1 – Suprabhata Coffee Kendra: This won’t get figured in any top-list (other than mine, of course). They serve the best coffee in town, and probably the best sambhar as well. It’s one of those pre-darshini-age standing hotels, and is very popular among our auto rickshaw drivers. It’s on the diagonal road connecting Sajjan Rao Circle and Minerva Circle; just before the second hand two wheeler market starts. The good thing about this place is – you get coffee in the afternoons.
2 – Brahmins’ Coffee Bar: Idli, vaDe, khara bath, and kesari bath – not to mention the chutney. Don’t be too demanding at the counter; you might just have to deal with some polite rudeness from either of the Adiga brothers who serve the food. But the food is worth it – so worth it.
3 – Vidyarthi Bhavan: The story goes that it was started to cater to National College students in the early 50’s and some of those students still make it a point to come back (and in some cases like mine, very frequently). The trick to getting serviced here quickly is to know their static dose routing algorithm. Here’s how it works: You need to walk up to the kitchen and see which of the servers is getting ready for the next batch, and try to find a seat in his serving territory. If that’s not possible, the next-in-line server’s territory. Another tip would be to ask for ‘less oil’ – brilliant dose (crisp on the outside and soft on the inside), and that uddin beLe chutney makes me forgive all of Bangalore’s traffic woes. If you can’t handle the crowd, just walk down DVG Road to Mahalakshmi Tiffin Room, and you’ll do just fine.
4 – Hotel Dwaraka – It’s a pity they had to change their location from Bull Temple Road to Tyagarajanagara now, and become a semi-Darshini (of all things!!). But the khali dose still remains as soft and as tasty as ever. I would recommend some palya as well – just to make it a set. Enough has been said about their ‘yeraDu dosege mooru baari chutney koDalaguvudilla’ notices – and now that those notices are gone 🙁 they do serve chutney thrice 🙂
5 – Upahara Darshini – Shavige bath, with it’s unique chutney.
Before Bangalore became the restaurant city that it is now, it used to have hotels – and I am glad that most of the classic hotels have survived, and thrived. I will write more on this when I cover the Majestic area and Malleshwaram hotels.
maga,
nice list. 🙂
and i’d like u to try some of my fav places too.
1. Raghavedra stores @malleswaram railway station for the best idli vada in north bangalore idli vada.
2. CTR in 7th cross margosa road for the best benne masale and equally good coffee
3. Veena stores @15th cross margosa road malleswaram for different kind of chutnye with idli vada and KASHAAYA.
4. Davangere benne dose @ JP nagar, kanakpura road. Nowadays it has lost its charm as they put too less benne!! still worth trying.
I would add Auto-guy place to this list, and also Tai Tai 🙂
BTW, Your Word-Verification ? Too hard !
@BJ: Tai Tai is not in South Bangalore, and Auto-guy place is the first one I am talking about.
Slurp. Made me all hungry one gloomy Sunday morning. Felt elated to see MLTR in the list. True, MLTR doses VB aste channag iratve. Except that the servers/maaNis are most libidinous and keep staring at your boobs. Hahha! Lookign forward to a Malleshwara and Majestic area round up. Shettara OoNi is another hotel establishment that has survived I would say.
Maga..nanghe Jirle sikkithu maga in vidyarthi bhavan dose once
i do not know if you have tried the khali/set dose in Mangala Hotel, Hanumanthanagara…. chenagiratte..
@Sheetal: Area hudgi recommending area hotlu. Kusi aaitu.
Yes, Mangala is very good. Khali dose kooDa, and coffee kooDa. But after they made 4th cross a bus route, it has taken some beating in business. I feel sad 🙁
iga odide… baayalli neeru bantu (Vidyarthi Bhavana!!!!)… haange ninna mele bejaan siTTuuuu bantu… hoTTe urstiyallayya….
I’ve had the privilege of going to a hotel with you once way back when you were in 7th std, I believe. You ate 3 masaledoses:)
More food blogs pls..
um hello namma airlines aka tivoli garden??
Masala dosa at vidyarthi bhavan is not good when compared to slv upahara darshini at north road. However the khali dosa and ravva vada is too tasty at Mangala hotel near maruthi circle, hanmantha nagar. . Set masala is suberb at Devi darshini, hanumantha nagar. Sreehari
BMS College/National College go only with Vidyarthi Bhavan and Hotel Dwaraka. Guyz Dose Rocks
I was reading this list, and realized I have to now remove Tai-Tai from my list of favorite restaurants 🙁
Maybe we need to give Vidyarthi Bhavan a second chance at being one of my favs 🙂