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You knew this post was coming, didn’t you? How could I not talk about food from my Chikmagalur trip? While my previous blog posts spoke about the places to visit in Chikmagalur, I’ll talk about places to eat in Chikmagalur, more importantly, vegetarian places to eat in Chikmagalur.
Right off the bat, I’d like to point out that I was disappointed, not to see many places serve local Malnad cuisine. The cuisine is home to this particular region in Karnataka and is rarely found anywhere. Malnad literally translates to “Mahale” (Rain) and “Nandu” (Cuisine). The cuisine makes use of ingredients like jackfruit, ajwain leaves, and bamboo shoots to name a few.
Some of the famous dishes that I wanted to try were Patrode, Halasina Kadupu, However, I didn’t find any restaurant serving these. There was a food truck serving Malnad cuisine, but after covid that also shut down. So if you stay in Chikmagalur, and know of any place serving Malinda food, let me know.
With that out of the way, below is a list of vegetarian places to eat in Chikmagalur that I tried. Google Maps was my source of information and the experience/review is based on my experience. Further, some of these places may be serving non-vegetarian too.
Vegetarian Places To Eat In Chikmagalur
Town Canteen
Being in Karnataka, I was on the lookout for authentic Dose and Town Canteen serves just that. One of the most popular places in Chikmagalur, Town Canteen is also one of the oldest. It serves dishes like Idli, Dose, Vada, Uppitu, Chow Chow Bath, Kesari and Filter Coffee. I was here for breakfast for a couple of days and my order included the Benne Masala Dose, Idli, Chow Chow Bath, Tomato Rice, Kesari and Filter Kaapi.
Benne Masala Dose is the most favourite and recommended dish and I’d say it’s pretty good. It’s like a typical Kannadiga dose that’s super crispy on the outside and fluffy on the inside. But the benne was a bit too much for me. So I’d prefer the regular Masala Dose. Tomato Bath was another dish that I loved, took me back to my Bengaluru days.
Overall, it’s a good place with quick service and affordable food. The only thing that you need to take care is of the parking. There’s no dedicated parking and you will get a fine if you park wrongly. Otherwise, a must-visit place for vegetarian food in Chikmagalur.
Siri Coffee
A popular cafe in Chikmagalur is Siri Coffee. If you’re driving from Chikmagalur towards Mullayangiri, you’ll pass by Siri Cafe. This is the place with a beautiful sculpture of a lady decorated with plants. Quite a popular photo spot. The cafe is just a part of the larger resort. They’ve done pretty good landscaping inside and you’ll find ducks and a few other birds roaming around.
As for the food, there is a small area that serves some types of shakes, coffee and food. I tried cold coffee, hot coffee and coffee ice cream. Everything was average and nothing special. The rates also felt a little on the higher side for the quality of things I tried. There are some small shops around where you can buy spices and other things. Not to forget, they have their own coffee estate, so you can buy try and buy the famous 1952 Coffee from here.
World Of Coffee Experience Cafe
How can you not have coffee when in Chikmagalur? One of the places that is extremely popular is World Of Coffee Experience Cafe. Located on MG Road, it’s one of the must-visit cafés in Chikmagalur. As the name suggests, it’s an experience cafe. You can experience various types of coffee and also learn about coffee. Read my blog post on visiting Coffee Estate in Chikmagalur to know more about the experience.
Apart from that, the cafe has a pretty good ambience. You can also buy coffee powder/beans. The cafe as such doesn’t have many items to order. You can get a few types of hot coffee and cold brews along with some things to eat. I tried the Cinnamon Honey Cold Brew along with a cold coffee and mocha. The cold brew was nicely done and the cinnamon was in the right quantity. The garlic bread I ordered was a letdown.
Overall again a must-visit place to experience coffee and try their coffee experience. They also do a coffee plantation tour in Chikmagalur that you must try if you love coffee.
Tasty World Food Factory
How often do you get to visit a food factory and see your food being made? Well, Tasty World Food Factory does exactly that. Located at a distance from the city, this is a must-visit place to experience a factory setup. Tasty World is a company that makes South Indian snacks like Banana Chips, Murkulu, Namkeen etc. has a viewing gallery where you can see these items being made. It’s not a very large factory but is extremely clean.
Attached to the factory is a cute little cafe serving some of the products that the company manufactures. For instance, they have a Murkulu With Peanut Podi Dip, Chips with Dip, Jamun Coffee and a few other items. I liked the setup, not many people visit here so it’s quiet. The menu isn’t vast, and the prices too aren’t too high. A place where you can spend an evening munching on something nice.
Lot’sa Ice Cream
Hill stations are often associated with ice cream parlours and similar places. Just like Hilltop in Panchgani, I was looking for a place serving ice cream in Chikmagalur. Upon googling, I came across Lot’sa ice cream. While it doesn’t provide you with scenic views of the mountains, it’s a cute little family-run cafe with good vibes.
Located in a quiet locality you’ll find a good range of Amul Ice Creams. Some of the flavours are tough to find, but you can get them here. You can either have these flavours as is or get some custom-made ones. They also have some finger food like fries, cheese balls, and other small plates. The prices are also quite reasonable. If you’re looking for a place to relax and enjoy your ice cream, this is worth a try.
Aramane Veg
Aramane Veg restaurant is another pure vegetarian setup that’s attached to a hotel. It has a self-service area along with a service section. It’s a typical multi-cuisine restaurant serving South Indian, Chinese, north Indian and other food. The ambience is pretty basic and simple. In terms of food, the food also is decent and not something very special. I had my regular order of roti, dal and rice and was satisfied with it. Chat is not something you’d want to try here.
Vishnu Delicacy
One of my last recommendations to eat vegetarian food in Chikmagalur would be Vishnu Delicacy. I wanted to eat at another place (Raja Bhojanam) but since those were closed, had to head here. The place is flocked by a lot of people, however, the setup isn’t quite good. The food also is very basic and needs improvement. Not something I’d recommend but if there’s nothing you could give it a try.
Where to eat in Chikmagalur?
Well, that was my list of vegetarian places to eat in Chikmagalur. All of these places are what I tried and tasted. Town Canteen and World Of Coffee Experience Cafe are what I’d recommend you must visit. If you’re into Ice cream, Lot’sa Ice cream is good and you’ll not be disappointed.
But the absence of Malnad food in Chikmagalur disappointed me. I would have loved to see some local cuisine options. I didn’t even come across any home chefs serving Malnad cuisine. If you know of any place serving Malnad cuisine in Chikmagalur, please let me know in the comments, tweet to me at @Atulmaharaj, DM on Instagram or Get In Touch.
