Based on my personal experiences, I have put together a list of top 10 traditional food joints in South Bangalore. They include popular options as well as not so well known options, but still fiercely popular among locals. I have linked linked each restaurant to the respective page on Zomato so that you can find the address, contact numbers, timings, map, menu details, cost, etc along with the reviews of other customers.
Brahmins Coffee Bar
The Idlis here are like how my mother used to make. They are so soft and tasty that sometimes I feel like I am eating at home. If you want a home away from home taste, then this is the place you should go to for authentic south Indian breakfast items that are available all day long. The Uppittu (upma) and filter coffee of this iconic restaurant are also great. They don’t have many items on their menu, but whatever they have is top class. They do not serve Sambar for the dishes, but just chutney, which is very nice.
Davangere Benna Masala Dosa
This place is not on Zomato, but it gets so much crowd that you will realize this place serves great food. One of my absolute favorites of South Bangalore, this restaurant is located near East Anjaneya street, NR Colony. It is next to a ICICI Bank ATM and a Bisleri water shop. Like the name of the restaurant, the famous item on their menu is their Benne Masala Dosa. While this is very tasty, my personal favorite is paddu, which is served with groundnut chutney. Their butter idlis, girimittu and filter coffee are also very nice. The best part about this place is that it offers total value in a taste vs cost scenario. VB Bakery
This is one of the oldest bakery in the city and is definitely a house hold name in South Bangalore. Their masala bun, khara biscuit, Masala Bread, Coconut biscuit, KBC (Khara Bun Congress), Honey cake, fruit cake and many other items are hot favorites. This iconic place is at the edge of Bangalore’s only food street – Thindi Beedhi. So, you can couple Thindi Beedhi and VB Bakery making it a culinary extravaganza.
Mavalli Tiffin Room (MTR)
This place put Bangalore on the world food map and holds its place high in all the foodie hearts of Bangalore. Most of the visitors to Lalbagh are regulars here. They have branches all over the town, but there is something about the 1st MTR restaurant that brings people in huge numbers to it. Popular with both the young and the old, this icon of Bangalore serves a lot of delicious traditional South Indian food, but my personal favorites are Ragi Dosa, Rava Idly with ghee, Khara Bath, Masala Dosa and Coffee. Thindi Beedhi
This is not a traditional restaurant, but a street that is full of traditional restaurants. Located in the VV Puram area of South Bangalore, this is possibly Bangalore’s only food street. From Kali Dosa to benne masala dosa, from masalai mandakki to filter coffee. from hot jalebis to hot badam milk and from maddur vada to akki roti, this place has it all. If you feel like eating the traditional foods of Karnataka, this is the place you have to visit. Since this people doesn’t feature on Zomato, I have linked to my earlier post about Thindi Beedhi to give you more details.
Vidyarthi Bhavan
This is another of those iconic restaurants of South Bangalore. Located right in the heart of super busy Gandhi Bazaar of Basavanagudi, this place always runs full. Personally, I dig their Rava vadai, but their benne masala dosai seems to be the crowd’s favorite. Their coffee is also pretty special. Such is the popularity of this place that even the elderly people prefer to wait for a seat in this restaurant. New Modern Hotel
I don’t know how many of you Bangaloreans have heard of NMH. Located in VV Puram, this is one of the older restaurants of Bangalore. Their Thatte Idli, Thairode, Chiroti Milk, Chow Chow Bath, Rava Idli and Hot Badam Milk are favorites here. For some reason, I like their simple vegetarian meals during lunch here too. Simple and tasty food that is easy on the stomach and the wallet, I will always remain a big fan of NMH.
Maiyas
They belonged to the family of MTR, but due to a family split, they started their own food business in Maiyas. While they are relatively new when compared to the MTR name, their food still has the same quality to it. Every time my father and I visit the Jayanagar side, we always make sure to have a cup of coffee here. And I know how long is the queue for this special coffee here. Their baked items and snack items are also very good.
Puliyogare Point
Like the name suggests, this restaurant located in NR Colony is famous for its Puliyogare or tamarind flavored rice. Apart from Puliyogare, my taste buds have also taken a liking to their Sakkare Pongal, Pongal, Coconut rice and button idlis. And finally wash it down with some filter coffee. This place might have have the iconic status of Vidyarthi or Brahmins, but its quality is definitely up there.
Kamat Bugle Rock
The Kamats are a big name in the restaurant industry of Karnataka and hence it is no surprise that one of their restaurants sees a mention in this list. The Kamat Bugle Rock is one of their newer restaurants that is famous for its North Karnataka lunch that includes Jowar Roti, Palak Sagoo and more. In fact, whenever I feel the craving for North Karnataka food, I end up going to this restaurant. Apart from the north Karnataka meals, they serve typical south Indian food too.
Courtesy: The photos in this post are courtesy of wikipedia.org and have been used here under the creative commons license. Each photograph has been linked to their page on wikipedia.