Hardcore Punekars, who love their meat, have obviously heard of Ahilyadevi’s Mutton Shop in Katraj. Owing to the love that Punekars have been showing them for their fresh meat supplies, they have now started their very own restaurant that serves some authentic Maharashtrian meat delicacies curated in the family’s kitchen.
We do realise that making a trip to Katraj for some good mutton or chicken might sound a little too much. But trust us when we say this, it is all worth it. Dinner or lunch at Ahilyadevi’s Thali is indeed an experience in itself. Right from the moment you enter the restaurant to the time you leave the place, it’s all mesmerising.
The restaurant is located opposite Om Dairy on Satara Road and gives the feel of an age old Maharashtrian wada. It is located on a hillock where you can go by a small flight of stairs, which are made from stone. When you enter the place you will find a serene atmosphere over here, which is because of their choice of music and a cute fountain around. Keeping in touch with their Maharashtrian roots, they have incorporated a lot of wood in their architecture. However, the seating as well as the tables are very contemporary which gives this place a really cool vibe. Adding to these fab interiors, they have also added a number of flowering chafa trees all around the property, making it a perfect date spot.
The best part about Ahilyadevi’s Thali is that along with the fresh meat, they also pay minute details towards the making of each and every dish. The non-veg dishes are made authentically in traditional rustic ways. Which means, they cook the meat on wood fired chulhas and in iron utensils. This adds some really good flavours to the meat that is cooked. They also make the chapatis and bhakris on such wood-fired chulhas. Another thing that we love about this place is that their kitchen is open and you can see everything being made from scratch.
As the name suggests, Ahilyadevi’s Thali is known for their thalis. They serve these thalis in various sizes. The major ones over here are the chicken and mutton thalis and they also serve vegetarian thalis. If you are not a thali person, you can also call for individual dishes. If you want to try a majority of their dishes , then we would recommend that you go for their Maharaja Thali which can be shared between two people easily. The Maharaja Thali comes in options of mutton and chicken. We tried the mutton one and were blown by the flavours they had to offer. This thali comes with a portion of tambda-pandhra rassa, mutton chops made in their family’s special recipe, mutton biryani, paya gravy, kheema ladoo and other delicacies. This thali is priced at INR 650 and will definitely give you a food coma.
From their other dishes, you must try their kharda chicken, raan, kheema karanjee, paya soup, loin chops, vajadi fry and many other dishes. Even if we haven’t tried their vegetarian food, we’re pretty sure that’ll be great too! On an average, a meal for two would cost you around INR 1,200.
