India’s sweet-making traditions have produced some remarkable creations, from the soft, syrup-soaked rosogolla of Bengal to Mysore pak, which traces its origins to the kitchens of the Mysore Palace. Many of these sweets began as regional specialities, shaped by local ingredients, royal kitchens and generations of halwais who perfected their craft. Over time, a few became so popular that their names travelled well beyond the cities where they were first made.
The sweet shops behind these creations have stories of their own. Some have been in business for generations, holding on to traditional recipes and methods of preparation, while others have found new ways to present familiar Indian flavours. For travellers, they offer an opportunity to explore a city’s culinary heritage through the sweets it is known for. From Kolkata’s celebrated chhena confectionery to Agra’s iconic petha, here are seven sweet shops worth seeking out.
Kolkata — K.C. Das: The Sweet That Travelled Beyond Bengal
In 1868, in the narrow lanes of Baghbazar, Kolkata, confectioner Nobin Chandra Das began experimenting with chhena, or fresh cottage cheese, eventually creating the rosogolla, a soft cheese ball simmered in light sugar syrup. His invention would go on to become one of India’s most recognisable sweets, although its origins remain part of a spirited culinary debate between Bengal and Odisha. Das’s son, Krishna Chandra Das, carried the family legacy forward, creating the rosomalai and pioneering vacuum-sealed canned rosogollas in 1930, allowing the delicate sweet to travel far beyond Kolkata. The family enterprise subsequently expanded, with K.C. Das Grandson was established in Kalighat in 1956 by Debendra Nath Das. Rabindranath Tagore is often mentioned among the admirers of Nobin Chandra’s rosogolla, adding a literary association to the shop’s culinary legacy. Today, rosogolla remains the essential order, alongside rosomalai, assorted sandesh and the travel-friendly canned sweets that helped make the name famous.
Mysore — Guru Sweet Mart: A Royal Recipe That Became a City’s Pride
The story of Guru Sweet Mart begins in the kitchens of the Mysore Palace, where royal cook Kakasura Madappa is said to have created Mysore pak during the reign of Maharaja Krishna Raja Wadiyar IV in the early 20th century. The sweet was born from a simple but indulgent combination of gram flour, sugar syrup and ghee, cooked until it developed its distinctive rich texture. When the Maharaja asked Madappa what the creation was called, the cook reportedly named it Mysore pak, with pak referring to the sugar syrup preparation. Madappa eventually brought the royal recipe to the public, and Guru Sweet Mart became associated with the original preparation, continuing under his descendants. Unlike the firmer, more crumbly versions found elsewhere, the traditional Mysore pak here is prized for its soft, almost melting texture and generous use of ghee. For visitors to Mysore, a freshly prepared piece from Guru Sweet Mart is a taste of the city’s royal culinary history.
Ahmedabad — Jayhind Sweets: A Gujarati Mithai Legacy Since 1948
Established by Tulsidas Patel in 1948, Jayhind Sweets grew from a local sweet-making enterprise into a familiar name across Ahmedabad and Vadodara, with the business now carried forward by the third generation. Its history reflects the enduring place of mithai in Gujarati food culture, where sweets are as much a part of everyday hospitality as they are of weddings, festivals and family celebrations. The shop’s range brings together traditional Indian favourites and regional specialities, from gulab jamun and rasmalai to motichoor ladoo and kaju katli. Its Bengali sweets, including rosogolla and sandesh, also reflect Ahmedabad’s appetite for confectionery traditions from beyond Gujarat. Rather than resting entirely on nostalgia, Jayhind has expanded into snacks, bakery products and contemporary retail formats while retaining recipes passed down through generations. For travellers, a box of its assorted mithai offers a glimpse of the city’s evolving sweet-shop culture, where Gujarati traditions meet a wider Indian palate.
