Home-cooked meals in the hills

From Malvani feasts to sweet treats, discover home-cooked delights in Lonavala and dine like a local on your next getaway to the hill station

Your weekend getaway no longer has to rely on the usual Lonavala fare. The hill station is quietly expanding its culinary options, with locals now offering home-cooked meals that you can enjoy at your hotel or rented villa. This new wave of home chefs allows tourists to swap the monotony of hotel food for the comforting flavours of a home-cooked meal.

What's on the menu? Enjoy a Malvani feast with fish fry, spicy curries, and bhakri, or savour Punjabi dishes that are light on butter. Sweet tooth? Local bakers are whipping up delicious desserts for any celebration, including brownies, cupcakes, cookies, and custom cakes. Next time you drive up the ghat, check out these home chefs for a unique dining experience. Sunday mid-day asked regulars to recommend their favourite ones.

For banana Nutella cake

Zainab Rampurawala, a former computer science engineer, traded her tech career for a sweeter life in Lonavala nearly a decade ago. After taking a short baking course, she embraced her passion and now runs a home-based cake studio. Zainab specialises in large batches of brownies, cupcakes, and cookies and takes orders for celebration cakes with a focus on tiered designs. Zainab always has slabs of brownies, cupcakes, and cookies ready for weekend visitors to Lonavala. On some weekends, she indulges in "weekend bakes," creating treats like cheesecakes or apple cobblers that aren't usually on her menu.

Zainab Rampurawala and Chandni Kotak

She posts these limited-edition goodies on her WhatsApp status, and they quickly sell out. Chandni Kotak, a playschool teacher in Lonavala, shares, "I first met Zainab through our kids' school, and once I discovered she was a baker, I had to try her cakes. I've been ordering from her for over a year. Her cupcakes, especially the frosting, are perfectly balanced and not too sweet. Her brownies are dense and gooey with top-notch chocolate. The banana Nutella cake, which I was initially hesitant about, pleasantly surprised me. Now, Zainab is my go-to for my daughter's birthday cakes. She does an exceptional job with decorations, like the rainbow cake for my daughter's birthday, which was a hit."

The Cake Palette
Price: Rs 300 onwards
To order: 8380090875. (Call two days in advance for regular cakes and four days for custom orders)

For desi khana

Anjum Khan began her cooking journey only after marriage, having never cooked in her maternal home. Based in Lonavala, this Mangalorean has crafted her menu through experimentation, offering diverse dishes to suit all tastes. Her kitchen features breakfast staples like idli chutney, misal pav, poha, and parathas. Khan's menu truly shines for lunch and dinner with options such as butter chicken, paneer makhani, veg Kolhapuri, Nizami dum biryani, thecha gosht, mutton dalcha, and Chinese rice.

Anjum Khan and Dipti Thakker

Recommended by Dipti Thakker, fashion studio co-owner, who says, "My husband is quite a picky eater, but even he loved the homely, light meal from Anjum. We enjoyed paneer sabzi, parathas, and biryani. When I mentioned my husband's aversion to raw onions, they thoughtfully sent a Jain raita instead. I always recommend Anjum to friends with villas in Lonavala - they're never disappointed."

Khan's Kitchen
Price: Rs 50 per plate onwards
To order: 8007024990

For Malvani tadka

Anjali and Savita Rane launched their kitchen in May 2024, bringing authentic Malvani recipes to Lonavala. "We noticed that while Gavran-style food is widely available, Malvani cuisine was missing. So, we decided to fill that gap," says Arya Rane, Anjali's daughter, who helps with deliveries. Rane's Kitchen offers traditional Malvani flavours, using masala ground at home.

Each dish, from curries and fries to sabzis, is crafted from family recipes, offering an authentic taste of Malvani cuisine. The menu includes fish fry, chicken/mutton sukka, fish/chicken/mutton curry with Malvani masala, and biryani. Recommended by Snehal Nikam, a real estate business owner in Talegaon and Chakan: "For an authentic Malvani meal in Lonavala, Rane's Kitchen is unparalleled.

Anjali Rane and Snehal Nikam

Everything was freshly made, and the hot chapatis were prepared right before delivery. They customise the spice levels to your preference, so we enjoyed a perfectly balanced medium-spicy egg masala and mutton biryani. They even accommodated a special request for palak paneer, which wasn't on the menu. The food was light and ideal for a family gathering."

Rane's Kitchen
Price: Rs 600 onwards per 1/2 kg
To order: 9284358766 (Needs eight hours notice in advance)

For simple Konkani jevan

For the past 12 years, Leena Parte has been running an informal kitchen from her home in Lonavala, earning a reputation for her delicious ukadiche modak. She whips up Konkani meals in just a few hours and delivers them promptly. "My mother used to do this, so I simply continued the tradition," Leena explains. With no fixed menu, she caters to whatever her customers request, bringing home fresh ingredients to cook on demand.

Leena Parte and Harsh Pandya

Leena's specialities include biryani, non-vegetarian curries, and comforting vegetarian subs. During the Ganesh festival, her modak orders skyrocket, keeping her especially busy. Recommended by Harsh Pandya, digital film producer and director, who says, "Her modak is simply exceptional. Each is folded with such precision that I initially thought they were machine-made, but I've seen her prepare them by hand. She strikes the perfect balance of sweetness and ghee. I've sampled almost everything on her menu, and her turnaround time, flavour, and consistency are unmatched."

Leena Parte
Price: Rs 1,000 per kg
To order: 8806853712

For Gurdwara langar

During the COVID-19 lockdown, home chef Nutan Bakshi Hajrati began whipping Punjabi dishes at home, driven by friends' cravings for her cooking. This passion led her to start taking orders and securing the necessary licences. Four years later, she's successfully catering parties and delivering meals within an hour. Initially known for her chaat, Hajrati expanded her menu based on customer requests. Now, she offers everything you'd find at a Punjabi restaurant from her home kitchen. Hajrati prefers to work solo, finding joy in cooking herself rather than delegating.

Nutan Hajrati and Ruhika Kukreja

"Cooking is my hobby, and I also serve at the Gurdwara's langar. It's deeply satisfying to cook and feed others," she says. She prepares chopped vegetables and other essentials, ensuring quick delivery as soon as orders arrive. Her menu includes aloo paratha, Punjabi kadhi, chana masala, paneer butter masala, vangi masala, pani puri, sev puri, and more. Ruhika Kukreja, owner of Cafe Bliss, Lonavala, praises Hajrati: "The taste is exceptional, and Nutan is meticulous about hygiene and quality. She cooks not just to sell but to offer home-cooked goodness. Her paneer tikka, paneer butter masala, and chana masala are delightful, and her pani puri is among the best in Lonavala. Her idli chutney is also fantastic."

Nutan's Home Kitchen
Price: Rs 800 for two
To order: 8668529460