Culture of Bangalore - Cuisine

Cuisine

The diversity of the cuisine available is reflective of the social and economic diversity of Bangalore. Roadside vendors, tea stalls, South Indian, North Indian, Muslim food, Chinese and Western fast food are all very popular in the city. Udupi restaurants, are very popular and serve predominantly vegetarian cuisine. The Chinese food and the Thai food served in most of the restaurants are customized to cater to the tastes of the Indian population. Bangalore can also be called as foodie's paradise because of its vast varieties of foods and eatables with a touch of Bangalore's uniqueness and tradition

Some of the renowned traditional Bangalore vegetarian restaurants are MTR (Mavalli Tiffin Room), Vidyarthi Bhavan, Udupi Krishna Bhavan, Ramakrishna Lunch Home, Hotel Sharavathi in Yelahanka, New Krishna Bhavan, Janatha Hotel, Central Tiffin Room, Restaurants at Janardhana Hotel and Chalukya Hotel and Ullas to name a few. The masala dosa – rice pancake smeared with red chilly chutney and stuffed with potato curry, 'set dosa' – 3 medium sized dosas, 'benne masalae' – thick rice pancake prepared with butter – are some of the local favourites and few stake the origin of these dishes from Bangalore. Bisi bele bath, Rava idli, Pongal, the spicy Uppittu – served as Khara Bath in most of the restaurants are some of the other local favourites.

The Muslim cuisine of Bangalore is unique as it delivers an interesting blend of Mughlai cuisine, Hyderabadi Muslim or Nawabi cuisine as it is called with a distinct Bangalorean flavour. The MM Road in Frazer town is renowned for its unique collection of around 5 to 6 Muslim restaurants, 3 to 4 Mughlai takeaways, a Chinese restaurant, a sald bar and 2 Arabian themed restaurants. Empire Restaurant of Shivajinagar is very Famous and has its own chain of restaurants throughout Bangalore. The Chandni Chowk area of Shivajinagar also has concentration of tightly packed restaurants and tea shops, where business booms behind closed shutters until the wee hours of daylight. The most favourite sought after delicacies include the Tandoori Chicken, Bangalorean Biriyani, Sheek kebabs, Sheek Rolls, Chicken kebabs, Rumali Rotis and lots more. Road side stalls however rather not difficult to find in areas with a Muslim population give a more dynamic but risky option of barbecued and tasty beef sheek kebab and local Bangalorean recipe Phaal, beef cubes in spicy green masala, served with hot Rice Sevian(Plain steamed Vermicelli). Fried Mutton Brains is also a really tasty choice for daring food-a-holics.

Arabian cuisine is also slowly on the rise with Shawarma and Falafel gathering some popularity although these hotels are usually frequented by Arab students and Gulf returned Indians.

Some of the bakeries in Bangalore are also quite popular for a quick snack. There are many fruit juice stalls and shoppers often visit them.

Bangalore also has some fine dining and specialized restaurants that cover various cuisines of the world. For good Mangalorean and Konkan style seafood, there's Kudla, Mangalore Pearl and Sa-na-dige. The city also is known to have really good Italian and new-age continental food in places like Sunny's on Lavelle Road and Olive Beach. The various restaurants in the five-star hotels in the city also offer some very authentic and delicious meals. Some of these include Blue Ginger (Thai/ Vietnamese, Taj West End), Raj Pavilion (Colonial Indian Cuisine, Sheraton Windsor Manor), Zen (Japanese / Korean, Leela Palace), and the many 24-hour cafes these hotels run.