Karigari Restaurant, Bengaluru — Restaurant in Bengaluru

A few friends and I were at the Phoenix Mall of Asia, located North of the Wall (a.k.a. Hebbal and beyond). We decided to wrap up our evening with some North Indian food. And so we landed at Karigari - which literally means craftsmanship. A name that, in hindsight, felt like false advertising. It’s a chain owned by celebrity chef Harpal Singh of the #NamakShamak fame - Google him if you want to suffer through that jingle too.

We were a group of six and got a table pretty quickly. Menus were printed yes, actual paper! Not QR codes. Retro vibes already. The menu was the usual suspects with some “chef’s specials” sprinkled in for drama. We decided to keep it basic because glowing reviews online had raised our expectations. Rookie mistake.

Ambience: Imagine North Indian wedding bling meets “industrial chic” with exposed pipes on the ceiling. Add chandeliers with spoons dangling from them and you have the decor. The whole thing felt like someone lost a bet. Old Hindi songs played in the background, which I guess was supposed to be “vintage charm,” but mostly felt like the DJ was just as confused as the interior designer.

We decided to stick to the basics, ordering a couple of starters and binging on the main course.

Starters: Silbatey ka Gilawat with Ulta Tawa Paratha – Basically a galouti kabab. The menu description promised fireworks; reality delivered damp Diwali sparklers. Dry. Forgettable.

Tandoori Achari Mushroom – Tandoori masala met mushrooms. The end. Calling it bland would be generous.

No chutney on the side. At this point, we were too hungry to care.

Mains: Rayera Meat (Mutton Rahra) – The one bright spot of the evening. Decent spice balance, good mutton. A bit salty, but I wasn’t about to complain.

Ambaley Wala Tariwala Murgh – Just another chicken curry trying its best to be interesting and failing.

The vegetarians ordered: Grilled Paneer Musallam – Paneer with cheese and cashews sandwiched together, served in tomato gravy (had a bit of an achari touch). Okay-ish.

Dal Tadka – Supposedly great, according to the vegetarians. I didn’t try it because by then my enthusiasm had left the building.

Breads & Rice: Khamiri Roti – Meant to be fluffy and fermented. Ended up being… round bread. Naan with some identity crisis.

Adrak Mirch Masala Roti – Promised spice, delivered meh.

Jeera Rice – You can’t really mess this up, so they didn’t.

Mocktails: Imli ka Boota – Jaljeera with tamarind, apparently. You’ll taste the tamarind if you meditate hard enough.

Mango Madness (or whatever it was called) – Some raw mango pulp, ripe mango pulp, and an existential crisis got stuck in an elevator together.

Service: Mandatory 10% service charge. Waiters interrupt mid-meal to ask for reviews, shove QR codes at you after the meal, and insist on your phone number to send the order to the kitchen “for loyalty points.” We used a fake one because loyalty needs to be earned, not forcefully subscribed.

We skipped dessert. The staff’s body language screamed “please leave,” so we did.

Damages? About 6500. Dineout knocked off 500 so splitting was painless and in the hindsight, the most satisfying part.

Verdict: If you’re at the Mall of Asia, briskly walk past Karigari. Unless you’re a die-hard Harpal Singh fan or enjoy paying premium for aggressively average food, in which case, bon appétit...

Good: Unique north indian dishes and drinks (mocktails ) Quick service Portion size is generous. In almost all the dishes. Almost all the dishes are good enough for 2-3 people. Specially the dal. they serve you some fried chips with 3 cutney which complementary . Good taste.

Not so good: Sometime wait time can be hours. And the people at Karigari's desk were not clear how long it will take actually. You will simply stand and wait nearby cluelessly . Nearby Burma Burma also equally packed at rush hour but they take your contact number, put you in a queue, update you on your mobile about the wait time and also call you when you time comes!

Dishes are not always consistent. Some times it tastes amazing sometimes it taste off balance, either the spice level or something else.

