What to Eat in Somnath: Food, Thali and Local Dishes
In Somnath, the must-eat food is a hearty Gujarati or Kathiyawadi thali, alongside local snacks like dhokla and fafda and sweets like shrikhand and jalebi. As the town sits beside the fishing port of Veraval, fresh seafood is also available for those who eat it, though the temple area itself is largely pure vegetarian.
A pilgrimage to the first Jyotirlinga is nourishing for the spirit and the food of Somnath nourishes the body just as well. This guide, from the team behind Somnath Dwarka Tour Package, a unit of Experience My India, explains what to eat in Somnath, from the hearty Kathiyawadi thali and local snacks to the sweets and the fresh seafood of the coast, so you can eat well throughout your visit to the temple town by the sea.
The food of Somnath
The food of Somnath reflects both its identity as a sacred temple town and its setting on the Saurashtra coast. It lies in the Kathiawad region, so its cuisine is essentially Gujarati and, above all, Kathiyawadi, the spicy, garlicky food of Saurashtra. Around the great Somnath temple, the food is largely pure vegetarian, in keeping with the sacred pilgrimage setting, with wholesome thalis, snacks and sweets. At the same time, the coastal location, right beside the fishing port of Veraval, means fresh seafood is a genuine local specialty for those who eat it. Note that Gujarat is a dry state, so you will not find alcohol in the town, in keeping with its devotional character. This blend of hearty pilgrimage vegetarian food and fresh coastal seafood gives Somnath a food scene quite distinct from a purely inland temple town, offering something for every kind of traveller.
What to eat in Somnath at a glance
Must-eat meal | Unlimited Gujarati or Kathiyawadi thali |
Local snacks | Dhokla, fafda, khaman, khandvi, sev |
Sweets | Shrikhand, jalebi, ghevar, malpua, mohanthal |
Coastal specialty | Fresh Veraval seafood, for those who eat it |
Drinks | Chaas and lassi; Gujarat is a dry state |
Food type | Mostly vegetarian pilgrimage fare |
The Gujarati and Kathiyawadi thali
The must-eat meal in Somnath is a proper Gujarati or Kathiyawadi thali and the town is famous for its Kathiyawadi food. Served on a steel plate ringed with small bowls, the thali brings rotli, bajra rotlo and puri; rice and khichdi; a sweetish dal and a smooth kadhi; several vegetable curries or shaak; farsan snacks; pickles, papad and chutneys; a sweet; and cooling chaas, all with unlimited refills. As Somnath lies in the Kathiawad region, the thalis here often lean towards the spicier, garlicky Kathiyawadi style, with bajra rotlo, ringan no olo and sev tameta, covered in our famous food of Gujarat guide. The many dining halls near the temple and along the Veraval road serve these thalis fresh and at great value and a leisurely thali is one of the highlights of a Somnath visit. With unlimited refills of a dozen or more dishes, it is a feast that leaves you thoroughly satisfied and eating one after darshan and a walk by the sea is a simple, memorable pleasure of the pilgrimage.
Local snacks and farsan
Somnath, like all of Gujarat, loves its farsan, the light snacks eaten through the day. These are perfect for a quick, tasty bite between darshan and sightseeing:
Dhokla and khaman: soft, spongy steamed cakes of fermented gram-flour batter, light and savoury, served with green chutney and sev.
Fafda and jalebi: crisp gram-flour fritters paired with syrupy jalebi, a classic Gujarati morning and festival treat.
Khandvi: delicate rolled bite-sized pieces of gram flour and yogurt, tempered with mustard seeds and fresh coconut.
Sev and khakhra: crunchy fried gram-flour strands and crisp roasted crackers, ideal light snacks and travel foods that keep well.
Kachori and chaat: spicy fried kachoris and tangy chaats, found fresh at the local markets and evening stalls.
Sweets and desserts
No Gujarati meal is complete without a sweet and Somnath offers plenty. Shrikhand, the thick, creamy sweetened yogurt flavoured with saffron and cardamom, is a favourite, cooling and rich. You will also find mohanthal, a fudge-like gram-flour sweet; puran poli, a soft flatbread stuffed with a sweet lentil filling; and syrupy treats like jalebi, ghevar and malpua, especially during festivals. Simple sweets like sukhdi and basundi round off many a thali. Buying a box of Gujarati sweets to enjoy or carry home is a lovely way to remember the flavours of your pilgrimage to the great temple by the sea and the local sweet shops around the temple are always busy with pilgrims picking up treats for the journey.
