As an avid foodie, I have got around to most of the restaurants in Mangalore (Dont be surprised by this. Mangalore is a small place). Here are my thoughts on those restaurants. Please note: There are more restaurants in Mangalore than those listed here. The ones below are where I have gone, and comments are purely based on my experience. Now, since I am a non-vegetarian, my comments could be more useful for my fellow meat eaters.

Fine Dining

The 3 best restaurants for fine dining, and where you could feel safe taking your hard-to-please customers for lunch or dinner would be:

- Pallkhi - Near Jyothi Cirle. Fantastic food. Place is not very spacious though. Service is good, but may slow down on busy days. Great for north Indian and local delicacies

- Taj Manjarun – Bandar. Quite unlike the usual Tajs though. They do have various theme buffets

- Gold Finch – Very new to Mangalore. I found the food a bit heavy. Corporates have started preferring this one over Taj for their employees stop over, given its new-ness, location, and the air being a lot more vegetarian friendly (ok, I have to explain this one. The air around Taj smells of fish since it is located very close to the waters and market. One of our vegetarian clients complained to us that he couldn’t stand the smell of fish)

The next best ones, where it would be good for you to test before you take your customers include:

- Royal Treat – Kankanady. One of my favourites. Great Moghul food. Very consistent on taste. Limited but well thought out menu.

- Madhuvan Village – Yeyyadi. Rustic setup, complete with a small waterfall and lake. Local and sea food tastes great.

- Madhuvan @ Moti Mahal – Falnir. The place has live music during dinner time, and has serves good local delicacies. Ambience is average, but ideal for people who like to take it slow.

- Abhiman – Bunts circle. Food is good. But place is not very spacious.

- Amazon – Empire mall, PVS Circle. Ambience and food average.

- Viceroy – Kadri. Good to sit outdoors. Beware of mosquitoes. Ask for a coil.

- Pegasus – On the NH to Kerala. Ambience is good. