Champaran The Handi House — Restaurant in Maharashtra

There is a lot of hype around this place and I was tempted to try out their food because of all the Instagram reels our 'influencers' have been dishing out about how awesome the place is. But just like many reviews, I will agree this place is a little overhyped. By mistake we ordered chicken handi instead of mutton handi which I wanted to originally try out. Nonetheless I expected the chicken might also be exceptional going by the hype. But I must say I was a tad disappointed. I will talk about the good first - The packaging is good and food arrived hot as it's just at a distance of 1 km from where I was at that moment. The amount of chicken (8) and the size of the piece is also good. It's good for 2 adults. The garlic naan which we ordered along with the chicken was good and soft while it was hot. Now coming to the taste of the chicken. It was nothing exceptional but still the taste was good if I take an unbiased stand. The chicken was spicy, it had whole pepper corns as it should, there was no whole garlic which is a signature of champaran preparation ( maybe it's there but not in the serving we got), the gravy was thick, tastewise if you are not familiar with how eastern india cooks chicken gravy then you might find it special or different. I might add that if you are staying in Pune and at times find the chicken gravies in the regular non veg restaurants in Pune of very thin consistency, then you might enjoy this one as it has a very thick onion based gravy. One more tip, if you really want to enjoy this gravy have it with steam rice. This gravy pairs well with...

When it comes to Handi Mutton… it’s the best one I ever had..! Mutton was well cooked and tender. Though the pieces were bit bigger in sizes they taste awesome. Don’t expect much gravy with the mutton or chicken as the recipe is bit different than other few hotels prepare. Must try for the real taste of champaran.

We went on the weekend and discovered a large throng. Folks were nearly waiting for you to finish your meal. There are just 7-8 tables that can seat 22-27 people at a time. During weekends, I discovered waiting time. If you arrive between 1.30 and 2.30 p.m., it may take about 15 minutes.

The hotel is located on the roadside, and there is also outdoor seating available, which has some difficulties such as traffic noise, sunlight, and a dusty feeling. The restroom is quite small and poorly maintained. It appears that they have prioritised food quality over all else.

They appear to be enthusiastic with the service, since they were firefighting due to overcrowding. For lunch or dinner, the hotel is perfect for couples or small group. Accompanying Vegans will almost certainly be penalised here because there is no veg menu, despite the fact that it appears on the menu card. They recommend that you bring it from the adjacent hotel Cupameal, which takes around 20-25 minutes to prepare and the disadvantage is that you must pick your order from there.

I'd better recommend the following-

The best option is to order takeout. Dine at home in comfort. They don't serve chapati or bhakari, so you'll have to settle for wheat roti or fulka. Vegans stay...

Extremely Disappointed with The Champaran - The Hundi House, Wakad

Visited this place with high expectations, but it turned out to be one of the worst dining experiences I’ve had in Pune.

Food: Absolutely underwhelming. The much-hyped “authentic Champaran handi mutton” was bland, greasy, and barely had any meat worth eating. It felt like they were more generous with oil than with flavor. The rest of the menu was equally forgettable—nothing tasted fresh or well-prepared.

Service: Miserable. The staff seemed disinterested, confused, and untrained. It took forever to place the order, and even longer to get the food. When asked about dishes, they either didn’t know or gave vague, unhelpful responses.

Ambience: Cramped and chaotic. Tables were too close to each other, noise levels were high, and there was no proper ventilation. It felt more like a canteen than a restaurant.

Cleanliness: Questionable at best. Sticky tables, unclean cutlery, and an overall unhygienic feel. Definitely not a place I’d recommend for anyone concerned about food safety.

Value for Money: Absolutely not. The pricing is unjustified given the poor food quality, service, and overall experience. You’ll walk out feeling cheated.

Overall: Stay away. This place runs purely on hype, not on actual quality. Save your money, your time, and your...