As a foreigner visiting Bangalore, India, what do you prefer to eat? Do you eat very authentic local and street food? Sometimes go to a café for a spice escape? Or, you’re willing to pay a bit more to enjoy 5-star hotel food and service? Or if you’re like me, love Indian food yet have to retain some criteria to lower any kind of risk?
Here are my own rules of thumb:
- Clean and hygienic food (toilet also!) I never eat street food or drink anything in street stalls to lower the risk of getting sick. So, the restaurants I go to must be clean and with good hygiene, or at least present to me like that.
- Not too chili-spicy. I know it’s difficult to tell from the menu as Indians usually don’t indicate the chilli level with any sign. What I do know is, South Indian food tends to be much hotter, so ask the server how hot the food is if not sure.
- Sit comfortably and let me enjoy the food! My Indian family likes to finish food in 10 minutes, which is quite opposite to my lifestyle. Whenever possible, let me lay back and enjoy the food slowly.
- Convenient location. Bangalore is infamous for chaotic traffic. You don’t want to go so far just for a meal. That said, the restaurant must be in a convenient location and easily accessible.
Below are 3 Indian restaurants I tried in Bangalore that I found tasty, good service and worth every rupee. And of course, they ticked all the boxes above. If you happen to be in Bangalore for a leisure or business trip, do try out these restaurants as they won’t disappoint you!
Rajdhani Thali Restaurant – Eat Like a Feast
Here they serve only Rajastani-and-gujrati thali, which is famous for its generous use of chilli. The food was not that hot, even I could manage it.
What I found interesting was, everybody was given a big tray with 10 small bowls on it, and servers came and filled up our trays and bowls with more than 25 different kinds of food (including condiments). Look at the tray!!!
While we were eating, some servers kept coming to check if we needed more food. So yes, it’s kind of bottomless, but I’m sure soon you’ll feel full, as overall the portion was quite big!
How Much?
₹625 per person, plus tax (lassi and jaljeera cost ₹65 extra). Ladies enjoy discounts down to ₹399 on every Wednesday.
Where is it?
Rajdhani Thali Restaurant has been opened in many big shopping malls in Bangalore. The one we’ve been to was located in the Orion Mall, next to the tourist attraction, Iskcon Temple.
Copper Chimney – Try Interesting Dishes
This restaurant is also a chain but the quality was surprisingly good! It is 50+ years old and it looks like some celebrities are their fans too!
If you don’t want too much chili-hot, then you can rely on Copper Chimney as they offer North Indian food which is milder compared to the south.
There we tried 2 interesting dishes:
Palak Goolar Kofta ₹625 – A Kashmir-influenced dish decorated with edible silver leaf called ‘Varq’. Inside the almond cashew gravy were 4 spinach koftas stuffed with Kashimiri figs and nuts. Went pretty well with naan.
Kabuli naan ₹325 – Inspired by an Afghan flatbread made in Peshawar. I love the idea of putting raisins and nuts to make it mildly sweet. Never had something like this before. Highly enjoyable as it is.
Different Menu in other Countries
Although you can find Copper Chimney in the UK, Dubai and Kuwait as well, their menu are different as I can’t find the above dishes outside India. I recommend giving them a try when you’re in India. It’s much more purse-friendly!
You can browse the menu on their official website.
Where is it?
Copper Chimney has many branches across India and you can find their locations here. In Bangalore, they have shops in Yelahanka and Whitefield, others are for takeaway only.
GoNative – Relax and Enjoy
Last but not least, the third restaurant I want to introduce to you is GoNative. As its name suggests, it’s a café mainly sourced from local organic produce.
What I particularly liked was the café located just above the home goods store Freedom Tree, with roofed open seating surrounded with green. It was quite relaxing! It’s a shame that I forgot to take any pictures of it but you can see from Google Maps.
We ordered a Navratri thali (festival special) which contained 14 different kinds of food!
Navratri Thali ₹699 – Clean, neat presentation with different flavours singing to you! Curry Boy and I shared this thali as we found the quantity was more than enough.
Evolved Raw Mango Coconut Roast ₹435 – Plant-based meat, raw mango and roasted coconut on top of a roti, provided a subtle sweetness but with enough spices as well. Very tasty!
GoNative has a wide range of Indian food with a modern touch on the menu. If you go in a big group, surely you can sample many different good dishes. Don’t miss it!
Where is it?
It has a few branches in Bangalore and we went to the one located in Sadashivanagar.
In India, there are a lot of dhaba where you can try local Indian food. But as a foreigner, although married to an Indian, it can still be a challenge for me to ‘eat like a local’. Luckily, the above are a great alternative. If you have tried those or you have other suggestions, do let me know in the comment!
