Food · Pakyong
Sel roti and tea in Pakyong bazaar
Stop in Pakyong's bazaar on the way out of Gangtok for sel roti, aloo dum, puri and sweet milky tea at local prices. It is a cheap, filling start to a day on the road to Rongli, Aritar or Rangpo.
Sel roti is a ring-shaped fried bread made from a batter of ground rice, sugar and milk or water, poured by hand into hot oil. It is eaten across the Nepali-speaking hills of Sikkim and Darjeeling, especially at festivals such as Dashain and Tihar, but also every day in small tea shops. In Pakyong's bazaar it usually comes with aloo dum, a spiced potato curry, and a glass of sweet milky tea.
The town's tea shops and eateries open early for school-goers, office workers and drivers heading out on the long roads south and east. Puri and sabzi, boiled eggs, momos and chowmein appear on most menus by mid-morning. Prices are local: about ₹40–80 for tea and sel roti, a little more for a full plate. It is one of the cheapest good breakfasts in East Sikkim.
If you are travelling by shared jeep, ask the driver to stop in Pakyong; most will, as they stop for themselves. Eat at busy places where the oil is fresh, and carry a few sel roti for the road, since they keep well for a day. If you see local pickles or dalle chilli sauce for sale, a small jar travels well too.
Cost: ₹50–150 pp
Questions people ask
Good to know
What is sel roti?
Sel roti is a ring-shaped fried bread made from a rice-flour batter sweetened with sugar, eaten across the Nepali-speaking Himalaya. It is a festival food, especially at Dashain and Tihar, but tea shops in Pakyong and elsewhere in Sikkim sell it daily, often with aloo dum.
Is Pakyong a good breakfast stop on the way to Rongli?
Yes. Pakyong is about an hour out of Gangtok on the road to Rongli, Aritar and the Silk Route, and its bazaar has tea shops serving sel roti, puri, momos and tea from early morning. Shared jeeps often stop here anyway.
How much does breakfast cost in Pakyong?
Tea and sel roti cost about ₹40–80, and a fuller plate of puri, aloo dum or momos about ₹80–150. Prices are local, lower than in central Gangtok. Carry cash in small notes, though many shops take UPI.
Also in Pakyong
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