Taste of Bengaluru in a single day: A food lover's guide to the best local joints

Let us guide you through the best eats the city has to offer and take you on a food trip… like a local.
Taste of Bengaluru in a single day: A food lover's guide to the best local joints
Taste of Bengaluru in a single day: A food lover's guide to the best local joints
Written by:

Planning to visit Bengaluru, but unsure where to eat? Fret not, we have you covered. Let us guide you through the best eats the city has to offer and take you on a food trip… like a local - but these are just the vegetarian options. 

There are endless options and great eateries selling the most authentic and exotic South Indian dishes. Some of the legendary joints are famous for breakfast, some for their thaalis, and others for their street food.

While it is impossible to cover it all in a day, we have planned of a simple street-wise route to give you a taste. Choose any one place per street or go food-hopping by trying one or two items off every menu, spaced out through the day. Let the journey begin!

A lunch thaali at MTR. Photo by Shankru85, via Wikimedia Commons

Start point: Malleswaram

Breakfast at Veena Stores

To begin the journey in a typical South Indian spirit, let’s start with the most important meal of the day - breakfast. Rise and shine and head straight to the breakfast hub of the city, Veena Stores.

Early in the mornings and over weekends, you will find people from every part of the city getting their breakfast fix here. A small takeaway outlet that has been serving the locals for years, Veena Stores offers the best upma, kesari bath, vada and idly besides the regular South Indian breakfast items.

Get your own box to take away some extra chutney, or simply reach early to beat the queue and eat right outside the small store.

Where: 15th Cross, Margosa Road, Malleswaram

Timings: 07:30 AM - 12:30 PM and 04:00 PM - 09:00 PM

Mid-morning grab at CTR

Next up is Shri Sagar or Central Tiffin Room, fondly called CTR by many. Dosa lovers, here’s a knock at your belly. Get ready to devour the better than the best dosa laden with butter.

Have you guessed it by now? Yes, we are talking of the famous benne dosa. As if the regular masala dosa wasn’t enough, they had to add oodles of butter to it to make it a greasy delight. Rest assured, it will leave you licking your fingers till you leave the plate clean. While there are a lot of options like idli, vada and chow chow bath, let’s stick to the iconic benne masala dosa and a glass of coffee for now.

Benne dosa at CTR. Photo by Subhashish Panigrahi via Wikimedia Commons

Where: 7th Cross, Margosa Road, Malleswaram

Timings: 07:30 AM - 12:30 PM and 04:00 PM - 09:00 PM

Next stop: Basavanagudi

Lunch at MTR  

The name MTR is synonymous to authentic South Indian meals. The two-storeyed building stands tall and famed at Lalbagh Road. Mavalli Tiffin Room (MTR) has been serving delectable breakfast and lunch items since 1924. Head here for lunch and enjoy the spread of local meals served by traditional cooks and attenders.

Do not forget to reserve a table, as it could get quite packed over lunch. Enjoy a thaali of rice, sambar, vegetables, salad, curd, pickle, papad and more. Besides the meals, if you go there for snacking, you must try their rava idli, believed to have originated here, bisibele bhath, khara bhath and filter coffee to name a few.  

Dosa at MTR. Photo by Charles Haynes via Flickr

 Where: 14, Lalbagh Road, Basavanagudi

Timings: 06:30 AM - 11:00 AM, 12: 30 PM - 02:00 PM, 03:30 - 08:30 PM (closed on Mondays)

Snacks at Brahmin’s Coffee Bar

A plate of hot idlis and vada awaits you closer to noon. These are perfect for the near-eve transition and the accompanying hot beverage gives you the punch to gear up for the next leg of our journey. Chai or filter coffee? That’s your choice.

Filter Coffee. Representational image by Charles Haynes via Flickr

Where: Ranga Rao Road, Shankarapuram, Basavanagudi

Timings: 06:00 AM - 12:00 PM, 03:00 PM - 07:00 PM (closed on Sundays)

Street hopping at sunset

Street food at VV Puram

Watch the bare streets of VV Puram come to life as the sun sets. Every possible street food item that you could think of is set here, hawker style.

There are a lot of permanent shop houses too, that sell their hot favourites to street food seekers. Ranging from kulfi, ghee dosa, potato sticks and masala pav to chaats, sandwiches, kodu bele, pav bhaji, dosa and dal hollige in pure ghee, you have them all.

End your trip with a refreshing gulkand ice cream further up, as you turn towards the main road.

At VV Puram. Photo by Harsha KR via Flickr 

Where: Vishweshwarapura, Shankarapuram

Timings: 07:00 PM - 09:00 PM

If you want to cover the circuit, the trick is to eat a little at every place. It works really well if you have a friend accompanying you. That way you get to share your meals, especially over snacks and street food treats. Wishing you a happy and tummy tickling day… Cheers!  

Related Stories

No stories found.
The News Minute
www.thenewsminute.com