Mansi Halwai

Mansi Halwai is tucked away at 330 Sita Ram Bazar, specifically in the Kucha Kasheiri area of Chawri Bazar. If you know Old Delhi, you know that finding us involves navigating some very narrow alleys. It’s a place where the sun barely reaches the ground because the buildings are so close together. Our shop is small and crowded with jars, boxes, and trays of whatever we made that morning. We wake up long before the rest of the city to get the first batches started. The air in Kucha Kasheiri is always thick with the smell of spices and frying oil. We don’t have a lot of space, so we have to be very organized, though honestly, it often looks like a mess to anyone walking in. There’s always someone shouting for more sugar or looking for a misplaced ladle. The stones on the floor are worn down from years of people coming in and out. Chawri Bazar is a loud, frantic place, and we are just a small part of it. We serve the locals and the people passing through the market who want something quick and traditional. We don’t use any fancy machines; most of what we do is by hand, just like it’s always been done here. By the time we close the shutters at night, we’re usually exhausted and covered in sugar syrup, but that is just the way the business goes.