DELHI
Kake Da Hotel

LOCATION: On the outer circle of Connaught Place
SERVES: Butter chicken, keema kalaeji, brain curry and other north Indian and tandoori fare
A MEAL FOR TWO WILL COST: Rs 265 including taxes
LAST ORDER AT: 12.00 midnight

Delhi offers any number of options for those looking for reasonably priced food late at night. We chose Kake Da Hotel because it was the most accessible, though it is not the most hygienic restaurant in the capital. The food is traditional Punjabi and is proof of the Delhiites' undying love for butter chicken, mutton kebabs cooked in Afghani style and tandoori rotis and naans. It caters to the party crowd, BPO employees as well as the more humble person on the street. Be warned: the place is almost always crowded to capacity and a 20-30 minute waiting period is considered par for the course. Items like mutton roghan josh, chicken tikka kebab and dal makhani are excellent, though other vegetarian items like palak paneer may leave you slightly dissatisfied.

-Kapil Bajaj

KOLKATA
Azad Hind Dhaba

LOCATION: On Ballygunge Circular Road, near Max Mueller Bhavan
SERVES: Biryani, tandoori dishes, dal makhani, kebabs and other north Indian and Mughlai dishes
A MEAL FOR TWO WILL COST: Rs 300 plus taxes
LAST ORDER AT: 2.00 a.m.

M.F. Husain was so impressed that he scribbled a sketch on its walls (which the owners have encased in glass)-giving the dhaba a stature it never had before. The place, though, has long been a favourite of Kolkata's late night crowd. It caters both to patrons who come in Mercs, Skodas and Hondas as well as more humble taxi drivers and petty tradesmen. And there's always a huge rush, especially on weekends. Says D.B. Sharma, one of the owners of the dhaba: "Our speciality is serving hot, hygienic food fresh from the oven (food is never reheated); that's why we take a little time to service clients." Some people prefer to eat in their cars, so you will find waiters scurrying from car to car with steaming plates of food. This sometimes gives it the ambience of a roadside café.

-Ritwik Mukherjee

CHENNAI
Murugan Idli Kadai

LOCATION: On G.N. Chetty Road, near the statue of Kannadasan, in T-Nagar
SERVES: Set lunches, dosas, idlis, uthappams, pongal, sweet pongal, vadai, etc.
A MEAL FOR TWO WILL COST: Rs 90
LAST ORDER AT: 12.00 midnight

This place is a favourite with marwaris who close their businesses for the day and come here for hygienically-prepared food," says S. Manoharan the proprietor. It's popular with other sections of the population as well-and serves a minimum of 1,000 customers a day. Manoharan adds that most commercial establishments don't serve "home" food. "You won't fall ill or get stomach bugs even if you eat here every day," says the man who learnt his recipes on his grandmother's knee from the age of five, and today, owns a chain of five eating joints.

-Nitya Varadarajan

MUMBAI
Parag Juice Center

LOCATION: Dadar East, near Tilak Bridge
SERVES: Pizzas, dosas, idlis, pav bhaji and close to 100 types of juices
A MEAL FOR TWO WILL COST: Rs 30
LAST ORDER AT: 2.00-2.30 a.m.

This place looks like a mini dadar (railway station) at night," says Vikas Parab, a regular at the eatery. "And you'll see rickshaw pullers and senior managers eating side-by-side here." What's its USP? "Swift service, clean, hygienic fast food and ideal location," reveals Vaibhav Harish Majithia, son of one of its two owners. Apart from juices and pizzas, "our idli-sambhar sells like hot cakes as regular south Indian restaurants in the suburbs shut by midnight," he adds. The typical late night crowd: party hoppers and BPO employees. Another big draw: parking is not a problem here.

-Anand Adhikari

Bade Miyan

LOCATION: Off Colaba Causeway
SERVES: Kebabs, rolls, bheja curry, baida rotis
A MEAL FOR TWO WILL COST: Rs 200-250
LAST ORDER AT: 1.30 a.m.

It's not exactly the most hygienic place in the world, but Bade Miyan still attracts television and movie stars all the way from Juhu and Goregaon who come down and fight for the waiters' attention with everyone from college kids to office workers and people of the night just to eat here. Try the fantastic baida (stuffed) rotis or the sumptuous bheja (mutton brain). The tikka and seekh rolls are also quite delicious, but if you are a peta activist, this place is a must-avoid-because it is a carnivore's paradise.

-Kushan Mitra

BANGALORE
New Empire

LOCATION: At the intersection of Church Street and Museum Road
SERVES: Dosas, chicken curry, grilled chicken, biryani, Kerala paranthas, topped off with sulaymani tea
A MEAL FOR TWO WILL COST: Rs 100
LAST ORDER AT: 11.15 p.m. (official); 3.00 a.m. (unofficial)

Bangalore's hip set call it Emppy's. And at night, the kerb outside this place looks like a veritable fashion parade-of sexy wheels and their beautiful occupants. But, be warned: you have to share tables (even in the "Family ac Section"); and your neighbour could well be a prince or a pauper. And it's always packed to the rafters. "The grilled chicken makes waiting for (and occasionally) fighting over a table worth one's while," says Siddharth Naidu, front man for Threinody, a Bangalore music band who often ends up at the joint after late rehearsals or parties.

-Rahul Sachitanand