Food · Mangan
Momos and sel roti in Mangan bazaar
Mangan's short bazaar wakes early for office staff, students and drivers. Eat steamed momos, sel roti with potato curry or a bowl of thukpa in a small eatery, then walk the shops for cardamom, ginger and whatever is in season.
Mangan's bazaar is not a tourist market. It serves the district: officers on their way to work, teachers, students, drivers waiting for their jeeps and families from Dzongu and the villages around. That is why breakfast here is cheap and good. Small eateries open by 7 am with tea, momos, sel roti and thukpa.
Try sel roti, the ring-shaped fried rice bread of Nepali kitchens, with aloo dum, about ₹50–80 a plate. Momos, steamed or fried, are ₹80–150 a plate; thukpa ₹100–150. Tea is ₹15–30. If you see churpi soup or local greens on the board, order them.
After breakfast walk the length of the bazaar. Shops sell large cardamom, ginger, turmeric, local oranges in winter and bamboo baskets. Ask before photographing people. It is also the best time to catch a shared jeep back to Gangtok or to bargain for a taxi across to Dzongu.
Cost: ₹100–250
Questions people ask
Good to know
What is sel roti?
Sel roti is a ring-shaped, slightly sweet bread made from rice batter and deep-fried, common in Nepali-speaking homes across Sikkim and Darjeeling. It is eaten at breakfast with potato curry or tea and made in large quantities for festivals such as Tihar. A plate costs about ₹50–80 in Mangan.
Are there good places to eat in Mangan?
Mangan has simple eateries and hotel restaurants rather than cafes. Expect momos, thukpa, chowmein, rice-and-dal meals and sel roti, at low prices. Food is fresh because the turnover is high. Most places close early in the evening.
What can I buy in Mangan bazaar?
Large cardamom, ginger and turmeric from local farms, oranges in season, bamboo goods and everyday supplies. It is also the last good place to stock up on cash, snacks and medicines before Dzongu or the high valleys.
Also in Mangan
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