Tour De Gastronome: Bike-Friendly Cafes In The City

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Bangalore is every cyclist’s dream urban destination. It’s one of those climatically perfect spots in the country, where you can cycle all year long with minimal discomfort. You can commute to work, to that lunch date, or to classes and back home, with just a change of clothes and a smile on your face. Chances are, you are faster than traffic, too!

But when it’s time to fuel up and we have to temporarily part ways with our cycles to indulge in that other great interest: gourmandising {with coffee, of course, as any cyclist worth their salt will tell you}, that’s decision time! You’d ideally want an eatery where you can keep an eye out for your bike, or you at least know it’s tethered securely onto a sturdy pole nearby. Here’s our handy guide to a satisfying hogging session around the city, while being able to keep a hawk-eye on your bike.

Koshy’s

The old Bangalore institution comes through for cyclists! On most weekend mornings, you will see half a dozen cycles tied to a couple of long poles just outside.

Where: 39, St. Mark’s Road

Price: INR 700 for two

Contact: +91 9007119356

Timings: 9.30am – 11pm

Indian Coffee House

Another veritable Bangalore tradition, it is within pedalling distance of the gorgeous Cubbon Park. You will find quite a few bicycle helmeted heads drop in, especially in the mornings. You can park at the side of the building, which is primarily for motorcycle parking. But a couple of well-placed signboards allow you the freedom to lock the bike to it. You can also see your bike from inside the restaurant.

Where: 19, Ground Floor, Brigade Garden, Church Street

Price: INR 200 for two

Contact: +91 9007119356

Timings: 8am-8.30pm

Red Fork

Absolutely lovely food, it is pet friendly… and guess what! They also let you park your bicycles securely next to the ramp at the entrance. There’s plenty of space there for you to tuck in a few cycles. And they don’t bat an eyelid, nor do their welcoming smiles dim at the sight of lycra-clad middle-aged male cyclists in full sweaty kit.

Where: 594, 12th Main, 2nd Stage, HAL, Indiranagar

Price: INR 800 for two

Contact: 080 30752480

Timings: 9am-11pm

Find them on Facebook here.

Check out their website here.

Hill Station Café

Out of the way only if you don’t cycle! The double carriageway roads in the environs of the airport are convenient for long rides. After a tough ride, bring in the sin with coffee, thick milkshakes, cookies, and omelettes! You need to know, though, that they’re closed on Sundays, close at 8pm everyday, and accept cash only.

Where: 103, Narayanapura Main Road, Kothanur, Nagawara

When: Monday to Saturday

Price: INR 400 for two

Contact: +91 9986947176

Timings: 10am-8pm

Find them on Facebook here.

Kitchen of Joy

These guys don’t just serve up steaming chai, samosas, and rolls, they also offer a discount if you arrive on a bicycle. Since this little restaurant is right on the sidewalk, you can just lean your bike against the wall, sit next to it, and indulge in a cuppa.

Where: 12 th Main, HAL 2 nd Stage, Indiranagar

Price: INR 350 for two

Contact: +91 9900962765

Timings: 12.30pm-10pm

Find them on Facebook here.

Momo Shop

In the mood for a light evening snack? Cycle over to RT Nagar BDA complex, and you might just turn the snack into an early dinner of momos and thukpa. You can while away an hour chatting, while your bike leans easy on the park fence in front of you.

Where: 34, BDA Complex, RT Nagar

Price: INR 300 for two

Contact: +91 9845141954

Timings: 5.30pm-10pm

Find them on Facebook here.

Thran

Great Korean food-including options for the vegetarians! The other noteworthy option is that this restaurant is in a house, so you can bring your cycles inside the gate and park comfortably.

Where: 507, Ground Floor, 4 th Cross, 2 nd Block, HRBR Layout, Kalyan Nagar

When: Monday to Saturday

Price: INR 1,200 for two

Contact: 080 42050685

Timings: 12pm-3pm and 6pm-10pm

The Hole in the Wall café

The place that gave us the Porky Fella’s breakfast and smoothie criminal is also very cyclist friendly. A heavy meal experience is assured, and so is your bike’s safety, since you’ve wheeled it into the restaurant compound.

Where: 4, 8 th Main, 4 th Block, Koramangala

When: Tuesday to Sunday

Price: INR 600 for two

Contact: 080 40949490

Timings: Tuesday to Friday, 8am-3pm and 5.30pm-8.30pm. Saturday and Sunday, 8am-4pm

Find them on Facebook here.

Matteo

The decorative metal fence at the entrance makes for a great cycle locking place, that too, with the security guard’s blessings. If you choose the al fresco seating, you can enjoy the croissants, coffee and fries, and the vision that your beautiful cycle is.

Where: 2, Church Street, Bangalore

Price: INR 600 for two

Contact: 080 43336000

Timings: 9am-10.45pm

An Egg Story

This place seems to strike an egg-cellent note with cyclists in the Whitefield area. The folks who run the cafe are are cyclists themselves. Their top tip for parking your bikes is a series of pillars in front of the restaurant or some trees just outside, around which you can run your cable lock and secure your steed. While we’ve not yet been here, what we hear about the place is that its not just an egg-lovers’ delight, has great service and is easy on the pocket.

Where: 194, A-Block, AECS Layout,, Brookefield

Price: INR 600 for two

Contact: +91 9980516925

Timings8am-10.30pm

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Crankmeister Bicycle Works is a Bangalore-based bicycle shop. Pavan Muthanna and Nikhil Ram Mohan, who own and run it are bike freaks in every sense of the word: racers, commuters, tourers and gearheads. They sell bikes, but what they do really well is fix bikes and build custom bikes.