If someone is expecting the usual momo filling, we have to explain that this will be a different experience,” Bhalla shares. Rice paper dumplings being served along with momo (Photo: Author) Meanwhile, Bhareja encourages first-time customers to try a half plate before committing to a full one.Can you imagine Thai curry on a thela? Bhareja did. They even started serving it but soon had to drop it from the menu because there wasn’t enough demand.And once someone does develop a taste for the food, there’s the matter of finding the cart again.Location dropA permanent address remains elusive for some vendors in Noida, who say they have been asked to move following complaints about noise and traffic as customers stop their cars to eat.Some vendors acknowledge operating outside designated vending zones, they claim that limited space and delays in fresh allotments leave them with few options, a claim India Today has not independently verified.This is not a cafeBhalla says diners often compare these dishes with restaurant experiences, overlooking the limits of a cart.Laham’s founders understand this too, which is why they created a Pinterest-y cart with fairy lights. But for them, waiting time becomes a challenge that can mean losing customers.“We have a small cart and a small team. If there are 25 orders ahead of someone, the wait can be around 40–50 minutes. At a restaurant, you might be comfortable waiting because you are sitting in AC, enjoying the ambience. When you are standing outside, that same wait becomes a problem,” Rishab adds.Any takers for gourmet street food?If you go by the vendors’ word, that’s a resounding yes!Most of their customers are young, arriving with a saved Reel and an appetite for something different. Rishab says the amount of mutton they sell has grown 10 times, from 2.5 kg to 25 kg per within a month. The others also claim to be making profits. Such gourmet carts are a symbol of India's growing culinary palate (Photo: Author) Fret not, this gourmet-fication doesn't mean your favourite golgappe are going anywhere. They just have neighbours. With sushi, burrata and wood-fired pizzas joining the roadside menu, “bhaiya, ek plate” now leaves a lot more room for possibility.PS: We are (not) sorry if this article triggered any cravings. We are hereby not responsible for any impulsive food outings.- Ends