Best Masala Dosa in Bangalore

    Masala Dosa is a favourite delicacy of most Indians alike and even more so of people in Bangalore. They can be eaten at almost any time and can be consumed for any meal, almost polymorphic in nature! (forgive us for the use of computer jargon here) Inspite of being an obvious "Masala Dosa", there are still subtle variations in the styles that they are made in, and every single variation produces a different taste.

 

   
    Here, we will review 6 restaurants that serve the best Masala Dosa in town and hopefully be able to guide you, our readers, to savour the delicacies offered here.

1) Vidyarthi Bhavan 
    Vidyarthi Bhavan is probably the most popular dosa joint amongst the Bangalore locals. Having the appearance of a very small shop, it actually extends inside to easily accomodate around 60 people in one sitting. Bills and menu cards won't be delivered to you but a common display would help you choose from the available items of the day apart from the masala dosa which is a no-brainer. Catch a table if you can and tell a passing by waiter your order and prepare for a slightly long wait to work up your appetite. Surprisingly, the wait makes the dosa taste even better!!

    The dosa arrives thanks to an amazing display of balance and precision by the waiter and may not look too appealing owing to the chutney and plate but hey, we care about the taste right? One bite of the dosa and you're already open to the thought of a couple more! The taste of the butter and the melting of the dosa in our mouth takes you to a different dimension altogether despite the crowd and other such factors. The chutney ,though seemingly watery, actually turns out to be of a perfect consistency to complement the dosa.

 

    One can go ahead to experience a wonderful concoction of filter coffee

which on a good day can convert a caffiene-hater. The overall cost is quite reasonable for something that delicious with a dosa costing Rs. 40 and coffee Rs. 8. A meal for two can easily be purchased at a cost of Rs. 120 only. Overall, it is a mouth-watering experience that should be experienced atleast once by everyone who visits the city.


Food Quality:  4.8/ 5
Hygiene:  4/ 5
Ambience:  3.7/ 5
Value for Money:  4.6/ 5
Crowd: 3.4/ 5


2) Hotel Chalukya (Samrat Restaurant)
    Located centrally in the heart of Bangalore, Chalukya is one of the well-known places famous for its Masala Dosa. Parking facility and dine-in-vehicle also available.

    There are two dining rooms, one as you enter with the traditional wooden furniture and another upstairs which is air-conditioned and carpeted with more comfortable seating. Choose one and you can order a Masala Dosa without thinking. A popular choice is going for a Badam Halwa followed by the dosa and finish off with filter coffee. The waiters are courteous but speak to the point in order to attend to more customers. Overall ambience is good and is not as crowded as other Dosa joints.

 

   Coming to the Dosa itself, it is a thin crisp Dosa, evenly roasted to a golden brown colour with a slightly pungent red chutney spread on the inside. A generous quantity of masala (yellow boiled and mashed flavoured potatoes) is placed inside and folded into an appealing triangle with a generous blob of in-house butter placed on top just before serving. The dosa is served with a green coconut chutney and sambhar. The chutney makes a good combination with the inner red chutney and masala and the sambhar is well-balanced in terms of sweetness and sourness. Overall, every bite is full of flavourful delight!

    The dosa might seem a little costly priced at Rs. 60 each, but is quite its worth. A couple of these paired up with one badam halwa and two coffees, a meal for two works out around Rs. 200.

Food Quality:  4.2/ 5
Hygiene:  4.5/ 5
Ambience:  4.5/ 5
Value for Money:  3.8/ 5
Crowd: 4.5/ 5


3) Hotel Janardhan
    This hotel,though quite old, still stands strong in terms of construction and even stronger in terms of fan following.
    The variety of dosa famous here is the Sagu Masala Dosa. The Dosa itself here is a little thick with a crispy outside and soft inside but spread evenly. The USP of this dosa is the way it melts in the mouth along with the delicious sagu that it is served with. It is also accompanied with traditional south indian sambhar with drumsticks which is tasty but conveniently ignored in light of the extraordinary sagu.

    As is the case with most good dosa joints, the filter coffee here, too, is great to wash down the amazing dosa flavour if you are a coffee lover, else you might as well skip it!

   Waiters here are friendly and the entire place is clean and hygienic. The dosa costs around 50 rupees and paired up with coffee, a meal for two would cost around Rs. 150.

Food Quality:  4.3/ 5
Hygiene:  4.3/ 5
Ambience:  4/ 5
Value for Money:  4.1/ 5
Crowd: 3.9/ 5


Watch out for Part 2 of this article which will come up shortly!

EDIT: part 2 of the article is out.