This time our mood spoiled by a new dish called punjabi alu. It was a mix of full boiled, half boiled and close to raw potato ! I dont know how . We had to return the dish once to fix it. It came back with little more spices and seasoning but it was still raw . Finally we returned it.

Bad: The noise level is on the higher side on that part of Mall of asia floor. There is pub right infront of Karigari. So pub's thumping bass and Karigari's melodius hindi songs create a undesired fusion which literally cause headache which i have experiened many times. I have been there 6-7 times. The volume level is also on the higher side. Karigari is not a pub! They have doors at front. They can close it. They should find way to reduce the outside noise. @Karigari owners, please sit at Ishaara/Burma Burma for some time and feel the calmer environment. And the Karigari staff does nothing about the noise. If you are lucky you might get a table inside where noise is little less.

Sometimes i feel that the the actual dish taste doesnt justify the amazing dish descriptions in the menu. May be Chef Harpal's version/vision could be different from what actually coming to our table at karigari Mall of Asia. Our Punjabi alu was prepared in a hurry and shallow manner without bothering about consistency, taste and quality.

Dishes to try *: Paneer bhurji wali daal Chicken Saji Bela chameli sarbat Shahi Tukda

Not so good *: Punjabi Alu ( avoid ) Andhra Chilly paneer( tastes ordinary ) Chicken seekpa ( very spicy ) Chicken Balooch ( tasted good once, other time it was pretty dry and over roasted . So depends on your luck and mood of the chef what you will get !) Rabri with Kulfi Falloda ( watery and was served in a tall glass .It should be other way. There should be some Kulfi with some fallloda and little thick rabri on top of it ! )

@ Chef Harpal Ji. I hope you have a look at these feedbacks. I have been a fan of you and your baked Gulab Jamoon when you started at Kolkata...

Located on the top floor of Phoenix Mall of Asia, Karigari by Chef Harpal Singh is part of a luxury chain that promises modern Indian cuisine with a twist. While the ambience looks promising and the space draws you in with its stylish interiors, the experience unfortunately did not live up to the expectations—this turned out to be my worst dining experience in Bangalore to date.

Getting a table took around 10 minutes, which is expected on a weekend. The presentation of dishes is definitely impressive, and the service is prompt. However, good plating can’t compensate for lack of flavour.

-Crispy Palak Patta Chaat Spinach fritters topped with spicy potato & peas mash, yoghurt, and chutneys. Unfortunately, the dish was overwhelmingly sweet—there was no tang, spice, or balance.

-Kurkure Dahi ke Kebab Vermicelli-wrapped yogurt cheese kebabs. These were too yogurt-forward, lacking texture or flavour variation.

-Asian Chicken Tikka Claimed to be chicken thigh marinated in Thai red curry spices and grilled. This was completely bland, with no hint of spice or seasoning.

-Spring Greens Galouti with Goat Cheese & Avocado Chutney This dish was slightly better than the rest—the patties had decent texture, and the topping helped, but still not wow-worthy.

Paneer Nazakat Stuffed paneer in tomato-onion gravy. The gravy was too tangy and overly salty, overpowering everything else.

Achari Sabziyon ka Khorma This lacked any North Indian essence, and the vegetables were large and oddly cut, making it unpleasant to eat.

Breads (we tried 5 kinds): Baby Naan – average Cheese Chilli Naan – no cheese or chilli flavour Garlic Naan – not garlicky enough Charcoal Cheese House Special – no cheese at all Laccha Paratha – decent but not memorable

Masala Cola – Refreshing Orange Passion – Orange + passionfruit + Indian masala; interesting flavour Bella Chameli Sharbat – Unique but average

Despite the visually impressive setup and the promise of North Indian and fusion dishes, the food simply lacks soul, balance, and authenticity. It was a huge letdown across the board, especially considering the brand name and price point.

🔸 No Punjabi flavours 🔸 Inconsistent seasoning 🔸 Flavourless breads 🔸 No stand-out dish

Unfortunately, I wouldn’t return or recommend this place. There’s far better North Indian food in Bangalore—this one is all show,...