Restaurants in Bengaluru (Bangalore)

The Bengaluru restaurant scene is forever evolving. It's just as easy to pick up paniyarams (battered black lentil balls) from a hot plate along VV Puram Thindi Beedi (Food Street) as it is to grab sushi with sake and edible flowers at a high-end Japanese eatery. Look out for Military Hotels, which once catered for soldiers but now sell cheap, quick eats. Make sure to be cautious of their hygiene conditions.

The restaurants in Bengaluru below have been grouped into three different pricing categories:
Expensive (over Rs1,000)
Moderate (from Rs500 to Rs1,000)
Cheap (under Rs500)

Prices are for a three-course meal for one with half a bottle of house wine or equivalent (where applicable), tax and service included unless noted

Olive Beach

Price:
Cuisine: Mediterranean

The Olive Bar & Kitchen group has a knack for attracting the A-list, and their Bengaluru eatery is no exception. The style here is Mediterranean and the menu is globetrotting, as diners air-kiss over cocktails and talk about the high life. The cherry tomato tarte tatin is fantastic.

Address: 16 Wood Street, Ashok Nagar, Bengaluru, India
Telephone: +91 99455 65483.

Rim Naam at the Oberoi

Price: Expensive
Cuisine: Thai

Set in an open, tiled pavilion amidst verdant gardens and water features, the Oberoi’s restaurant serves award-winning Thai food in elegant surroundings. It’s often described as the most romantic dinner spot in the city, which is hard to dispute over a kaeng pa kai (jungle curry with chicken) and a glass of fine wine.

Address: 37-39 Mahatma Gandhi Road, Bengaluru, India
Telephone: +91 80 2558 5858.

Karavalli

Price: Expensive
Cuisine: South Indian seafood

The Gateway Hotel’s graceful south Indian restaurant swims with the flavours of the west coast. The menu of seafood and curries takes a seafaring course from Mangalore through Goa, Travancore and the Konkan Coast. Set beneath thatched roofs and surrounded by trickling water features, Karavalli exudes an appropriately nautical mood.

Address: 66 Residency Road, Bengaluru, India
Telephone: +91 80 6660 4545.

Blue Ginger

Price: Expensive
Cuisine: Vietnamese

It’s worth visiting this sophisticated Vietnamese restaurant just for the setting at the handsome Taj West End hotel; the spectacular food is simply a bonus. It’s effortlessly romantic here, with covered pavilions seemingly floating amongst the water gardens, as diners relax among dark silk textiles and natural stone tables. Booking ahead of time is recommended.

Address: Taj West End, 25 Race Course Road, Bengaluru, India
Telephone: +91 80 6660 5660.

Sunny’s

Price: Moderate
Cuisine: International

Sunny’s is a local favourite in the mid-range category, serving superior quality European and Asian fusion cuisine in a laidback atmosphere. The far-reaching menu guarantees there’s always something appealing, including the bright and airy dining room.

Address: 50 Lavelle Road, Shanthala Nagar, Bengaluru, India
Telephone: +91 80 4132 9366.

The Grill House

Price: Moderate
Cuisine: Steaks and Tex-Mex

Indian-style sizzlers and steaks are the mainstay at this meaty grill house between MG Road and Ulsoor Lake. Done out entirely in wood, like some sort of Texan outpost, steaks here come in a variety of meats and in a choice of marinades. Drinks are half price before 8pm from Monday to Thursday.

Address: 8/6 Ulsoor Road, Kalyan Nagar, Bengaluru, India
Telephone: +91 80 4097 7011.

Time Traveller

Price: Moderate
Cuisine: Indian

Labelled a ‘vegetarian’s paradise’, Time Traveller offers a generous buffet and an a la carte menu in a hospitable environment. The restaurant sits on the ground floor of the Sai Vishram hotel and changes its menu each day for a fresh take on local delicacies. The venue receives raving reviews, so don’t miss out on food of top notch quality and quantity.

Address: 144 - C/1, Kirloskar Road, Bommasandra, Bengaluru, India
Telephone: +91 80 4040 0400

Shri Sagar

Price: Cheap
Cuisine: South Indian breakfast/vegetarian

Otherwise known as the Central Tiffin Room, this stalwart breakfast fast-food house in Malleshwaram is always packed with locals who rave about its dosas (fermented crepe made from rice batter and black lentils), particularly the butter-rich benne masala dosa. With a vegetarian emphasis, clean facilities and quick service, Shri Sagar also offers decent filter coffee.

Address: 7th Cross, Margosa Road, Malleshwaram, Bengaluru, India
Telephone: +91 80 2331 7531.

Mavalli Tiffin Room (MTR)

Price: Cheap
Cuisine: South Indian vegetarian

A Bangalore institution since 1924, MTR specialises in filling, multi-dish thalis (plate meals) and South Indian treats such as idlis (savoury cake), dosas (fermented crepe made from rice batter and black lentils), and sticky-sweet chandrahara (wheat-flour pancakes topped with sweet milk). Cash only.

Address: 14 Lalbagh Road, Bengaluru, India
Telephone: +91 80 2223 0471.

Koshy’s Bar & Restaurant

Price: Cheap
Cuisine: Indian

A Bengaluru institution, Koshy’s became famous by serving up bargain lunches and after-work drinks to lawyers and administrators from the nearby High Court of Karnataka. It’s a great place to dine surrounded by heated conversations. From stews to keema buns (stuffed buns), almost anything they do with mutton is memorable.

Address: 39 St Mark’s Road, Shanthala Nagar, Bengaluru, India
Telephone: +91 80 2221 3793.
Visa and passport information is updated regularly and is correct at the time of publishing. You should verify critical travel information independently with the relevant embassy before you travel.