Fresh seafood at Veraval
What sets Somnath apart from many pilgrimage towns is its coast. Right beside Somnath lies Veraval, one of India's largest fishing ports, so the area is known for its fresh seafood, a genuine local specialty for those who eat it. Near Somnath beach and in Veraval, food stalls and restaurants serve freshly caught fish, prawns and crab, often grilled, with the waves of the Arabian Sea for company. It is worth remembering that the temple town of Prabhas Patan itself, around the Somnath shrine, is largely pure vegetarian and sattvic, in keeping with the sacred setting, so seafood is found more towards the beach and in Veraval rather than by the temple. For seafood lovers, a fresh coastal meal is a memorable part of a Somnath visit and the sight of the fishing boats returning to Veraval with the day's catch is a reminder of just how close the sea and its bounty are here.
Temple prasad and the Bhojanalay
As a great pilgrimage centre, Somnath also offers the blessing of temple food. Prasad and bhog are offered at the Somnath temple as part of the worship of Lord Shiva and the Somnath Trust runs a bhojanalay or dining hall, serving simple, wholesome meals to pilgrims. Eating this pure, blessed food, after darshan and a holy dip at the Triveni Sangam, is a humble and devotional part of the pilgrimage. Plan your meals around the darshan and aarti, timed as in our Somnath temple timings, so you can enjoy both the worship and the food at an unhurried pace.
Street food in Somnath
Somnath has a lively street food scene, especially in the evenings around the temple and the local markets such as the Prabhas Patan food market. Here, vendors serve up dhokla, kachoris, spicy chaat, pav bhaji, samosas and sweet treats, cooked fresh and eaten on the go in a vibrant, welcoming atmosphere. It is a fun, flavourful and budget-friendly way to eat as you explore the town. The energy of the market, the aromas and the freshly made snacks make street-food grazing a delicious part of a Somnath evening, a nice complement to a sit-down thali earlier in the day. After the evening aarti and the sound-and-light show at the temple, a stroll through the market for a plate of hot chaat is the perfect way to end the day.
Refreshing drinks
The coastal warmth of Somnath makes its cooling drinks very welcome. Chaas, the lightly spiced buttermilk and lassi, the sweet or plain yogurt drink, are the classic accompaniments to a meal and a fine refreshment on a hot day. Fresh fruit juices, sugarcane juice, soda and, near the coast, tender coconut water are also easy to find. Remember that Gujarat is a dry state, so alcohol is not sold in Somnath, in keeping with its sacred character. These simple, wholesome drinks are the perfect way to cool down and refresh between darshan, the beach and sightseeing.
Where to eat in Somnath
Somnath is a pilgrimage town rather than a fine-dining hub, but there are plenty of good, honest places to eat. Around the temple and along the Somnath to Veraval road, you will find many dining halls serving unlimited Gujarati and Kathiyawadi thalis, simple restaurants offering Gujarati, Punjabi, South Indian and Chinese food, sweet shops and the beach and Veraval eateries for seafood. A few hotels offer more upmarket multi-cuisine dining. The thali dining halls are the local favourite for a hearty, value-for-money meal and being a temple town, most eateries near the shrine are pure vegetarian. Wherever you eat, the food is fresh, affordable and satisfying.
Tips for eating in Somnath
A few pointers for enjoying the food of Somnath:
Try an unlimited Gujarati or Kathiyawadi thali at a dining hall near the temple, the must-eat meal of a Somnath visit.
For seafood, head to Somnath beach or the port town of Veraval, where the catch is fresh from the sea.
Sample the local farsan, dhokla, fafda and khaman, for a quick, tasty snack between darshan and sightseeing.
Cool down with chaas or lassi and remember Gujarat is a dry state with no alcohol.
Explore the evening street food around the temple and Prabhas Patan market.
Note that the temple area is largely pure vegetarian and sattvic, in the sacred spirit.
Plan your Somnath trip
Experience My India can plan a Somnath trip that takes in the temple, the sights and the best local food. Read our sightseeing places in Somnath for what to see, plan your arrival with how to reach Somnath, time your trip with the best time to visit Gujarat, book Somnath Dwarka hotels and let the Experience My India Somnath Dwarka tour packages or a Somnath Dwarka taxi service take you to the temple, the coast and the best eateries. You can also continue up to Dwarka for more of the region's food.
Related guides
To plan the rest of your trip, these related guides help:
Related guide | What it covers |
Air, rail and road access to the Dwarka coast. | |
One and two day plans for a Somnath visit. | |
The site where Krishna left his body, near Somnath. | |
Excursions to add around Somnath and Diu. | |
The street food scene up the coast in Dwarka. | |
When to add a lion safari to your trip. |
Plan your visit
Experience My India can arrange your Somnath trip with the best of its food and temples. Browse more travel guides, message us on WhatsApp or call +91 73006 20809.
Harsh Rawat
Somnath–Dwarka circuit planning
Harsh Rawat runs Somnath Dwarka Tour Package on the ground in Gujarat, part of Experience My India. Since 2018 he has been planning and driving the Somnath–Dwarka circuit — the darshan timings, the road hours between temples and the stops worth adding — and the routes, fares and timings published across this site are the ones he maintains.
