Central Bangalore is packed with restaurants. But the truth is that not all of them are merciful on your pocket. A meal at most restaurants, in this area, will probably set you back by a few thousands. However, there is no reason to lose hope. If you look hard enough, you will find restaurants that serve a spectacular meal minus the exorbitant prices. And there’s quite a variety too. We find you the restaurants in the CBD area where you can dine for INR 500 or less.
No Money, No Cry: Where To Eat For INR 500 Or Less In Bangalore’s CBD
Bheema’s
Meals for the win at Bheema’s! For less than 200 bucks, you can grab a banana leaf meal here. Heaps of rice land up on your leaf and are followed by big servings of their spectacular Pappu (dal and lentils cooked together). Then come the helpings of vegetables, sambhar, rasam, and curd. They’ll keep serving up the rice till you ask them to stop so you can expect bang for your buck here. Weekday lunches maybe crowded so prepare for a short wait.
Truffles
An eternal favourite, Truffles never disappoints. The pocket-friendly eats includes their line-up of delicious burgers. Veggie lovers can blindly pick up their Cheese Burger. And meat lovers can chow down their Peri Peri Chicken and the Tandoori Chicken versions. Have a big appetite? Then, try their Lamb Burgers or the Lamb Cheese Burst Burger in the XL size. Don’t worry, you’ll still be spending less than 500 bucks on these. Their steaks and pastas are good options too.
Airlines
When there’s a big, gaping hole in your pocket, swing by this iconic establishment for simple South Indian eats. For your budget, you can eat plenty here. Dig into buttery dosas, idlis and vadas, and also Mangalore Buns. If you are looking for something more filling they have South and North Indian Thalis as well. Finish up with a glass of their frothy, filter coffee.
Konark Vegetarian Restaurant
Buffet lovers can head straight to this restaurant on Residency Road (they also have an outlet inside the Kanteerava Stadium). For a little over 200 bucks, you can pile your plate with Indian breads, pulaos, and creamy curries. Not in the mood for a big meal? Then, order up their Bisi Bele Baath, dosas, and their Channa Batura. On weekdays, you may have to wade through the crowds.
KC Das
Ideal for a quick lunch, KC Das is where you head for a plate of steaming, hot luchis (the Bengali version of puris). It comes paired with the servings of Cholar dal (chana dal). You can also gets plates of Alu Puri here. Since these will barely make a dent in your pocket, you can afford to polish off a few Bengali sweets for dessert, we think.
Green Onion
Nobody does VFM Chinese like Green Onion. Their prices are on the lower side and their portions are huge! What more could you ask for? Start off with a bowl of their soups (by two, of course). Their Manchow and Hot & Sour versions are stellar. You can then move onto heaping your plate with fried rice, chop suey, or noodles. Stick to the known names here (Hakka, Schezwan, or Shanghai) and you won’t have anything to complain about.
Wolf’ish
This cheerful cafe, on Church Street, plates up hearty food. You can chomp through the a meaty Cheese Burger and plates of gooey Mac N Cheese. In the pizza section, you can go with the good old Margherita or if you prefer more oomph then the Bird’s Eye Pizza, that comes loaded with blue cheese and slivers of fiery chilli. You can wash all this down, budget permitting, with a chilled beer or their thick shakes.
Somilan Steak House
When on a shoestring budget ignore the steaks here and go for the North East specials. For the veggie lovers there is Utti (slow braised peas in a gravy) and Naga Dal. The meat eaters can go for the Smoked Pork or the Slow Braised Beef. All these can be paired with plates of steamed rice.
Cobaja
A laidback nook on Brigade Road, this place doles out delicious, pocket-friendly treats from Karnataka, focussing specially on the coastal region. For about INR 500, you can gobble up plates of Marawanthe Prawn Curry paired with rice. Or fluffy sannas with Coorgi Chicken Curry. The Malnad Raw Mango Curry is also a stellar pick.
Tata Cha
Done up in peppy colours, this outlet of Tata Cha serves plenty of treats that pair perfectly with steaming cups of chai. You can nibble on plates of fruity cake, vada pav, and banana kebabs. For those of you looking for something more filling, there’s Chicken Stew and Rice as well as Paneer Makhni Khichdi.
Pashto
A tiny, little restaurant on busy Residency Road, this place specialises in North Indian, Mughlai and Afghani delights. Since you are on a budget, blindly choose their signature Mutton Biryani and pair it with their Tandoori Murgh. You can also feast on offerings like their Malai Tikka, Dal Makhni and Kabuli Naans.
Thai House
A humble joint located at the 5th Avenue Mall, Thai House serves up close-to authentic flavours. Here, you can treat yourself to bowls of Beef and Yard Long Bean Curry, Pad Thai Fried Noodles with Chicken and Fried Rice with Prawn.
