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One of the best breakfast items available in Bangalore is the hallowed Masala Dosa. Since there are so many places that serve this beautiful dish, check out this handy guide that will help you get your Dosa fix:
Masala Dosa Review: CTR/Shree Sagar, Malleswaram
The Central Tiffin Room/Shri Sagar is known in Malleshwaram for its Benne Masala Dosa. It was started in 1950 and still runs today. Its signature dish is the famous C.T.R Benne Masale. It is a crispy buttery delight served up with potato masala.
Unlike what the name suggests and conventional masala dosa, there is no red spiced masala smeared into the inside of the dosa. It is served with white and green chutneys. The dosa itself is thick, yet golden brown and really crispy and delightfully crunchy. The best dosa in Bangalore!
Started in 1943, this eatery gets its name from the students it catered to, and still does today. This hotel is made famous by all the high-profile people who visit for a crispy dosa. Everyone from former CMs to poets, writers, and historians frequent this part of Bangalore's culinary culture.
Their Benne Dose is made with a healthy helping of butter. The batter however has hints of ragi in it which is healthy but brings down the taste a bit. Their chutney is great and the place is amazing for an afternoon hang.
Halli Mane, Malleshwaram
While this restaurant is known more for its rustic fare as the name suggests, their Dose isn't half bad. Their Dose is standard Darshini fare, but their Holige is probably one of the best in the city. Mango and Badam holige is too good for words.
What makes them so brilliant is the quality of ingredients used, and the method of preparation used. And that they're always fresh. Their akki and Ragi Rotti are really good as well.
MTR - Lalbagh Road
Mavalli Tiffin Room is known by everyone for its packaged foods. Their restaurant and franchise shot to fame after they invented the rice rava idly during the rice shortage era in India. Unlike CTR and Vidyarthi Bhavan, MTR doesn't drench their Dosa in butter, their preparation method is subtle.
It's seen in other dishes as well such as Poori Sagu ( potato saagu has a tangy twist with coconut shavings), and Kesari bath ( not too sweet, and bits of semiya).
Their Dose is similarly delicate and tasty and definitely worth a try.
Rameshwaram Cafe
The Masala Dosa Review would be incomplete without this. A clear knock off of all the outlets mentioned above, this VC-funded abomination has reduced the art of dosa-making into a ghee-pouring contest. While the butter dosa here is good, they think that it is necessary to pour ghee on anything people eat.
I sincerely hope this hotel gets into a funding crunch as all they will do is raise the prices of Masala Dosa and leave as soon as they have made enough money. It is nothing more than a meme restaurant as it does not have any seating for its customers and any soul either.
The Verdict
CTR wins by a big margin for using such a distinctive batter and for being drenched in butter while being as crisp as a bag of potato chips. A distant second is Vidyarthi bhavan with its ambience more than taste. The texture and taste of the Dosa is also great.
A closer third is MTR's well-prepared Dosa with subtle nuances in taste. Any place mentioned in this list is worth a visit, so get started on your journey as a foodie!
