What to Eat in Bangalore?

[faine]

From March 3rd to April 16th (or so,) I'm going to be interning at a music magazine in Bangalore. I've heard pretty good things about the dining scene in Bangalore, and I'm highly anticipating getting to know a thing or two about Southern Indian cuisine, which is pretty much a total mystery to me.

So: where should I plan on eating in Bangalore? I'll eat anything, but I'm particularly partial to: intensely spicy food, seafood, street food, and mutton or lamb. If I see it and it looks good, I will try it (and take lots of photographs for this website while I'm at it.)

Also: if you've been to India, anything I should know about what it's like to live and get around there?

[willows]

At least once, go to Karavalli. It's a great restaurant; delicious South Indian seafood.

Don't rent a car if you can avoid it at all...it's much easier to get around with the cabbies and rickshaws that know how to navigate local traffic. I've never been burned by a cabbie, but you might want to have a local with you when you can, just for convenience.

[Vikram]

Some more suggestions from this thread:

http://forums.egullet.org/index.php?showtopic=100249

[sxr71]

Karavalli for sure - A MUST.

Also Sahib Sind Sultan in the Forum Mall order the chicken biriyani, also great kababs for appetizers. I would just order those and eat them tapas style.

Go to Samarkhand on Infantry road and order the Paneer Tikka - amazing!

Other places I loved:

Poolside Barbecue - West End Hotel - great lobster and all other dishes are great.

Royal Afghan - Windsor Manor Sheraton

For Southern Indian meat biriyani and thali: Nagarjuna Residency on Residency road.

For South Indian Tiffin: MTR

Jamavar at the Leela has excellent yogurt rice, but some will argue that it is outrageously pricey for what it is. But it's great.

There are a lot of small places around town, but the problem in Banaglore is that places don't stay open very long and shut down and some just lose their quality. I would like to recommend more places but I can't be sure if they are still around and if they are still good if they are around.

I go to places like Kabab Korner for a quick bite or even Fanoos if you can stomach the line. They will bring food to your car though.

For Italian Sunny's is a safe bet, but why bother with Italian in India? Many of those restaurants are getting better but really geared to locals who want to try different cuisines.

Koshy's surprisingly is a nice safe bet for almost anything. Not the best in any one thing (okay their vegetable cutlets are great - get the dinner order it tastes different from the regular order) but are safe to take a group since there is something for everyone.

I have enjoyed also Tandoor on MG road, I go there every visit. Berry's is a little hole in the wall on Church Street but great food for a great price.

The usual kabab places like Empire and Imperial are also worth a trip. Chicken kabab or chili chicken is the usual order at those places.

I thought Northern Gate at the Gateway hotel was also nice, but I think you can do better on a quality/price basis.

A little out of town at Angsana, Aquamarine deck was nice for seafood if you happen to be in the area.

If anyone has been to Bangalore recently, please do tell of new openings.

[faine]

Oy, thanks for taking me back, SXR 71! I returned from that Bangalore trip a year ago and had a magnificent time eating in the city. Being woefully poor, I did not make it to Karavalli, but had some amazing dining experiences across the city.

I was staying on Thippasandra Road in Indiranagar and found a host of tiny hole-in-the-wall joints with slap your mama good food. I especially enjoyed walking into back-alley tandoori places (all the chicken on a stick,) ordering a bunch of meat, and comparing-contrasting styles.

I love Nagarjuna Residency. What great spicy food, especially that fish curry, and the banana leaves and the guys-with-pails produce a vastly amusing experience.

Will back you up on Tandoor. Great food, beautiful setting, great service. I was staying in a guest house that cycled through a lot of British and USA people, and I used Tandoor as a very *soft* introduction to Indian food. Koshy's is all about the ambiance for me and less for the food, which I found REALLY HEAVY on the ghee. But if you find yourself in desperate need of toast....

I used to work near the fly-over and found myself lunching at Konark (on Residency Road) a LOT. It's a nice, modern vegetarian restaurant with a vast menu and excellent, fresh food. Killer saag, great chaat specialities, and amazing gobi-mutter fry. Still dream about it sometimes. A ways down the street (to the left if you're standing in front) there's a little street with a bunch of great little chaat and juice places. I think their bhel puri kept me from total bankruptcy during my time in B'lore....

For a REALLY interesting experience, you must go to South Indies on Infantry Road. It's an amazingly beautiful restaurant with an all-white style aesthetic, and the vegetarian purely South-Indian food is contemporary and delicious. I really think it's the future of Southern Indian food, at least if it's repackaged for upscale audiences. Cool, COOL place. And good prices.

There was this tiny little place on 100 Ft. Road called Treat. Tandoor and Northern Indian food, and oh so good. I stayed in B'lore for about five months and I was buddies with those guys by the end. Great tandoori fish, best bhindi masala in the city, and dirt-cheap.

I agree that Italian is an odd choice in Bangalore. HOWEVER, if you're there for an extended period, you may find yourself needing a fix. Little Italy on 100 Ft, to my astonishment, produces serviceable thin crust pizzas and pastas, as well as the only salsa I encountered in the city. It's also a hip, nice space to get out of the heat in. It's vegetarian, so come mentally prepared. I visited I-Italia once at the oh-so-cool Park Hotel and was REALLY impressed. It's authentic Italian cuisine, with great thin crust pizzas.

