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Aurangabad · Near Ellora & Ajanta Caves

The Best Restaurant
Near Ellora Caves

After the caves, eat the way this region has eaten for generations. Hotel Chul serves authentic Maharashtrian clay-pot cooking — the food of Aurangabad, made on a real wood-fired chul, exactly as it has always been made.

Distance from Ellora~40 min by road
HoursOpen daily 11 AM – 11:30 PM
Reservations+91 7038 87 67 67

Why Tourists Choose Hotel Chul

Aurangabad is home to two UNESCO World Heritage Sites — Ellora Caves and Ajanta Caves. Millions of visitors pass through every year. Most eat at generic restaurants that could be anywhere. Hotel Chul is different.

We serve chulivarche jevan — food cooked on a traditional clay hearth, exactly as it has been cooked in Maharashtra for hundreds of years. The clay pots are real. The wood fire is real. The recipes come from Maharashtrian family kitchens, not from a catering manual. When you eat here, you are eating the food of the same land whose caves you just visited.

Food lovers travel from Mumbai, Pune, London, and New York specifically for our Champaran Mutton Handi. If you are visiting Aurangabad and you eat only one meal that is truly of this place — eat it here.

What to Order

Champaran Mutton Handi

Half ₹900 · Full ₹1800

चंपारण मटण हंडी

Mutton sealed inside a clay pot with whole spices and slow-cooked over a wood flame for hours. The seal is broken at your table in a cloud of fragrant steam. This is the dish people travel to Aurangabad specifically to eat.

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Gavran Chicken Handi

Half ₹750 · Full ₹1100

गावरान चिकन हंडी

Free-range country chicken — not the supermarket kind — slow-cooked in a sealed clay handi with Maharashtrian spices. The smokiness and depth of flavour are unlike any chicken dish you have had before.

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Shevga Handi

Half ₹450 · Full ₹730

शेवगा हंडी

Drumstick (Moringa) slow-cooked in a rich Maharashtrian kanda-lasun gravy in a clay handi. A beloved regional vegetarian dish that even devoted meat-eaters order.

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Getting Here

From Ellora Caves

~30 km · 40–50 min

Drive south-east into Aurangabad city on the Ellora–Aurangabad Road, then continue to Jalna Road near Cambridge School.

From Ajanta Caves

~105 km · ~2 hrs

Take NH753F south to Aurangabad. Enter the city and head to Jalna Road, near Cambridge School. Hotel Chul is an ideal dinner stop after a day at Ajanta.

From Aurangabad Airport

~8 km · 15 min

Head east on Airport Road, then take Jalna Road. Hotel Chul is on the right before Cambridge School.

From Aurangabad Railway Station

~6 km · 15–20 min

Take Station Road east, then head towards Jalna Road. Hotel Chul is at Gut No. 385, Jalna Road, near Cambridge School.

Hotel Chul · Gut No. 385, Jalna Road, near Cambridge School, Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar (Aurangabad), Maharashtra

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Aurangabad — Where the Caves Meet the Kitchen

Ellora Caves are 34 monasteries and temples carved directly into the rock face of a basalt cliff between the 6th and 11th centuries CE. They are one of the largest and most extraordinary rock-cut complexes in the world — and one of India's most important UNESCO World Heritage Sites.

Ajanta Caves, 105 km from Aurangabad, are ancient Buddhist cave monuments housing some of the world's finest surviving examples of early Indian art, paintings, and sculptures dating back to the 2nd century BCE.

Aurangabad is the base city for both. And after a day of walking through ancient civilisation, the most fitting thing you can do is eat the food of the same land — authentic, ancient, deeply rooted in the culture of Maharashtra. That is what Hotel Chul offers.

Reserve Your Table

Open every day · 11 AM – 11:30 PM

Gut No. 385, Jalna Road, near Cambridge School, Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar (Aurangabad)

WhatsApp Us →Call +91 7038 87 67 67

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the best restaurant near Ellora Caves?

Hotel Chul on Jalna Road, Aurangabad is widely regarded as the best restaurant near Ellora Caves. It serves authentic Maharashtrian clay-pot dishes — Champaran Mutton Handi, Gavran Chicken Handi, and Shevga Handi — cooked over a traditional wood-fired chul. Open every day from 11 AM to 11:30 PM.

How far is Hotel Chul from Ellora Caves?

Hotel Chul is located in Aurangabad city on Jalna Road. Ellora Caves are approximately 30 km from Aurangabad city centre, roughly 40–50 minutes by road. Hotel Chul is a natural stop before or after visiting Ellora.

What should I eat at Hotel Chul?

Order the Champaran Mutton Handi (Half ₹900 / Full ₹1800) — slow-cooked mutton sealed in a clay pot. For chicken, the Gavran Chicken Handi (Half ₹750 / Full ₹1100). Vegetarians: the Shevga Handi (Half ₹450 / Full ₹730) — drumstick in rich Maharashtrian clay-pot gravy.

Is Hotel Chul good for tourists visiting Ajanta and Ellora?

Yes. Hotel Chul is one of the most recommended stops for tourists visiting Aurangabad, Ellora, and Ajanta. It offers authentic Maharashtrian food unique to this region — the kind of meal that makes the trip complete. Family garden setting, open every day.

How do I reserve a table at Hotel Chul?

Call or WhatsApp +91 7038 87 67 67, or email namaskar@chul.in. Walk-ins are welcome. Open every day 11 AM to 11:30 PM.