ITP Indian Travel Places: Food, Travel, Tourism Business Events and Trade Shows
Phone: 020 71967488
Address: Survey 62/3, Pune Satara Road, Maharashtra State Highway 114, Mangdewadi, Katraj, Pune, Maharashtra, India
Time: 11 AM – 5 PM, 7 PM – 11:30 PM
Meals for two: Rs. 900
Cuisines: Maharashtrian
Facilities: Home Delivery, No Alcohol Available, Free Parking, Outdoor Seating, Smoking Area, Valet Parking Available, Indoor Seating
Having run their mutton successfully since 1978, owners Vitthal and Rajendra Thorpe decided to take it up a notch and launched the Ahilyadevi’s Thali at Katraj in August 2017. Since its inception, Ahilyadevi’s has been a foodie’s favorite, especially among non-vegetarians. They excel in recipes from the rustic and rural corners of Western Maharashtra.
Ahilyadevis Thali, Katraj, Pune: Decor
Located a little beyond the Katraj chowk amidst the hills, the place has been designed to resemble a large ‘wada’. The large space is well decorated and the seating is comfortable. Bamboos, frangipani and other plants are used beautifully in the decor and the open setting makes the place very charming. One wall is dedicated to an informative and innovative ‘Ahilyadevi’s Guide to Cuts of Lamb’ which is the hero of this place. The open kitchen is where you can see the thalis being assembled.
Don’t miss the ladies making bhakris and chapatis on the chulha here.
Ahilyadevis Thali, Katraj, Pune: Food
The Ahilyadevi’s team are lamb meat experts and they serve meat which is sturdy but at the same time soft, tender and completely organic. In the open kitchen, almost everything is cooked over a chulha.
The best thing to have here are the thalis which include almost every famous dish on the menu. We started with their maharaja mutton thali which also comes in a chicken variant.The thali comprised of a whopping 10-11 different items which include an option between lamb chops or loin chops, lamb meat kalvan, lamb masala, kheema laadoo, aalni wati, tambda rassa, dum biryani, koshimbir, solkadhi and jalebi. The kalvan, lamb masala and tambda rassa were delicious and the spices were perfectly balanced.
As we ordered two thalis, we could try all the options in the thali. Among the lamb chops and loin chops, we preferred the flavorful loin chops which were shallow fried with spices over a cast iron pan. The thali also offers an option between the unconventional offal items bheja (brain), paya (marrow) and vajadi (intestines) which are cooked in traditional recipes. We tried the bheja and paya, and I preferred the paya curry over the bheja fry.
But not being too fond of offal, I couldn’t appreciate the preparations. But the fact that they offer these dishes makes them a true meat-lovers paradise. The thali includes the dum biryani, but we suggest that you ask for the sticky Indrayani rice which goes perfectly well with all the mutton preparations.
One dish you absolutely should not miss is the sikandari raan which is a lamb leg roasted in charcoal with ghee and spices and served with a bowl of kalvan kadai, steam rice and grilled pineapple. This is a sharing dish and must be devoured with fellow carnivores. On some days, the raan is available on spot, but make sure you order the raan 12 hours prior to your visit. For vegetarian, they also serve a deliciously rustic vegetarian thali which is definitely worth a try.
Needless to say, you can accompany your meal with solkadhi and end it with the cool kharvas which is a sweet pudding made from colostrums milk, jaggery and cardamom.
Ahilyadevis Thali, Katraj, Pune: Plus & Minus
The thalis are the true hero at Ahilyadevi’s thali, and the maharaja mutton thali is probably one of the best meat thalis in Pune. But the huge quantity of the thali limits you from trying so many other great dishes on the menu.
