Blue Lassi Shop, Varanasi

The signboard at the entrance says: I don't have any branch.

Blue Lassi Shop is tucked into the lanes near Gadolia Chowk in Varanasi, the main part of the city where most of the famous food and the Kashi Vishwanath temple are. You'll find it if you walk into the lanes.

The entrance of Blue Lassi Shop in Varanasi, signboard reading "I don't have any branch," with people sitting inside the crowded shop

The Lassi

The Varanasi lassi is different from anything you get in Amritsar, Delhi, or Jaipur.

It's churned fresh in front of you, but what goes on top is what makes it distinctive: malai or rabri, and a generous amount of dry fruits. It's richer, heavier, more dressed. Less of a beverage and more of an experience.

They have multiple flavours, which is unusual for a traditional lassi shop. You can pick based on what sounds good that day.

A hand holding a clay kulhad of Blue Lassi Shop's lassi, topped with dry fruits and a wooden spoon, in the lanes of Varanasi

The Shop Itself

Blue Lassi is particularly popular with Korean travellers, and if you look at the walls inside you'll see Korean text written everywhere.

There's also a tradition here: you can bring your passport-size photograph and stick it on the wall. Over the years, the interior has become covered in these small photos. If you get a seat inside (it's often full), take a moment to look at them. You're sitting in what amounts to a global guestbook, made of paper and paste.

One of my favourite lassis in India.

Part of the Iconic Lassi Stops of India series.