CÁFE BANGALORE — Restaurant in Goa Island

Great place to visit on a sunday morning to experience the life of a rodent in an epic rat race!

The lady at the entrance takes your money and gives you a receipt, after that your on your own, she doesnt care if you get your order or not, she has your money! The actual process of getting your order fulfilled is more like a contact sport and chaos is your only ally! You, as a newbie rodent, are expected to push through against fellow rodents, as you attempt to reach the food counter. Once you get there you need to handover your receipt to the tyrannical food serving overlords (The Lord of the Handis). Here some competing rodents have an advantage - those who speak the native tongue of the overlords get served early while the others get a copious amount of attitude along with their chutney. Now, the experience doesnt end with you handing over the receipt (where's the fun in that), if you are trying to get a takeaway and have approached the food counter from the left, your tryannical overlord starts a game of snake and ladders with you, with the exception being that, there are no ladders, just him as the snake that gruffly hisses at you to come from the right side of the food counter for "parcel". And you begin the process all over again. Ofcourse there is no signage to indicate where orders for takeaway are taken because - 1. where is the fun in that and 2. obviously this is something we were all taught in school. I recall my teacher who taught us the subject "Things people expect you to miraculously, just know!" vaguely saying -"repeat after me - when ordering a takeaway from bangalore cafe you should go to the right to of the food counter". After you get to the right side of the counter, the other overlord takes the receipt, utters a spell and then sticks it on the wall - again, if you are well versed in native tongue your order gets packed early while the rest will have to retreat to the outside (unless you like being tossed about by fellow rodents, in that case do stay). Once outside you wait an inordinate amount of time for lord of the handi to start shouting out a magical number, 270... 270... 270.. that number is your bill amount, that is how you are identified. God forbid if two competing rodents share the same bill amount, it would be time for "Battle Royale - The Sambhar Conflict". Once again you push through, you get to the counter to claim your order only to be chastised by the overlord for taking so long, after all they are doing you a favour by taking your money, treating you like vermin so that you could benefit the savoury goodness of a mediocre product! Why else would you come here?

All in all it was a horrible experience. I know I should have started the review with this - but then again - where is the...

Having lived in Bengaluru, and frequenting every local darshini I could come across, Cafe Bangalore makes some effort to give you that experience. The food is good, tasty, and doesn't leave you with an upset tummy, but, however can lack consistency at times, noticeable if you were to frequently visit the place every alternate day, noticing that the sambar or chutney could be more viscose or runny at times.

Also, darshinis in Karnataka have a very efficient ordering system in place. The number of dabaras, glasses, are planned efficiently, the metal spoons are plentiful and placed in their boilers for sanitization. I've however noticed that they use wooden spoons, which is a no no to accompany a chutney based meal, and the cutlery boilers are practically useless. The coffee counter is also pretty filthy at times, and has no order followed. The coffee, however, is good, but the milk needs...

I am absolutely in love with this café! As a huge fan of South Indian cuisine, I can confidently say that this place has taken my favorite dishes to the next level. Every bite is a delightful experience, and I no longer have to second-guess where to satisfy my cravings—this café is it!

The flavors are authentic and truly reflect the essence of South Indian cooking, all at a price that feels just right. It’s a perfect match where taste meets affordability.

One unique aspect of this café is the limited seating arrangement. You’ll find yourself standing and eating, which surprisingly adds to the charm! It means no time wasted sitting around and gossiping—just pure enjoyment of the food. It creates a lively atmosphere that makes the experience even more enjoyable.

If you love South Indian cuisine, this café is a must-visit. I can’t recommend it enough! Also, I asked them for extra...