Rajinder Da Dhaba – The Legendary Chicken Curry Tales

Rajinder da Dhaba is one of the iconic eating joints of Delhi with a huge fan following. I myself get craving every second week for their chicken curry and naan.

The famed chicken curry & crisp tandoori rotis – rajinder da dhaba safdarjung enclave

It was started humbly as a roadside dhaba in 1968 by Late Rajinder Kumar Dua. I still have those delicious memories of its front tandoor popping out naans and roasting chicken & fish tikkas till date.

The unique taste and matchless quality of this outlet has made it a very popular choice for both vegetarians and non-vegetarians.

Back then, Rajinder da Dhaba used to stand on an encroached piece of land adjacent to a crematorium opposite Kamal Cinema in Safdarjung Enclave, an upmarket South Delhi colony.

Rajinder Singh must have managed to keep the easily bought beat cops and municipal authorities happy since this went on for quite a long time.

He was always at the helm of affairs supervising their three curries (2 chicken and 1 mutton) and a few dry roasted (tandoori) items, mostly chicken and 1 that of fish.

Even at that time, the place was as popular with the commoners as it was with the Mercedes Benz owners – there were no social barriers here.

I remember eating from/ at Rajinder da Dhaba ever since I started acknowledging that there was something called pocket money.

Though, during my no pocket money years it was either my father or an uncle who used to loosen change from their pockets for this amazing chicken curry.

And when I was capable to pay for my own chicken, I still remember having a belly full meal of a Chicken Curry (Chest piece) and Naans for a meagre Rs.30.

Comprende? A full meal for Rs.30. And to make matters interesting at that time (early 1990s) Rajinder da dhaba used to have differential pricing for chicken leg and chest pieces.

This practice that is still followed at the urbane avatars post demise of Sardar Rajinder Singh – the man who started it all.

Today! After vacating the original patch of land, the dhaba has grown to four section eatery in the Safdarjung Enclave Market.

Finding Rajender da dhaba is not at all tough, once you reached Safdarjung Enclave you can see prominent Rajender dhaba boards in the local market complex with red lights decorated all around the sign boards.

Welcoming you are marinated semi roasted chicken & fish tikka hanging, luring you to stop. So do stop & try some out, since your foodie nose definitely will not be able to ignore the fascinating aroma of those spicy masalas.

Why even attempt to resist the irresistible?

Today! After vacating the original patch of land, the dhaba has grown to four section restaurant complex in the Safdarjung Enclave Market. It is a big format that overshadows the rest of the shops in the complex.

So, finding Rajender da dhaba is not at all tough, once you reached Safdarjung Enclave you can see prominent Rajender dhaba boards in the complex with red light strips Illuminating the sign boards.

Welcoming you are marinated semi-roasted chicken & fish hanging on their skewers, they lure you to stop and try them once. A foodie’s nose will definitely not be able to ignore the aroma of spicy masalas they emanate.

Two of these outlets are right in the centre and cater to the parked cars, drunken boisterous males and takeaway orders.

The other two are located at the rear end – where one of these provides just a standing option for the commoners and the second boasts of an air-conditioned family section.

Most people often swoon when they talk about the fried stuff at Rajinder da Dhaba, but not me. I just stick to my favourites – tandoori and curries.

For me, the time stopped when I first paid for my own chicken curry and three of those crispy naans – my standard order till now. Chicken tikka was occasional back then.

Not that I don’t like the other stuff but this was a complete poor man’s meal and it still exists for me like that. But if you have too – their tandoori chicken and malai tikka are one of the best I have had at a roadside eatery.

I was there recently and found that not much had changed (including the naans wrapped in outdated newspapers) except that one of the sons who manage the outlets has managed to lose a lot of weight.

The taste of the chicken curry and the crispness of the naans was the same (texture, spice mix, aroma .. blah, blah) as I have always remembered them. The dhaba however has evolved into multiple formats.

Rajinder Xpress is a casual dining restaurant which has a little bit of seating but majorly people stand outside in the parking lot to enjoy the food. They specialize in tandoori dishes.

Next to it is the main Rajinder Da Dhaba, which serves curry items like Chicken Curry, Mutton Korma and Butter Chicken with roti, paratha & naans.

The last outlet is called RDX and is the only Rajinder Da Dhaba establishment that serves alcohol.

So, If you have a love for the spicy fowl go to any of them and to get addicted to their chicken curry for life. It is to die for and you will visit them repeatedly.

And, if you haven’t tried the food here, you clearly haven’t been around in Delhi long enough.