New Delhi, April 11 -- Late-night shifts are part of the fabric of a chef's life. Dinner service ends by 11.30pm, and the kitchen teams wrap up after midnight. Then, they take a breather, and hunger creeps in-some make a quick meal, others head home, and a few order in or go out for a bite. In that sense, chefs know the most popular, pocket-friendly and under-the-radar late-night food haunts in their cities.

Chef Vicky Ratnani will be opening a global restaurant, Omny, in Delhi later this month. One of his favourite midnight foods is the kurkure (crunchy) chicken shawarma at Bhai Ji Shawarma, a 24/7 dhaba in Gurugram. The "Kurkure" section features shawarmas stuffed with crispy strips of paneer and chaap (soya). Some nights he visits Al-...