Why Khan Market Still Rules South Delhi in 2025

New Delhi — Is Khan Market still worth it in 2025? That’s the question buzzing louder than a DTC bus near India Gate. With Time Magazine recently spotlighting it once again as India’s most expensive shopping district, this posh enclave of South Delhi is both a badge of honour and a running joke. But it’s not just NRIs and diplomats swarming the bakeries—it’s also Delhi’s own who still gather here, wallets grumbling but swag intact.

Why Khan Is Suddenly Trending Again

In early 2025, a slick 4K walkthrough of Khan Market surfaced online, racking up views for its cinematic pan over signage like Good Earth, Fabindia, and the evergreen Big Chill Café. Time Magazine called it “India’s most expensive shopping area,” and while that’s not brand-new info for locals who’ve watched the price of a masala omelette at Choko La climb steadily since 2018, it’s a sharp reminder of what Khan Market represents: old money, new coffee, and step-zero for Lutyens Lingo.

Once a sleepy colonial-style complex gifted to refugees of Partition, Khan Market has gone from selling Dad’s shaving cream at Ahuja Pharmacy to dishing out matcha lattes and vintage linen shirts at prices that make even Saket Mall look humble. But don’t dismiss the hype as fluff. What keeps Khan Market alive isn’t just its boutiques—it’s the sense of “arrival” you feel the moment you’re seen there, even if you’re just hopping into Full Circle for a latte and pretending to read Proust.

What Dilliwalas Are Saying & Paying

For most Delhiites, Khan is no longer a weekly haunt. It’s become—for students from Mandi House or office-goers commuting from Hauz Khas—a once-in-a-while treat, more about ambiance than errand. “Everything’s expensive here, but you can’t beat the people-watching,” said a shopkeeper near Bahrisons, gesturing to a crew of Insta-ready college kids taking selfies near the art supply store.

Residents say weekdays are the new sweet spot, with peak chaos reserved for Saturdays. Parking is still Kafka-level confusing despite valet options, and autos regularly refuse short-distance rides unless you look visibly non-Delhi. But the familiarity holds emotional weight. Families swing by to grab tulsi chai from The Tea Place after South Delhi hospital visits; couples still argue over which side is “the cool side”—Middle Lane or the front facade. For some, it’s Delhi’s last hangout that hasn’t sold its soul to loud signage and chaotically planned franchise setups. That said, first-timers best carry a card that works internationally—you’ll need it to pay for dessert.

How We Got Here (And Why Nothing’s Quite Like It)

Khan Market’s transformation didn’t happen overnight. In the early 2000s, as Gurgaon’s Cyber Hub began to ascend and malls multiplied in Saket and Vasant Kunj, Khan doubled down on exclusivity. It saw a shift from stationers and tailors to cafes like Perch and Nege & Ju. The market’s rents went intergalactic by 2017—with per square foot rates some of the highest in Asia—pricing out smaller traders and letting in decor boutiques and niche wine retailers. Comparatively, older haunts like South Ex or Defence Colony saw diversification too, but none kept the minimal signage, mid-century pathways, and sheer intimacy of Khan.

Ask a Dilliwala and they’ll tell you: Khan is where your parents met “someone from the UN,” where your friends spotted Kareena Kapoor buying quinoa in 2012, and where your office boss still buys birthday cake from Café Turtle. The place is a paradox—rooted in post-Partition generosity, now visited for luxury candles and soy cappuccinos. And yet, for all its inflation, there’s nothing fake about the comfort it offers you on a slightly overcast Thursday.

Planning a Trip to Khan in 2025? Here’s How to Win

Visit before noon on weekdays to avoid long café queues and parking fiascos—Middle Lane opens earlier than most people think.
Keep a buffer of 30–45 minutes if you’re catching the metro from Khan Market Station—it’s a short walk but the traffic crawl starts by 4 PM.
Don’t skip the side alleys—some of the best shops (like local hardware stores still selling made-in-India pressure cookers) are less Instagrammed but truly old-school Dilli.

📍 Spot Check: Khan Market Metro Station (Violet Line), Lodhi Garden’s rear gate (walking distance), and the India Habitat Centre on Lodhi Road—all landmarks within 1 km.

The Final Word

So yes, Khan Market is still expensive. Probably more than it should be. But it’s also quietly, stubbornly special—a place where generations of Delhiites have sipped coffee, debated politics, bought stationary they didn’t need, and run into exes across the bookstore aisle. It forces you to slow down, even in a city running on express pace. Still worth it? That depends—are you going for shopping, showboating, or solace? Maybe all three.