Bringing home good old grandma’s recipes – Sakas on Law College Road

Here’s a store I totally enjoy visiting. And not just for the old tom-cat that hangs around there that I love to pet. Actually Sakas is the place to go for all sorts of attas (wheat, rice, jowar, bajri), spices (Garam masala, Goda masala, Cardamom powder, Cinnamon powder), and delicious, authentic Maharashtrian foods. One trip to the shop and you can stock up your kitchen on days of tasty, healthy and quick cooking meals – nachani (raagi), sattu, daliya are some examples.

The store also stocks laddoos of various kinds (rawa, besan, puffed rice/kurmura), chaklis, chivdas (mixtures) and amazing polis – gulpoli, puranpoli, khawa poli. The polis make for a very reasonable and enjoyable meal. Make a koshimbir or simple salad or get solkadhi with it and your meal is complete. Not to mention reminiscing on that taste your grandma’s cooking brought to your mouth, because the quality of preparation from the store is excellent and is sure to leave you smacking your lips. However, in peak season – for e.g. puran polis in shravan or gulachi poli around makar sankrant, it is advisable to call them in advance and book your polis. Prices are only slightly higher than that in your neighbourhood store, but the quality will be well worth that extra spend.

The Sakas brand sells its products through several retail stores and even their own franchises around Pune. But the freshness of the products you can pick up from the main store on Law College road is unparalleled. However, you will need to bear in mind their ‘timings’ – daily 9 to 1 and 4.30 to 8.30 pm, with Thursdays off. The over-the-counter retail style is also a little uncomfortable for people like us used to the retail chains these days.

My verdict: You won’t regret visiting this place. Keeping with the green trend, they do not provide carry bags. So remember to carry your own.
To reach this place, you need to take a turn after the two petrol pumps in front of Ranka Jewellers (if you are heading from Nal stop to Deccan) and then take the second left.