I'm a foodie. And I feel lucky to be in a country that keeps my taste buds titillatingly happy. Every city in India has to have a food street, and Bangalore is no exception. It didn't take much time for the gourmet in me to discover the food street in Bangalore. The Food Street or Khau Galli in Bangalore is known as Thindi Beedi (Kannada word for food street).
How to reach:
It is located near Sajjan Rao circle in VV Puram. If you are taking a bus or an auto, get down at Sajjan Rao circle, and the food street starts right next to it. If you are driving, you can get the driving directions from google maps:
How to reach:
It is located near Sajjan Rao circle in VV Puram. If you are taking a bus or an auto, get down at Sajjan Rao circle, and the food street starts right next to it. If you are driving, you can get the driving directions from google maps:
View Larger Map
General Info:
It's a very small street (hardly a 200m stretch), and the shops are located adjacent to each other. The street is open all days of the week from 6 p.m. till about 11 p.m. It's pure vegetarian, and it's local. Although the street might look crowded over the weekends, it is still less crowded than a food court in a mall in Bangalore, and I pity Bangaloreans for this. Most of the shops don't have any seating arrangement, but eating out on the street is an exhilarating experience in itself. The prices of food items are pretty low as compared with any other eatery in Bangalore. Even for a devourer like me, it's difficult to eat stuff more than Rs. 100 even on an empty stomach.
What to eat:
The street starts with the landmark V.B. Bakery, serving its customers sincerely for more than 50 years now. The bakery is known for its fresh products, especially the cream puff and honey cakes, and calling its bread soft would be an understatement.
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| V.B. Bakery (left), Honey cake (top right), Cream puff (right bottom) |
Eating Ramu’s ghee masala dosa will make you go on a guilt trip, especially if you have watched him make the dosas, generously doused in ghee.
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| Ramu's Masala Dosa |
I've had the best Idli in my lifetime at a shop beside Idli Mane. The Idli is so soft and fresh that it nearly melts in your mouth. You could also try other local delicacies here such as Paddu, Kolbade, Akki Roti, Ragi Roti, and Thatte Idly.
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| Akki Roti, Thatte Idli, Paddu, Kolbade (Clockwise from top left) |
The next must-visit stall is the one that sells bondas and bhajjis. Aloo bonda, chilli bhajji, onion pakoda, banana bhajji...the list goes on...the capsicum masala is a must try.
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| Capsicum Masala Bhajji (left), Assorted Bhajjis (right) |
You could also hog on some of the North Indian delicacies such as paranthas, gulab jaamun, and pav-bhaaji or some chat items like bhel, pani-puri or some Chinese ones like gobi manchurian.
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| Chat items |
Another must-try stall is the one selling holige (puran poli). Coconut holige is my personal favorite. Even the plain Dal Holige drenched in desi ghee is sumptuous.
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| Holige stall |
Towards the end of the road stand the corn sellers stocking over ten varieties of corn including the slightly puzzling "lemon butter baby masala corn". You'd also find fruit vendors selling fruit plates at this end.
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| Fruit plate (left), Corn (right) |
And the last but not least - Shivanna Gulkand Center. Your trip to the food street isn't complete if you haven't tried some of the unique delicacies at this center. My personal favorite ones are:
Exotic fruits + Gulkand + Ice-cream = Butter Gulkand Fruit Salad with Ice Cream
Masala Pepsi
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| Shivanna Gulkand Center (left), Butter Gulkand with Ice-cream (top right), Masala Pepsi (right bottom) |
There are still so many items that I haven't tried yet even after numerous visits. I wish I had two stomachs to devour more food. If you are a true foodie, then you wouldn't be in front of your computer by now :)
Disclaimer: Most of the pics in this post are taken from various sources on the internet.
