Nathu's Sweets — Indian Hospitality Magazine
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Nathu's Sweets

Bengali Market's 80-year chaat institution — where Delhi's bureaucracy satisfies its sweet tooth

N

Nathu family

Founder · Est. 1944 · Bengali Market, Connaught Place, Delhi NCR

Nathu's opened in 1944 in Bengali Market — a small commercial enclave between Connaught Place and the government offices of Central Delhi. The location was strategic: Bengali Market served the bureaucracy's daily needs, and Nathu's served the bureaucracy's appetite for sweets, chaat, and the samosa that remains Delhi's most universal snack.

Over eighty years, Nathu's expanded from a sweet counter to a mini-empire within Bengali Market: the sweet shop, the chaat counter, the restaurant, and the takeaway section all operate as connected units serving the same clientele at different meal occasions. The gulab jamun, the chole bhature, and the aloo tikki are each, in their category, considered among Delhi's best.

Bengali Market itself is a Delhi institution — a small, dense market that has retained its mid-century character while the city has transformed around it. Nathu's is the market's anchor: the establishment that draws traffic, the name that people use as a landmark, and the destination that has maintained its standards across four generations of the founding family.

Nathu's Sweets — additional image

“The gulab jamun was sweet in 1944. It is sweet today. Delhi has changed in every possible way. The gulab jamun has not.”

What Defines Nathu's Sweets

Gulab Jamun— The deep-fried milk-solid balls soaked in sugar syrup — Nathu's most celebrated sweet.
Chole Bhature— Spiced chickpea curry with deep-fried bread — the Delhi breakfast that Nathu's has served for decades.
Aloo Tikki— Potato patties with chutneys and toppings — the chaat preparation that defines the street food counter.
Samosa— Deep-fried pastry with spiced potato — the universal Delhi snack, prepared at Nathu's to a consistent standard.
Raj Kachori— The large, stuffed, multi-textured chaat that combines curd, chutneys, and crunch in a single construction.

The Experience

Bengali Market is small, crowded, and familiar — it has the character of a neighbourhood market despite being in the centre of Delhi's government district. Nathu's occupies multiple storefronts. You move between the sweet counter, the chaat counter, and the restaurant depending on what you need. The crowd is government Delhi: IAS officers, politicians, and the clerical workforce that keeps the capital functioning.

Rated & Reviewed By

Zomato 4.2★ · Times Food Heritage · LBB Delhi · India Today

Editorial Notes

  • Bengali Market is a Delhi heritage market — the context is essential for understanding Nathu's significance.
  • The proximity to central government offices shapes the clientele and the operating hours.
  • The sweet shop does significant festival business — Diwali, Holi, and Raksha Bandhan orders are placed in advance.
  • Recommended for hospitality students studying sweet shop operations and market-anchor food businesses.

Getting There

Nearest Metro: Barakhamba Road (Blue Line, 8-minute walk) or Mandi House (Blue/Violet Line, 10-minute walk). Bengali Market is near Tansen Marg.