Here Are The Top 7 Restaurants In Bengaluru To Add To Your Idli & Vada Trail

From crispy Vadas to the fluffiest Idlis, Bengaluru’s breakfast platter features South India’s most humble staple dish, at its finest. We’ve rounded up a list of the best, local-favorite spots in the city for idlis and vadas. Each of these spots has its unique spin on the dish. While some have cropped up in the recent past, others have been serving up idlis & vadas for over 80 years! For the classic breakfast experience, wash several plates of idlis down with a cup of filter kaapi. If you’re in the city, here’s a list of spots to add to your idli & vada trail.

Brahmins Coffee Bar, Basavanagudi, Bengaluru

This place remains one of the oldest and most famous restaurants in Bengaluru. The Brahmins’ Coffee Bar was born in 1965, the brainchild of Late Shri K.V.Nagesh Rao. Initially, it opened in a small room and served coffee, tea, and a sprinkling of bakery items. Six years down the line, it added a few popular south Indian breakfast items like Idli, Vada etc. It is a self-service outlet, with customers overflowing onto the road. This restaurant is always buzzing and the reason is specific, the quality of dishes they serve. Idlis served here are super soft, loaded with butter and coconut chutney, it’s just a heavenly feeling.

Must-haves: Coffee, Idli and Vada

Cost for two: ₹ 100

Mavalli Tiffin Room (MTR), Basavanagudi, Bengaluru

Serving since 1924, Mavalli Tiffin Room is one of Bangalore's oldest and most well-known restaurants. Being legendary and also believed to be the birthplace of Rava idli, this is the spot to indulge in a large feast with dosas served with ghee, idlis, Kesari bath, and filter coffee will make you so content and satisfied because it’s amazing and totally value for money. MTR became a landmark with several outlets peppered across the city. Since 1968, the legacy continues with the third generation in the saddle. This south Indian popular eatery will surely not disappoint you.

Must-haves: Bisi Bele Bath, Upma, Dahi Vada and Dosa

Cost for two: ₹ 250

Veena Stores, Malleswaram, Bengaluru

Started in 1977 by Suryanarayana, this eatery was once a condiment store and turned into an eatery named Veena Stores and started serving tiffin items including Idli, Vada and Kesari Bath. Just a 150 square feet eatery turned into a sensation with hundreds in line without worrying about the stand and dining system. If you are craving the softest, fluffiest idlis, this is the place for you!

Must-haves: Sweet Pongal, Bisi Bele Bhaath, Puliyogre and Kharabath

Cost for two: ₹ 150

Taaza Thindi, Jayanagar, Bengaluru

This is one of the hottest breakfast joints in Jayanagar. Taaza Thindi draws in endless crowds with its budget-friendly South Indian menu. With outlets in Jayanagar and Banashankari, you will always find this place super crowded thanks to its dishes being super light on the pockets. Though their food menu is quite small, their food quality is amazingly flavorful. This place is a typical South Indian darshini. It’s a self-service eatery where you grab a ticket at the counter and then pick up your food at the live stations. In the bowl filled with coconut chutney, the idlis are soft pillows that simply melt in your mouth.

Must-haves: Dose, Kharabhath, Coffee, Vada and Idli

Cost for two: ₹ 100

Sri Sagar Hotel, Malleswaram, Bengaluru

The over 80-year-old restaurant, formerly known as Central Tiffin Room (CTR), easily serves some of the best south Indian food in Bengaluru with a dollop of old-city charm. Sri Sagar Hotel is a heritage restaurant in northwest Bangalore established in the 1920s by Y.V. Subramanyam. It was bought by Sanjeeva S Poojari in 1992 and was renamed Shri Sagar formally known as Central Tiffin Room (CTR). The restaurant was renovated in 2011 to add more capacity. It still has a vintage wall clock and rosewood furniture with Italian marble table tops.

Pro Tip - Finding a seat requires some planning on your part. No waiter is going to politely lead you to a vacant seat. You’ve got to look for vacant seats with a hawk-eye and grab them as soon as they are empty. Or take your food, and stand around the eatery.

Must-haves: Chow Chow Bhath, Kesari Bhath, Goli Baje and Kali Dosa

Cost for two: ₹ 150

Vidyarthi Bhavan, Basavanagudi, Bengaluru

Vidyarthi Bhavan, a heritage South Indian vegetarian restaurant, started in 1943 as a small student's eatery (from where it gets its name), has become a place that makes up part of the culinary history of Bangalore and which has metamorphosed into what it is today, a place where time and tradition have stood still, drawing people from all walks of life. 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! On weekends, Vidyarthi Bhavan sees around 3,000 walk-ins, that include writers, artistes, film stars and corporate professionals. Visit here with your gang and gorge on amazing food here.

Must-haves: Masala Dosa, Rava Vada, Poori Saagu, Idli and Filter Coffee

Cost for two: ₹ 100

Iyer Idly, Thippasandra, Bengaluru

This small eatery, Iyer Idly was started by MK Mahadevan in 2001. But unfortunately, after his death in 2009, his 17 year old son Krishnan Mahadevan started helping his mother run, Iyer Idly while juggling college. His mother had different plans for him i.e. a nice corporate job and a suitable girl for marriage. After having a 3 years master’s degree, one morning Krishnan told his mother that he wanted to continue his father’s legacy. Iyer Idly serves a very limited and pocket-friendly menu where you can have a hearty breakfast for under Rs. 50 only.

Must-haves: Idli and Vada

Cost for two: ₹ 150