Kashmiri cuisine is rich, meat-heavy, and unlike anything else in India. The centrepiece is Wazwan, a ceremonial multi-course feast traditionally served at weddings that can include 30 or more dishes. You won't experience the full version as a casual visitor, but the individual dishes appear across restaurants. Rogan josh (lamb in aromatic gravy), rista (minced lamb meatballs in red sauce), tabak maz (fried lamb ribs), and yakhni (mutton in yogurt gravy) are the classics. Dum aloo — potatoes cooked slowly in spiced gravy — is the standout vegetarian option.
Kahwa is the essential drink: green tea simmered with saffron, cardamom, cinnamon, and almonds, poured from a copper samovar. Have it at least once. The local bakeries produce distinctive breads — sheermal (sweetened with saffron), baqerkhani, and the ring-shaped kandur bread baked in a wood-fired oven.
The main restaurant strip runs along Residency Road and Lal Chowk in the city centre. Boulevard Road along Dal Lake has more tourist-oriented options. For Kashmiri food specifically, Ahdoos Restaurant (Residency Road) has been a Srinagar institution for decades. Mughal Darbar and Tafree are also well-regarded for traditional Kashmiri dishes. Many houseboats provide meals included in the room rate — the quality varies considerably so it's worth asking other travellers for recommendations.