Dhaba’s  – these roadside eateries that one can find on highways in India is reason enough to head on a road trip anywhere in the country ! On one such trip from Bhubaneswar to Chilika Lake in Odisha is when we came across this awesome place – Chilika Dhaba. Apparently it’s a famous Dhaba in the area and literally every one visiting the lake heads here for a sumptuous meal ! It’s actually on the  NH5 in Barkul town towards the jetty and its something that you wont miss considering the huge sign boards at the entrance as well as a long line of parked vehicles and people hanging around outside waiting to be seated ! 

First impression, this place is a non-vegetarian paradise especially in sea food and why not when we were so close to the Chilika Lake but hey they do have vegetarian options and trust me it was good to ! Paneer Butter Masala and Dal Fry were very satisfying indeed !

Here’s all the vegetarian options that they had – 

My focus though was entirely on the meat ! Though the gravy was the same across all non-veg dishes, it didn’t matter as it was all about fresh sea-food !  Crab was simply delicious, break them down with your teeth ( well you’ll not have any other option here!) and give your taste-buds an awesome treat ! 

Prawns had this subtle sweetness and rich flavor. This was my favorite for the day !

Fish and Chicken were on order too. Not a big fan of the fish, I couldn’t identify what type of fish it was but was hoping to get a good soft bite of it, turns out that the fish was fried and dunked in the gravy and that’s how it was served here. Giving it to them, it actually tasted nice  initially with that crispy texture and the sauce but a few bites in was good enough for me.

Chicken dish had small to medium chunks, well cooked meat, infused with flavors of the spices and finger licking good ! 

Do not think or actually consider too much on Ambiance – it’s a Dhaba and that essence is maintained. It’s hygienic enough for a good meal and its a steal for the pricing they have. Huge space, service is super fast and food just keeps coming. It can get really crowded at times and depending on where you are seated, there could be eyes staring at you waiting for you to be done eating – so find a place that you can eat in peace ! Will I go back here again – definitely Yes ! Chick here for location.