Dindigul Thalappakatti — Restaurant in Bengaluru

How Not to Run a Restaurant 101

This branch is everything that’s wrong with the Thalappakatti brand!!!

First, dine in service. Worst. I waited 30 minutes for one biryani to make it from the kitchen to the table. Did it take the scenic route through the Agara lake? The service is abysmal. Nobody notices your table. You have to wave like you’re hailing a bus or stand up and shout to get a waiter. One person takes orders for all the tables while the rest hang around the billing counter, “discussing how to improve quality.” Step one: serve people.

Online via Swiggy was even worse. I ordered 5 plain dosas and called to ask for extra red chutney. The call was picked up by someone who speaks only Hindi. I speak Tamil, Kannada, and English. This is HSR Layout in Karnataka. The brand is from Tamil Nadu. Every other outlet I’ve tried manages English as a middle ground. Here, “extra red chutney” turned into tomato sauce. With dosa. Pathetic. I’m not blaming him. Someone put him on phone duty without the language or training. That’s the real irony.

Bottom line: This outlet drags down the Thalappakatti name. No one’s covering tables, orders take ages, nobody seems in charge on the floor, and the person on the phone can’t handle basic requests in the local languages or even English. Management clearly hasn’t fixed the basics. This was my last order here. I’ll only consider coming back if there’s real, visible improvement. Until...

Named after the famous Dindigul biryani, I tried this restaurant first in Chennai and it was good until I tasted real authentic Dindigul biryani well in Dindigul.

Firstly, the service. This is where they truly shine. Even when the restaurant is jam packed, your food will be served hot and under 20 minutes. That is amazing, in my opinion, especially given how busy this restaurant can get at times.

The menu. The menu is small compared to other restaurants, and that makes sense as their specialty they claim is biryani. You also get a good section on starters, side dishes, and a few drinks.

The ambiance is that of a typical family restaurant and because the restaurant is generally full, especially on weekends and at night, there is a lot of crowd here. Not overcrowded but you get the gist. You will find families, friends, and every kind of audience here.

Now coming to the food. Their biryani is good. In fact, very good but not something out of the world. You will need to taste the original Dindigul biryani and you will know what I mean. This is not to say that you should not try this restaurant. They have tried to keep the standards high and tried to give you an experience as close to what you will get in Dindigul.

All in all, do give this place a visit and try their...

I'm new to Bangalore. Like most bengalis, I too don't jump in excitement at the first glance of South Indian food. But this time, it was different.

Went for lunch at 1:30 pm on a Saturday. There was no waiting time, but it soon started to pack up fast. Being a South Indian chain, they have really outdone themselves with a fine selection of dishes and a curated menu to suit the North Indian palate (Bangalore, being the hub it is).

The most common question that any newcomer when they visit a restaurant, including myself asks is, 'What's the speciality here?' They have perfected the answer to that question. The staff will show you a full tray with 12 of their signature dishes to pick your fancy from. That's a definite win in the customer service and experience section.

The food was great, we ordered several dishes, including their biriyani rice, soup and the coolers, among other items.

Their service was fast, and all seemed very cohesive.

It's one thing to eat at a restaurant, but to connect with them, and fall in love with the food, and in turn with the city, is a whole new level.

Thalapakatti, you've made me grow fond of Bangalore a little more, thanks to your delicious dishes and courteous...