Vidyarthi Bhavan is the restaurant I visited yesterday. This is located near Gandhi Bazaar and forms a sybolic representation of old Bangalore. Vidyarthi Bhavan is best known for ‘Masala Dosa’ since it was started in 1943. If you are a foodie and exploring options for your breakfast or lunch, you shouldn’t miss this restaurant. While you are planning to visit this small crowded place, keep aside your calories related thoughts. This place is certainly not for those who are too concious about diet and calorific values.
One menu item you shouldn’t miss there is the ghee-fried dosa having potato masala and this is served with coconut chutney. The crispy feel and the taste will make you recall this restaurant for ever! You need to wait for atleast 15-20 minutes to occupy a table. To order the food of your choice, should have the patience to wait for another 10 to 15 mins. A suggestion from me is that you order for Idli and Vada along with Masala Dosa. It would be wrong to say the person who serves you here as waiter… reason being you are the one who is waiting for food, where as waiter is essentially not a waiter! He gets you Idli and Vada in Sambhar. You can keep yourself busy with these till he gets ‘Masala Dosa’. This usually takes another 10+ minutes. It is certainly fun to watch these guys carrying 15+ dosas stacked on their one hand while the other hand busy serving them. I have been visiting this place occassionally since my childhood.
Few things that really draw your attention include the simple interior with pencil sketches of famous ‘Kannada’ people on the wall. However the cleanliness and hygiene has deteriorated over a period of time. I saw a couple of kids being employed there to clear the empty plates on tables and then to clean the same. Another aspect is that many of us may not like people standing next to us when we are eating. But here it is pretty common.. others are eager too to occupy your seat and to rejoice their turn of eating food!
venkatesha murthy says
VB is a phenomenon in Masale Dose. Its rightly said; VB has a special place in the hearts of a Bengaluru Jana (Bangalore people). Any time i have to be away from Bengaluru for quite sometime; i make sure to visit VB before. One thing that i will take away from VB; Do one thing correct and complete to make the impression etched(Why? for most of times i see the same patrons visting again again; me too).
Most times i visit with my good old friends. and usually its 2 dose per head is minimum.
I am not able to grasp the magic behind(some how u cant get this get-up of a dose at home)…
Never miss VB!!!!….
HSR says
I have been eating Dosas here since its price at 55 paise. The good thing is that they use good oil for making dosa, no health hazards. Waiting is a common thing here since its inception. Probably it is the only hotel whose doors are closed during busy hours to control the crowd. The best time to eat good dosas here is before 8 in the morning & 5 in the evening. You may get Saagu Dosa, early in the morning. The dosas here has a unique taste which many dislike after eating it, but invariably come again at the earliest. The ambiance, cleanliness, service, is average. It really is a mystery how this place is so sought after with no other item on the menu worth eating. Thanks to the patronage of the people living around or may be the VASTU of its location.
HSR says
I have been eating Dosas here since its price at 55 paise. The good thing is that they use good oil for making dosa, no health hazards. Waiting is a common thing here since its inception. Probably it is the only hotel whose doors are closed during busy hours to control the crowd. The best time to eat good dosas here is before 8 in the morning & 5 in the evening. You may get Saagu Dosa, early in the morning. The dosas here has a unique taste which many dislike after eating it, but invariably come again at the earliest. The ambiance, cleanliness, service, is average. It really is a mystery how this place is so sought after with no other item on the menu worth eating. Thanks to the patronage of the people living around or may be the VASTU of its location.
V.Lokesh says
Vidyarthi Bhavan is a place which I tell my daughters to take my wife without fail whenever they are in Gandhibazaar.(Right at the moment of writing this mail too.) My elder daughter never fails to do it as she herself is found of dosae of VB. By this way I am compensating to my wife for having kept her in a place (Goa) for over 8 years where she never ate a second dosa after she tasted the first one. Those who have tasted Dosae in Bangalore just will not like to eat it elsewhere.
SriGuru says
Mohan,
Thanks for your detailed article. Yes it’s a nice place for the masala “dosae”. Other places offer good recipes, but VB is special. I understand from my Mom that the 1970s VB “masal-dosae”, which is the authentic Kannada pronounciation, is a special dosae which was thinner and prepared with pure ghee from cow’s milk. It was more authentic and not greasy as of today. I request forum members to share their ideas on this subject.
All said and done, that area of Bangalore, sights, flavors and sounds are unmatched. There are other new places to around VB, but it continues to win hearts, old, new and current!
Wishes
SriGuru
SriGuru says
Mohan,
Thanks for your detailed article. Yes it’s a nice place for the masala “dosae”. Other places offer good recipes, but VB is special. I understand from my Mom that the 1970s VB “masal-dosae”, which is the authentic Kannada pronounciation, is a special dosae which was thinner and prepared with pure ghee from cow’s milk. It was more authentic and not greasy as of today. I request forum members to share their ideas on this subject.
All said and done, that area of Bangalore, sights, flavors and sounds are unmatched. There are other new places to around VB, but it continues to win hearts, old, new and current!
Wishes
SriGuru
Melvin Pereira says
You reminded me of Bangalore days bro !!
Really miss going there. .. its been 6 long years outside bangalore and I am going there in a week, and you cant imagine what posts like this would do to the excitement of going to Bangalore !!!!!!!!!!!!
awesome…. simply great post ..
Sneha says
Love it.. South Bangaloreans always have a place for VB in their hearts and agendas 🙂
Kcalpesh says
I shall definitely visit this place if I ever visted Bangalore… Sounds really interesting and DOSA is my favorite dish for sure, be it eating or cooking…
Kcalpesh says
I shall definitely visit this place if I ever visted Bangalore… Sounds really interesting and DOSA is my favorite dish for sure, be it eating or cooking…
S.R.Ayyangar says
The Benne Masala Dosa at CTR, near Malleswaram circle is better than VB, try it out someday.
S.R.Ayyangar says
The Benne Masala Dosa at CTR, near Malleswaram circle is better than VB, try it out someday.
Mohan says
I haven’t tried it… let me try it out sometime soon 🙂
Guru says
Well, everyone is talking about VB and its surroundings, however no one is talking about the taste. Oh! Boy, they will change your impression of a masala dosa. Today I had masala dosa over their and really they have changed my taste of masala dosa. I never had such dosa in my life. Its like the crisp dosa dipped in pure ghee with fully mashed potato masala, and over that the chatuni, the chatuni is very smooth and not at all spicy, You will not feel that you are eating a masala dosa, its something different, its like GOD speaking to us through food man !! I am going to tell this experience of VB to each one of my friend. VB is really an awesome place for masala dosa.
Hitesh says
You should have brought more pics of Vidyarithi Bahavan……….there is a lot of respect for this place around Bengaluru. It’s like 100 Mts from my office…..i everyday pass by it……though i don’t like South Indian food…..and have skipped every opportunity to eat at VB……..
Leaving me……..many people i know …..for them VB is the number one place to eat South Indian food…..they refer one ther if asked for best South Indian Meal…….
didn’t knew you were writing about food too…..\,,,/
and other things like insurance and cars i’m interested…..but thing will be here to check this tab frequently
Mohan says
Well, the place was so crowded out there.. it wasn’t easy for me to take few pics. At least for variety, you should visit this place once 🙂
Hehehehe… definitely, I offer you more.. keep coming back.