Brahmins Coffee Bar

The bar is raised. This is the best chutney I have ever had. I know it’s a debatable statement, but I am sticking my neck out.

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I almost missed this place in this trip. On a work trip to Bengaluru, I was being committed by my colleague that he would come with me to this place. Lost 4 days in waiting to taste the food here.  I would have felt very sorry when people would have laughed at me for not visiting Brahmins Coffee Bar.

A place with a rustic feel and a very limited menu. Old time place, 55 years to be precise. Slightly dark inside and with old styled wooden windows.  The mesmerising smell of freshly fried vadas and some old men behind the counter. One more person sitting just outside the entrance of the place serving chutney on demand. People standing and finishing their food. Yes, there is no place to sit or even to keep your plates and eat. You must hold your plate in your hand and eat.  Brahmin Coffee Bar has made me fall in love with it at very first sight.

If a person comes to Pune and asks me one, not to miss place, then I would suggest Bedekar Misal. The only difference here is that, there is a person roaming with a jug of the missal tari. Waiting on you to pour it on your missal on demand.  Brahmin Coffee Bar, for me, would be the not to miss place in Bengaluru.

 

I had the Kara baath (upma) and a vada with loads of chutney. As you would have guessed by now, this place does not believe in sambhar. The reason is obvious, they have a nice spicy chutney and they serve you loads of it. You can have unlimited repeats of the chutney, believe me you will take repeats.

I need to share something about my chutney experience in Bengaluru. I happened to visit a friend who is from Kerala and now stays in Bengaluru. We had breakfast at his house together and his wife made 2 different chutneys, one made of coconuts and the other one made of onion. Looking at me eat he said “You eat so little of the chutney”!!! He finished the bowl within no time and I returned the bowl half full. So knowledge gained is that down south people do eat their chutney well when with Idli or with dosa or with vada.

Another unique thing about eating in Bengaluru and specifically at such places, is that you can order a single vada, a single puri, or 2 idlis and 1 vada so various combinations are allowed. For some reason, in Pune, they will always serve 2 in a plate.

I did not have much time to talk to owners and check history and document that too but realised that a lot has been written about this place already.

This and Koshy’s have been the highlight of this visit.

Thank you Bengaluru!!! for having such a gem. This place was highly recommended by all the guys who replied and some others who contacted me on Whatsapp or Facebook directly. Thanks a lot all of you