I advise those going to Bangalore to eat at every Kerala restaurant they see. What amazing food. I didn't know a thing about it prior to my time in India and am amazed it hasn't reached more people. Especially meen pollichathu. Oh, man, meen pollichatu.

I've probably got more in me but I believe I should go to bed. If anyone has any Bangalore questions, do feel free to contact me!

[pastameshugana]

Some more Bangalore tips...

I've lived in B'Lore for a little over two years, my home is the US (AZ and Las Vegas)..

In Koramangala (near Forum Mall, ask anyone and they'll know the place) you can find:

-A Taste of Rampur - one of the finest places in town, yet little known. They serve a selection of 'Mughlai' cuisine. More cream, less spice. Definitely try the Murgh Khali Mirch and Makhan Murgh Rampuri, true classics.

-P!ng - a nice, affordable Chinese place specializing in dimsum

-China Pearl - old-style asian food - lots of chinese, malay, thai cuisine, many seafod options

In Indiranagar (old airport road):

-Little Italy - veg Italian food, very nice

-Shangai Salsa - hard to explain, but absolutely worth a visit - some cuban and chinese influences (it's better than it sounds!)

Near MG Road:

-Harima - best sushi in town. Tell Chef/Owner Mako that Mr. Jonathan sent you and get the special treatment

-Nandhini Palace - it's a chain of south Indian places, the one on St. Marks road is the best. Lots of Andhra style food

-The Only Place - tremendous beef (if you want it), the double-fillet and chargrilled sirloin are the best, my wife loves the wienerschnitzel

-Aromas of China - at the bottom of Brigade road, very classy, and a great lunch buffet, beautiful roof-top setting

Hope this helps!

[Nayan Gowda]

I'm heading to Bangalore tomorrow for a few weeks. Any other recommendations of where to eat? And also where to drink?

Thanks in advance.

Nayan

[thampik]

Hi Nayan

I was there briefly a couple of weeks back and ate at two places. Can't say I know enough about the various eating options to know how these compare with what else is around in Bengaluru.

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Barbeque Nation in Koramangala. Which was very busy on a weekday and is busier on weekends I am told. Bit of a "concept" place - barbeque grill placed in the middle of the table and a steady stream of kebab-style skewers placed on it to finish cooking for the last min or two. They keep bringing them until you have had enough - and then you proceed to eat the main meal - I tried Chicken Tikka Masala for a laugh! The skewers were Ok to good. Various beers etc available. Have a look at the website http://www.barbeque-nation.com/menu.htm#

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Firangi paani. A JD Wetherspoon-like pub in the Forum mall - except for loud music and way better food than a JD :-) Decent selection of beers/spirits - so could be a candidate for a drink.

Look forward to hearing about your dining experiences and a tip or two for when I'm next in Bengaluru.

[Nayan Gowda]

Thanks Thampik. I'll post as I eat, otherwise I'll forget.

Flew in this morning and have already eaten at two places.

The Baluchi at The Lalit for lunch. High End, north-Indian, hotel restaurant. Setting is pleasant, but food is definitely geared to the western palate. Prices are high; about 700 rupees for a main without any side dishes. The food is OK, but nothing to write home about. Found the service a little too pushy with the upselling (not sure if this is commonplace in restaurants here now, but will no doubt find out over the next few weeks).

Vasudev Adiga's @ Foodline, 8th Block, Jayanagar. Have a soft-spot for all the Adiga's, but this is probably my favourite branch. Good South Indian veg "fast" food and great coffee (my Dad says this is the best Vadai Sambhar around). Open from 7 in the morning to 11 at night so a great place to refuel whatever the time.

[Nayan Gowda]

Lunch today was at Vidyarthi Bhavan in Gandhi Bazaar.

(say hello to my folks!)

This place is legendary for it's Dosai, but the other South Indian offerings are just as good. Open from 6.30am to 11.30am; then again from 2pm to 6pm. I advise you to go on the dot of when the doors opens, otherwise there will be a wait. The food also always seems better at the start. The dosai are fried in a ridiculous amount of ghee, so this really is not a place for the faint of heart (or those with any other heart issues); but boy are they tasty.

They are so rich, that I can only manage one Masala Dosa; so usually supplement with upma (no photo, I'm afraid; it didn't last long...)

Off to Chickmagalur for a few days to see a coffee harvest in action; hopefully have a few more reccos on my return.

[anm]

I second pastameshugana with regards to Shangri la and salsa a very intriguing place and worth checking out ...

Well if you are into nouvelle cuisine , caperberry is worth a visit although you may find that some dishes are a miss .But the baby octopus and squid ink risotto I had there last time was unforgettable .Their pepper crusted sous vide tenderloin is a real treat ...

[Nayan Gowda]

Another 2 week trip to Bangalore beckons in the very near future.

Anyone have any updates as to where and what to eat?

[Cartloot]

The South Indian breakfast – piping hot idlis, soft vadas, and crispy dosas – is also the signature street food in Bangalore. These south Indian delights are easily available, affordable, and exceptionally tasty. They are best served with hot sambhar and coconut chutney.