Here Are 10 Restaurants in Bengaluru That Locals Swear by!

Idli, dosa or upma, here are some of the best options you have in Bengaluru for breakfast!

Photograph courtesy: Wikimedia CommonsBengaluru is known for the various cafes and restaurants known for south Indian specialties. From idlis to dosas and vadas, breakfast in Bengaluru thrives on anything that can be combined with some spicy sambar and some coconutty chutney! No doubt there are some rather fantastic options in Karnataka’s capital, for continental food, but at the end of the day, who can resist some moist idlis or the rather crisp dosas? And for all of those who just can’t, here are the top 10 options in Bengaluru.

1. Davangere Benne Masale

These are typically the small one-room operations where dosas are made on huge earthen tawas, heated on firewood. The palya or mashed potato mix in it is minimalistic but the dosas come generously dunked in ghee and spicy chutney. There are Davangere benne masale joints scattered across town but the best one by far is the one at Basaveshwarnagar.

Address: Down the road towards Pushpanjali Theatre on 8th Main Road, Basaveshwarnagar

2. Vidyarthi Bhavan

Vidyarthi Bhavan on the Gandhi Bazaar main road is one of the oldest favorites in the city. You have to share tables, order quickly, eat even faster, gulp your coffee and get moving so that the next one in the queue can find a spot! And we get it if you say you love the idlis or sada dosas over anything else, but the masala dosa here is to die for.

Address: Gandhi Bazaar Main Road, Basavanagudi

 3. Brahmin’s Coffee Bar

The filter coffee here is one of the few beverages a coffee lover would have a cup of even on a hot summer morning! If you are in south Bengaluru and just grabbed some dosas from Vidyarthi Bhavan, then head here for the coffee before you tackle the day! The other specialty of this place, however, is the chowchow bhat, a combination of upma and sheera.

Address: Ranga Rao Road, Shankarapuram

Photograph courtesy: Wikimedia Commons

4. Iyengar Bakery

From the potato bun (or palya bun if you prefer) to the apple bun, khara bun, dil pasand, honey cake, toast and benne biscuit, the Iyengar bakery is known to prepare everything in pure desi ghee.

Address: Next to Jayanagar 4th Block complex, 4th block Main Road

5. Halli Mane

If on any given day you crave for that amazing meal you eat during festivals and you’re far from convincing your mum to make some for you, then this is the place you can head to. From organic food, niche community dishes to anything related to south Indian festivities, this is paradise for all those who want some! The food is served in Karnataka style, on a banana leaf, laid out in a long row where everyone is seated together.

Address: 3rd Cross, Off Sampige Road, Malleshwaram

Photograph courtesy: Wikimedia Commons

6. Veena Stores

If south Bengaluru has Brahmin’s Coffee Bar, then the north has Veena Stores. Though it’s a hole-in-the-wall shop where the owners dole out idlis, vada, pongal and upma with mouth-watering chutney from steel vessels laid out on the counter, you’ll miss out on some amazing food if you judge it by its mere size!

Address: Margosa Road, 15th Cross, Malleshwaram

7. CTR

Yet another old Bengaluru favourite and that makes amazing masala dosas, CTR has grown to become one of the few commercial places in Bengaluru that has not lost its charm just as yet! Try the benne masale dose and request for extra chutney (believe me, you will want it).

Address: Margosa Road, 7th Cross, Malleshwaram

8. Janata Hotel

8th Cross, Malleshwaram is the busiest shopping district in north Bengaluru. And no trip to 8th Cross is complete without a stopover at Janata Hotel for dosas, rava idlis and at least a few cups of coffee. The place has remained unchanged for decades now, with tables laid out in rows and self-service. The vada sambar and the rava idli here is to die for!

Address: Near Sampige Road, 8th Cross, Malleshwaram

Photograph courtesy: Wikimedia Commons

9. Shivaji Military Hotel

If you are tired of all the dosas and idlis and are craving for some meat, head to any military hotel in Bengaluru, but the best is definitely the Shivaji Military Hotel in Jayanagar. Though it does have a seating area, most people prefer to get takeaways, especially on Sundays.

Address: 45th Cross, 8th Block, Jayanagar

10.Rogue Elephant Cafe

This cafe is as Bangalorean as Bengaluru can get, not for the food but for its ambiance! Surrounded by jackfruit and mango trees, apart from the mandatory coconut trees, this is a nice place to relax over a slow weekend! You can watch the world go by as you savor your food. To add to the ambiance further, there is a shop that sells garden accessories and plants that shares the space. The food is good too but that is not why you would want to go to Rogue Elephant. Go there to experience Bengaluru like how Bangaloreans really do – laid-back, with a good book, lots of greenery and a cup of coffee

Address: Basava Ambara, Opp. Krishna Rao Park, Basavanagudi