Akshayaam — Restaurant in Bengaluru

First of all this restaurant, just like any other newly opened place, is now at the peak of its buzz. Literally everyone wants to check it out and hence even on a Tuesday afternoon we waited for 20 mins. So please don't cry over the long waiting time on weekends. If it bothers you so much kindly avoid this place until the hype dies down and visit peacefully after a few months.

Why the hype ? It's probably the FIRST time we have a Pure Vegetarian + Andhra style + Fine Dining + Heart of Jayanagar = Is there a better combination ?!

Everytime we think of Andhra cuisine, literally the first thing that comes to mind is non vegetarian. But that's exactly where Ishtaa was bold enough to turn the tables !

The Food : Yes it's really good and yes it's expensive. The taste across the items is super consistent, rich and most importantly authentic ! I am a native of Andhra fully settled in Bengaluru and I can vouch for the authentic taste of a majority of the items. Not just Andhra but the menu is a well thought out and wonderful mix of various South Indian cuisines.

But there were a few dishes which any Andhrite would make at home almost everyday like Muddapappu Avakaya Neyyi Annam or Pacchi Pulusu. So it's definitely not worth around ₹300 on those. But for others it's a must try.

Must try : All the items marked as an Ishtaa special are truly good and worth trying. Rayalaseema Yerra Kharam Dosa, Pesarattu, Ulavacharu Biryani, Panasapattu Biriyani, Gongura / Avakaya Paneer Tikka, Kothu Paratha, Gutti Vankaya Pulav, Chinta Chiguru Velluli Paneer, Ghee Kharam Dosa, Rava Dosa and many more.

These are the typical Telugu household dishes which are rare to find in a huge cosmopolitan place like Bengaluru.

No offence to anybody but most people sadly don't know what to order in such restaurants ! Due to a lack of knowledge, they order the same old items available in every other place and get disappointed.

I agree that being a fancy fine dining restaurant, every dish on the menu irrespective of its nativity, should be no less than a 10/10 but every place has its specialities. And what use is it if we can't try those special dishes and know their taste ?!

And this is where the staff should do a better job at letting the customers know what their best dishes are. Some of the waiters were clueless about the items and their ingredients. They couldn't even pronounce the names properly.

I would really appreciate a more detailed menu ! How can you expect a non-Telugu speaker to understand the meaning of 'Gutti Vankaya Pulav' or 'Pesarattu' or 'Chinta Chiguru Velluli Paneer' ? These are hard-core Telugu names and even a one liner description of the dish would be so useful to begin with.

Portion Sizes : Average. For starters it's less but for the main course it's adequate.

Service : This was the biggest surprise ! Seeing all the previous reviews about long waiting times and understaffing we were mentally ready for long gaps between each item served. But all the items arrived within 10 mins literally. We were pleasantly amused and happy. The service is good. Or maybe we got lucky.

Ambience : It's love at first sight. They have literally blasted the ambience and by far one of the best in the city undoubtedly. Both the exterior and the interior are top class ! It's huge, extremely spacious with enough privacy and space between the tables, excellent interior decor and lighting !

Overall Ishtaa is the kind of vegetarian food Andhrites outside Andhra were craving for since ages and finally that's a reality now.

They have launched very recently after a very successful affair in Hyderabad and even the best of the best restaurants have starting troubles and staffing issues. Let's give them some time to iron out everything. Mark my words it's here to stay for a long long time !

If you hate waiting, if you hate the crowds, just avoid the place for a few more weeks / months.

One of those rare fine dining restaurants that's a new and unique value addition to the food scene...

Ishtaa, on 4th Block in Jayanagar is at the same place where previously Ashok Vatika was. It has undergone a beautiful renovation with a modern, inviting ambience. Unfortunately, despite its visual appeal and tasty food, my overall experience on a Sunday afternoon was frustrating, and I would not recommend this restaurant for weekend visits.

Valet parking is available, but the area outside becomes incredibly chaotic, making it a hassle to hand over your vehicle. Upon calling the restaurant a day earlier, I was told they don't accept reservations and to walk in directly for a table. When we arrived at 12:35 PM and asked for a table for eight, the receptionist assured us it would take 30 minutes. However, after waiting for an exhausting 1 hour and 40 minutes, we were finally seated, only after much difficulty.

The management's handling of the crowd was disappointing. Despite claiming no reservations, they had a table reserved by MD for 50 people who never showed up, leaving other guests, including us, waiting unnecessarily. The staff kept giving us false reassurances that our table would be ready "in 30 minutes," only to keep extending the wait. The receptionist was visibly stressed, and her tone became aggressive as the crowd grew impatient. It was clear the management was overwhelmed and poorly organized.

Finally, after nearly 90 minutes, another staff member led us to a table where a birthday celebration was ongoing. We awkwardly waited nearby for 20 minutes, feeling like intruders, before being seated. This mishandling of the situation left a bad impression on what could have been a pleasant dining experience.

Now, the food—one redeeming aspect of the visit—was delicious. We enjoyed the Cream of Tomato and Ishtaa Special soups, which were well-balanced and flavorful. The Honey Chilli Potato and Veg Fried Wontons were crowd-pleasers, especially for the kids. For the main course, we had the Diwani Subzi Handi, which was good, and the Paneer Kurchan, which was fantastic, paired with various breads like Stuffed Paneer Kulcha, Phulka, and Butter Rotis. The standout dishes were the rice varieties—Ulavacharu Paneer Biriyani, which was sweet and tangy, and the amazing Gutti Vankaya Pulao. We finished with their Goli Sodas, with Jeera and Blueberry being the best flavors.

While the food was enjoyable, it's on the pricier side, making the overall experience feel only average, especially considering the long, stressful wait. Ultimately, while the food is worth trying, the poor management and chaotic experience make it hard to recommend Ishtaa, especially during...

New vegetarian food joint in Jayanagar 4th block, opp. Police station, very close to Jayanagar metro station on purple line.

We visited for breakfast and dinner...

One of the best places around for breakfast. There wasn't much crowd, probably because we went on weekday. We ordered breakfast combo and steamed uthappam.

Food was excellent!! Whether it was dosa, puri, idly, upma or kesari bath, it was not greasy at all. No oil sticking to fingers after eating dosa, puri, kesari bath was a pleasant surprise. Texture of idly was really soft! They offer a variety of chutneys and podis, in true Andhra style...

Vada and steamed uthapam were decent. Steamed uthappam came with jaggery syrup on side, which was a novelty.

Portion sizes are reasonable and did not leave you feeling heavy, even after a decent batting session.

For dinner, we went with a bigger group. We ordered crispy baby corn, fries and tandoori malai broccoli for starters. Food was fresh and tasty.

We ordered tender coconut delight and buttermilk for drinks. Both were well made. Of course, there is the normal lemon soda and they also offer local flavour of goli soda. Cream of tomato soup was decent.

For main course, we ordered different varieties of rice and noodles. Panasapottu Biriyani (jackfruit biriyani) was a novelty and was decent. Mildly spicy, but jackfruit was well made. Chilli garlic mushroom fried rice was really spicy! Veg fried rice, soft noodles and Schezwan noodles were really good. Texture of food was really soft and perfectly cooked! We also tried Cheese garlic naan (for kids) and stuffed kulcha. Again, perfectly cooked and right texture.

Ambience for breakfast was really calm. However, during dinner time it was really noisy. Since it is newly done, I suggest they consult interior decorators and install some curtains strategically to...