Best places to eat in bangalore

Bangalore is known for its breakfast traditions and often you will hear bangaloreans fight who serves the softest idlis, cripy dosas or the yummiest chutneys – so let whats your favorite place for ‘thindi’?

1. Mavalli Tiffin Room (MTR)

MTR was founded as a restaurant by Parampalli Yajnanarayana Maiya and his brothers in the year 1924. The food served at the MTR is a regular, wholesome Karnataka Brahmin fare and has its origins in the Udupi Brahmin cuisine of the coastal region of Karnataka. The decor is outdated, as more attention is paid to cleanliness and food quality than ambiance. For many years, the customers entered the restaurant through the kitchen so that they would be able to satisfy themselves about the restaurant’s cleanliness before they ate there. During World War II, MTR found it difficult to make idlis since rice was in short supply. According to MTR, they experimented with using semolina instead of rice and thus invented the very popular breakfast item of Rava idli.

Must Try: Masala Dosa, Rava Idli, Bisibele Bath

Address: 14, Lalbagh Road, Mavalli, Near Basavanagudi, Bangalore

2. Brahmins Coffee Bar

Brahmin’s Coffee Bar has thrived for 46 years offering just four items: idli, vada, kesari bath and khara bath. Stopping over at the Coffee Bar has become a force of habit for morning joggers, students on their way to college and even devotees of the next door Jain Mandir.

Must Try: Idli Chutney, Coffee

Address: Ranga Rao Road, Near Shankar Math, Shankarpuram, Basavanagudi Area, Bangalore

3. Vidhyarthi Bhavan

Vidyarthi Bhavan, a vegetarian restaurant in Gandhi Bazaar was founded in 1943. This hotel is noted for its crispy, “Masale Dose”, especially the “Sagu Masale Dose”. It is one of the symbols and landmarks of old Bangalore.

Must Try: Masala Dosa, Sagu Masale Dose, Coffee

Address: 32, Gandhi Bazaar, Near Gandhi Bazaar Circle, Basavanagudi, Bangalore

4. Veena Stores

It started as a condiment store in 1977 and evolved into a popular eatery for its soft melting in the mouth idlis served with only chutney.

Must Try: Idli Chutney, Chow Chow Bath

Address: Margosa Road, Malleshwaram, Bangalore

5. CTR (Sree Sagar)

It was started by Y.V. Subramanyam and brothers (Y.V. Srikanteshwaran, Y.V. Krishna Iyer and Y.V. Ramachandran) in the 1920s. They hailed from a village called Yelagondana Halli, Mulbagal taluk, Kolar district. This village is a part of the famous Ashtagramas of Ayers. It is recorded that during the visit by the Maharajah Of Mysore, Y.V. Subramanyam supplied and served breakfast in traditional attire. They opened another hotel in Krishna Buildings, Avenue Road. This was a famous meeting place for writers and artists in the 1940s and 1950s, and its name is mentioned in many books and articles.

Must Try: Bene Masala Dosa, Mangalore Bajji, Coffee

Address: 7th Cross, Margosa Road, Malleshwaram, Bangalore

6. Janatha Hotel

Must Try: Vada Sambhar, Coffee

Address: 27, 8th Cross, Malleshwaram, Bangalore

7. New Krishna Bhavan

Must Try: Green Masala Idlis, Neer Dosa, Button Idli

Address: Sampige Theatre, Sampige Road, Malleshwaram, Bangalore

8. Koshy’s

Koshy’s is a very popular restaurant and hangout on St Mark’s Road, Bangalore, which is a meeting point for journalists, artists, theatre persons, students and foreigners. Founded in 1940, it retains an old-world charm with huge pillars and large fans. The main building has Parade Cafe, which is simply referred to as Koshy’s, Jewel Box restaurant and a bakery. It is said that Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru, Nikita Khrushchev, Queen Elizabeth II are some of the dignitaries to have dined there. It has also won MTV’s award for the Most Stylish Place in Bangalore.

Address: 39, St. Marks Road, MG Road Area, Bangalore

9. Siddapa Hotel

Must Try: Half Masala Dosa

Address: #38, 7th Main, 5th Cross, Sampangiram Nagar, Bangalore

10. Raghavendra Stores

Must Try: Shavige Bhaath, Idli Vada, Khara Bath, Kesari Bath

Address: Opposite Manipal North Side Hospital, Near Malleshwaram Railway Station, Malleshwaram, Bangalore

11. Maiya’s

Must Try: Masala Dosa, Besibele Bath, Coffee

Address: 459/30, 30th Cross, 4th Block, Jayanagar, Bangalore

12. India Coffee House

The India Coffee House chain was started by the Coffee Cess Committee in 1936, when the first outlet was opened in Bombay. In the course of the 1940s there were nearly 50 Coffee Houses all over British India. The 50-year-old Indian Coffee House at M. G. Road in Bangalore closed on 5 April 2009, after the Indian Coffee Workers’ Cooperative Society Limited lost a legal battle with the owner of the building to continue in the premises. It has been reopened on Church Street, less than a hundred meters away.

Must Try: Masala Dosa, Omelette, Cuttlet, Coffee

Address: 19, Ground Floor, Near Ruby Tuesday, Church Street, Off Brigade Road, Bangalore

13. SLV

Must Try: Uddina Vada, Idli Sambar, Masala Dosa, Coffee

Address: Near Ragigudda Temple, 3rd Cross, 8th Main, JP Nagar 3rd Phase, Bangalore