Vishnuvardhan Dining Hall — Restaurant in Pune

Visited Vishnuvardhan Dining Hall couple of weeks back and this is my experience..

First, the non-food aspects. The location is amazing. Being a weekday, we found parking easily. Since we had a booking, they offered us tables promptly. The place is big, clean, well-lit, and spacious.

Now, the service: it's quick. The owner lady herself keeps an eye on the food items being served and ensures waiters promptly refill finished or requested items.

Now, let's come to the most important part – the food. The menu was humongous! Today, they served us moong dal halwa and rabdi/basundi (sweets), kothimbir wadi, batata wada, and dahiwada (chaat), along with regular items like puri, fulake, alu chi bhaji, paneer, valyacha bhirada, batata bhaji, and a special item, fanasachi bhaji, plus freshly made Soul-Kadhi. Additionally, they provided fruit raita, vatali dal, green chutney, and kairiche lonache on all tables. Later, they served masale bhat.

The food was amazing – typical Konkani preparation, not spicy at all. Batata wada, kothimbir wadi, alu chi bhaji, dahivada, and basundi were outstanding. The rest of the items were good too. Personally, I didn't enjoy the fanasachi bhaji, as it was mainly grated coconut with some chunks of fanas. Unfortunately, the masale bhat was a complete disaster – tasteless after just one bite. However, that's okay; some may find it good.

Their thali price is ₹490, which is slightly expensive, but given the overall experience and authentic Maharashtrian cuisine, I didn't mind paying.

Bottom line: Go for it, the place won't...

Today we visited Vishnuvardhan Dining Hall for an authentic Maharashtrian thali experience.. and what an experience it was!

The food was absolutely delicious, with some rare gems that you don’t usually find in regular thali restaurants like fansachi bhaji, shewga soup and valache birde. I also loved the small yet flavourful sides like kairi lonche and vaatli daal. Every bite reminded me of traditional home-cooked food.

But beyond the food, what truly touched me was their service and hospitality. The staff was genuinely kind, polite, and attentive. What really stood out was a special gesture they made for my daughter.. they decorated her plate with so much care and gave her that extra attention, just like we do when guests come home. It may seem like a small thing, but for me, it meant a lot. It made my heart full. ❤️

Also, the owner was personally attending tables, making sure everything was perfect.. which added such a personal, homely touch to the experience.

Also, a special mention, the washroom was clean and well-maintained, which honestly added to the comfort and overall positive impression.

Truly grateful for this heartfelt meal and warmth. Highly recommended if you want to enjoy not just food, but a feeling of home...

Vishnuvardhan serves Konkani Brahmin thalis. I have yet to have a veg thali better than this one in Pune.

Had read a few negative reviews, on Zomato, about this place. Over the years ive learnt to trust word of mouth rather than strangers who pen with zero knowledge about a particular cuisine.

The food was excellent. Those dahi wadas, khandvi, batata wadas, oh and that amazing puran poli.. i can go on and on. Also, let me not forget that moreish, squeezed aam ras (not the blended nonsense) was soul-satisfying.

Yes, a few dishes have a hint of sweetness but then, that's their cuisine. One needs to comprehend the cuisine before penning on a social platform to pull down the restaurant.

The servers are kind, patient and ever eager to feed you, but what was most heartening was that the entire family strolls the dining room, and the outside seating, connecting to every table making everyone feel ever so welcome. What a wonderful gesture from them to do that!

Based on food, service, and cleanliness i give this one a perfect 5 on 5. They deserve no less. In fact, they deserve more. So looking forward to...