Pawan Vaishno Dhaba

Pawan Vaishno Dhaba has been sitting across from the Plaza Cinema in Meerut City for a good while. Since we are near the roadways, we get a lot of passengers who are just about to catch a bus or have just arrived. It’s a 250002 zip code area, which is pretty central. I started this place because I like cooking simple food. We don’t use any meat here, it’s all pure veg. The cinema across the street used to be busier, but people still come by after the shows sometimes. Meerut is a busy city and our street is always full of rickshaws and honking. I usually stand by the tandoor myself in the evenings. It’s hard work on your feet all day, but it’s what keeps the family going. We have some boys who help with serving and cleaning the tables. The tea is always boiling in the corner. Most of our customers are regular people looking for a cheap, filling meal. We don't have a lot of rules, just pay your bill and be decent. The winter months are nice because the heat from the kitchen feels good, but the monsoon makes everything a bit damp. We just keep the doors open and wait for the next bus to pull into the station nearby. It’s a basic life, but we are satisfied with what we have here and the people we see.