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Having spent my childhood in Ahmedabad, my palate is used to the Gujarati flavours. People who know me personally, know that I crave Gujarati Food. So when I was in Ahmedabad in December last year for India’s Largest Influencer Meet, I missed no opportunity to relish Gujarati Flavours.
After trying the thalis at Agashiye during my previous trip and Gordhan Thal some time back, this time I decided to head back to Gopi Dining Hall. Gopi Dining Hall is a gem in Ahmedabad. So this blog post is going to be about my experience of relishing Gujarati Thali at Gopi Dining Hall.
Location of Gopi Dining Hall
I fondly remember that this was one of the first places we visited for Gujarati Thali decades ago. So the moment I had some time at hand, I decided to head there for a satisfying thali. It’s located in one of the most lively parts of Ahmedabad. And luckily it was close to Fortune Landmark Ahmedabad where I was staying.
One thing you must note (if you are visiting for the first time) is that the location of Gopi Dining Hall on Google Maps is incorrect.
The map shows it’s at the town hall, but it’s quite far from here. You need to cross VS hospital which will be on your left and walk a good distance until to reach a crossroad. You will see Sarangpur co-operative bank on the opposite side, take a right from there and you’ll find Gopi Dining Hall on your left. The location I’ve mentioned above is correct.
The homely ambiance at Gopi Dining Hall
The first thing that you’ll observe once you reach Gopi Dining hall is the simple setup. It’s one of those restaurants which has just the bare minimum things to call it a restaurant. There’s a small parking area which leads to the entrance. A few plastic chairs are placed outside for people to wait (this place does get crowded).
True to its essence, Gopi Dining hall just serves Gujarati and Kathiyawadi Thali. The Menu is placed right near the entrance. Once you enter, you’ll realize it isn’t one of those fancy and large restaurants. The place is a simple, rustic and no-nonsense place. The tables feel congested if you’re sitting with a lot of people. In terms of lighting and everything else, it’s just perfect.
Even the servers here are old and their goal is to ensure you eat well. From recommending you what to eat and how to eat. I had a great time interacting with the servers. In terms of safety, it’s there with the rest.
Simple yet Authentic Thali review
As mentioned above, Gopi Dining hall serves only Gujarati and Kathiawadi thali, the former for lunch and the latter for dinner only. One thing you’ll immediately note is the pricing. They have ‘weird’ pricing in my opinion. The most basic Gujarati thali costs Rs 280 which is limited, the unlimited thali is Rs 330. The catch is it doesn’t include sweets. You pay Rs 360 for 1 sweet and Rs 390 for 2 sweets. I don’t know the reasoning behind this, but that’s how it is. I took the full thali with two sweets.
Now that the pricing is done, let’s move to the Gujarati Thali review. The regulars like pickles, chutneys were on the table as we waited for our thalis. The thalis were served with everything in them except the starters.
There was the local favourite Batata Vada (Aloo bonda) along with some Khandvi. The vada was pretty good, with authentic flavours. The Khandvi could have been better though.
One thing that I truly loved about this Gujarati thali was that there was no Paneer curry in this thali. It was a proper, authentic Gujarati thali. We had Aloo subzi, a bottle of gourd curry, one with lobia, a Palak subzi and finally the traditional sweet dal and Kadhi.
The Aloo subzi, lobia curry along with dal and kadhi couldn’t get more authentic than this. The flavours were spot on with the right balance of sweet and spicy. I just relished my Kadhi and Dal because those are my two most favourite dishes in a Gujarati Thali. Rotis kept coming in and in no time they were in my tummy.
This was followed by a serving of steamed rice and khichdi. Both once again with a homely taste. For dessert, I opted for fruit custard. It was just like the custard you make at home. So nothing fancy here. Not to forget the unlimited chaas 🙂
Final Verdict: Authentic Thali with weird pricing
If you’ve been following the last few blog posts, you know that this isn’t the first Gujarati Thali restaurant that I’ve dined at. When compared to Gujarati Thali at Gordhan Thal, this is more authentic without any bells and whistles (no Paneer curry, no fancy starters etc.) The food is delicious. You’ll get authentic Gujarati flavours, that’s guaranteed. Even the service is good and quick.
However, when it comes to pricing, it’s weird. The dessert that I had wasn’t special and paying extra for that isn’t quite something that I liked. The basic, unlimited thali is what I’ll recommend you to try.
That’s about my experience of dining at Gopi Dining Hall. And just as I write this I realize that I’ve not written about my Gujarati Thali experience at Sasuji Dining hall, so that post should be around the corner 😛 (Lot’s of Gujarati food in the recent past!)
Let me know your thoughts on this post and Gopi Dining Hall. If you stay in Ahmedabad, suggest to me other places I must try the next time I’m there. Share your comments below, tweet to me at @Atulmaharaj, DM me on Instagram or Get In Touch.