Jaipur — Laxmi Mishthan Bhandar: A Sweet Shop That Grew With the Pink City
When Maharaja Sawai Jai Singh II founded Jaipur in 1727, halwai Ghodhamal is said to have moved from Tonk to the new city, setting up a sweet shop in Johari Bazaar that would eventually become Laxmi Mishthan Bhandar (LMB). The family continued its confectionery trade through generations, with the establishment formally taking shape as a branded business in the 1940s. Today, the shop is among Jaipur’s most celebrated culinary institutions, drawing visitors with its traditional Rajasthani sweets and an extensive menu of savouries. Its signature paneer ghewar is a particularly popular choice, made by preparing a batter that is poured into hot ghee in thin streams to create the sweet’s distinctive honeycomb-like texture, before it is soaked in sugar syrup. Other favourites include mishri mawa, doodh phini and sohan halwa, each reflecting the rich dairy and grain traditions of Rajasthan. For travellers exploring the Pink City’s historic markets, LMB offers a sweet stop that has evolved alongside Jaipur itself.
Agra — Panchhi Petha: The Sweet That Became a Souvenir of the Taj
Agra’s association with petha is nearly as enduring as its reputation for the Taj Mahal, and Panchhi Petha has played a significant role in turning the city’s signature sweet into a sought-after souvenir. The story begins with Pancham Lal Goyal, fondly known as Panchhi Lal, who entered the sweet-making trade as a teenager and began developing his business in 1926, with the brand establishing its legacy in 1942. Traditionally, petha is made from ash gourd, which is peeled, deseeded and cut before being treated and cooked in sugar syrup until the pieces become translucent and absorb the sweetness. Panchhi helped popularise the confection through improved manufacturing and marketing methods, eventually expanding the range beyond the traditional preparation. Its angoori petha, shaped into small grape-like pieces, and kesar elaichi petha are among the popular variations, alongside classic dry petha and dalmoth. The shop’s association with Agra is now so strong that a box of petha has become an almost obligatory purchase for visitors leaving the city.
Mumbai — Bombay Sweet Shop: Reimagining India’s Mithai Traditions
Unlike the century-old establishments on this list, Bombay Sweet Shop is a relatively recent addition to Mumbai’s confectionery scene, launched in 2020 by Hunger Inc. Hospitality, the group behind The Bombay Canteen and O Pedro. Its founders set out to explore India’s diverse mithai traditions, travelling across the country to learn recipes and techniques from traditional sweet-makers before giving them a contemporary interpretation. The result is a shop where familiar flavours meet playful presentations, with the aim of making traditional mithai appealing to a new generation of sweet lovers. Chief Mithaiwala Girish Nayak, whose training spans pastry-making in India and the Culinary Institute of America, leads the creative work behind its offerings. The Indie Bar, one of the shop’s signature creations, reflects this approach to reimagining familiar Indian flavours in a contemporary format. For travellers interested in Mumbai’s changing food scene, Bombay Sweet Shop offers a glimpse of how the country’s confectionery traditions are being reinterpreted without losing their connection to the past.
Delhi — Bikanervala: From Bikaner’s Old City to Chandni Chowk
The story of Bikanervala began in 1905, when Lal Chand Agarwal established Bikaner Namkeen Bhandar near Kote Gate in Bikaner, Rajasthan, selling traditional sweets and savouries prepared using family recipes. The business found a new home in Delhi in 1950, when members of the Agarwal family opened a shop in Chandni Chowk, bringing the flavours of Bikaner to the capital. The shop’s popularity grew, particularly for its moong dal halwa, Bikaneri bhujia and kaju katli, and it was Delhi’s customers who began calling it Bikanervala, a name that eventually became the brand’s identity. Its moong dal halwa, made by patiently roasting ground lentils in ghee before combining them with sugar and milk, remains a classic winter indulgence. Over the decades, the business expanded from a traditional sweet shop into a major vegetarian food brand, while retaining its association with the recipes that first made it popular. For travellers exploring Delhi’s historic food markets, Bikanervala’s Chandni Chowk origins offer a story of how a regional confectionery tradition found a lasting place in the capital.
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