The best things to do in Mandi House

What is it: Established as a hub for serious stage work, the centre has become closely associated with repertory theatre that has shaped generations of actors and directors, including Shekhar Suman, Mukesh Chhabra, and Rajkummar Rao. 

Why we love it: Shri Ram Centre wears its brutalist architecture well: honest, creative, and very much béton brut (raw, with no apologies). Most visitors make a beeline for the large auditorium on the first floor, while the slightly chaotic-but-crucial bulletin board outside doubles as the building’s unofficial announcement hub.

But not everyone is here just for the stage. Some skip the performance entirely and head straight to the small canteen for its legendary cheese toast.

Time Out tip: If you read Hindi, don’t miss the humble bookstall run by Sanjana Tiwari (affectionately known as SRC Aunty). Supporting the surrounding theatre ecosystem, her stall is a treasure chest of plays, classics, translations, and contemporary works, many of them published in-house.

Address: 4, Safdar Hashmi Marg, Todermal Road Area, Mandi House, New Delhi, Delhi 110001

Entry: Depends. Check the bulletin board or their Instagram for updates.

What is it: One of Delhi’s old-school food landmarks for sweets and chaat essentials. 

Why we love it: The menu swings comfortably from syrup-soaked rasgullas and sandesh to dahi bhalla, all the way to full-blown North Indian meals like chole bhature. There's confidence to the venue, and it has been so since 1937. It’s long been a staple of Mandi House, often mentioned in the same breath as its neighbouring Bengali Sweet House outlet, together forming the identity of the market itself. On any given day, you’ll still find a table miraculously freed up amidst a steady flow of regulars. It’s warmly lit, unpretentious, and always in motion: staff moving briskly, orders flying, and trays of sweets disappearing almost as soon as they land.

Time Out tip: Bengali Market is incomplete without its meetha paan, especially from the stall glued to the sweet shop. Amid modern, experimental paans doing the rounds, this classic, juicy version ensures your mouth stays happily out of service for the next 15 minutes at least.

Address: 27-29, Bengali Market, Todermal Road Area, Mandi House, New Delhi, Delhi 110001

What is it: Named after the courageous figure in the history of Indian theatre, Safdar Hashmi, this road is the most happening of all seven lanes. 

Why we love it: Right at the start is SN Snacks Corner, which serves top-notch, crispy samosa-sabzi. The two trees in this area have become the official spot for sketching and painting artists, who usually adorn the space by early evening. A few steps ahead is the ‘Sahitya Ka Ped’, which hosts Sunday poetry reading sessions. Just across the lane is the most buzzing tea stall in Mandi House: a place that was earlier the permanent address of several artists and is now the informal headquarters of skateboarders who call themselves the ‘Mandi Monkeys’. Occasionally, you’ll find street performances here, too.

Time Out tip: Do check out the graffiti lane right next to SRC. To get there, take the first left from the art centre (asking around might help).

What is it: Once a grand residence, now serving up one of Delhi’s most authentic Himachali thalis.

Why we love it: Facing the Shri Ram Centre, Himachal Bhawan wears its royal past lightly. After all, it was once the grand residence of the king of Mandi. Now, you can expect khatti (sour) dal that lives up to its name, paired with an even more sour galgal pickle. The canteen’s culinary reputation arguably outshines its prime Mandi House address. Go all in with the chha gosht (marinated meat), or keep things comforting with a hearty vegetarian thali.

But the food is only half the story. The building doubles as an emporium stocked with quality silverware, clothing, footwear, and homeware, often at prices that feel almost anti-inflationary. The icing on the cake is that it's practically next door to the metro station.

Price: ₹500 for two

Address: 27, Sikandra Rd, Mandi House, New Delhi, Delhi 110001

What is it: The highest institution in terms of prestige when it comes to theatre in India. But more than just being a state-run art school, the National School of Drama does a lot for the country’s performance culture.

Why we love it Established in 1975 as an autonomous institution at Bhagwan Das Road, NSD firmly holds the Mandi House arts district together by hosting regular performances. These shows are open to the public and usually free of cost, though otherwise, campus entry is largely restricted. Alongside this, the campus opens up for occasional talks on contemporary theatre and week-long workshops that pop up almost suddenly. 

Time Out tip: Visit during the National School of Drama’s annual theatre festival or the nationwide Bharat Rang Mahotsav. The entire neighbourhood transforms into a cultural carnival, with venues glowing late into the night and audiences venue-hopping Also: some rare Indian and international theatre titles are only available at the NSD library.

Address: Bahawalpur House, 1, Bhagwan Das Rd, opposite PNB Bank, Bhagwan Das Lane, Mandi House, New Delhi, Delhi 110001

Entry: Shows are usually free of cost. The best way to stay updated is through their official website or their Instagram page.

What is it: Spread across three floors are four exhibition halls, an open-air sculpture court, an amphitheatre, and a basement clay workshop.

Why we love it: Triveni feels like a permanent slow burn, yet it consistently refuses to fall out of relevance. Founded in 1950 by dancer and artist Sundari K. Shridharani, it began in the least glamorous way possible – operating out of just two rented rooms back in the day in Connaught Place. Today, it occupies a permanent home on Tansen Marg in a modernist building designed by Joseph Allen Stein.

Plus, institutions like the Shridharani Gallery only add to its steady reputation as a go-to platform for contemporary and experimental work. Their brilliant little café's known for amazing palak patta chaat. Check their Instagram for their latest events.

Time Out tip: Get French press coffee and carrot cake at their cafe, Triveni Terrace Cafe.

Address: 205, Tansen Marg, Todermal Road Area, Mandi House, New Delhi, Delhi 110001

Entry: Free.