Street food is food obtainable from a street-corner vendor, typically from a make shift or portable stall. While most street foods are regional, many are not, having spread beyond their region of origin. Most street food is both finger and fast food. Food is typically available on the street for a fraction of the cost of a restaurant meal. Therefore, a large portion can be eaten for a low price.

The quintesential North Indian street food is Chaat -- a generic name for a typically tangy and spicy mix, whose ingredients can be quite varied. The tangy flavor is usually imparted by the use of lemon, pomegranate seeds, Black salt, tamarind, and various chutneys. Chaat can be prepared with fruit, with popular ones including guava, banana, apple, etc. It could instead be made using small crisp pancakes made from fried flour, called "paapri", along with yogurt. Potatoes sauteed with black cumin powder constitute another popular variant.

Other popular items are Panipuri (also known as gol gappas) and bhelpuri. Panipuri are hollow crisp balls made from dough, and filled as-you-eat with a spicy concoction of water and potatoes, topped by a choice of sweet or spicy chutney.

Aaloo Tikki These are patties made up of mashed potatoes and masala deep fried in oil. They are served typically with a curry called Chholey (chick peas). They are popular in winter in North India.

Poori-Subzie(or Bhaajee) This is available mostly in North India, especially in Uttar Pradesh. The curry (subzie) consists usually of potatoes in gravy. Sometimes, especially in the southern part of the country the potatoes do not have gravy and the poories are exclusively made up of refined flour (maida).

Vada pav is an example of South Indian street food. Masala chai,: a spiced tea, is also frequently for sale. A syrup-covered deep-fried sweet is sold in the North as jalebi and the South as jangiri. Like all street food, it is generally very cheap and easily available throughout India.

Maharashtra, in the West, is the place where Vada pav is widely available and actually originated. Pav bhaji, is another such concoction. It acquired status of restaurant food but had humble beginnings as street food.

Kerala, situated in the South, has "thattukada"s: a covered cart or van with stoves and utensils. They offer "thattu dosa" — a light rice-flour crepe fried in coconut oil and served with coconut chutney. The menu at a thattukada typically includes omelettes, spicy pork fry, and parottas (like naan, but beaten and mixed with oil).

Tamilnadu's has its talluvandis similair to Keralas thattukadas poularly called kaiyendhi bhavans, a subtle irony to the famous bhavan hotels like Saravana Bhavan,etc..,

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