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While visitors to India will be tempted by an array of snacks available all over at any time of day, they should eat with caution. Only buy food that is obviously hot, recently cooked, and has not been sitting uncovered. Culinary conditions are such that unprepared visitors frequently fall ill. It is for this reason that guests should talk earnestly with their hosts about local food. Any water consumed should be bottled (be sure to check that the seal on the bottle has not been broken); travelers should never drink the roadside water.

One can find restaurants in any price range, from simple local fare to high cuisine. Restaurants will tend to specialize in a particular cuisine, sometimes from a particular region of India, as well as from many countries of the world. Many of the foods sold on the street can also be found in restaurants where cleanliness is assured.

In North India, tea is traditional throughout the day. There is tea at breakfast, afternoon tea served at around four with salty snacks, and evening tea. It is traditional for adults to put milk in tea. Children will be served milk at tea time. Coffee is not common in North India but is the preferred hot beverage in South India.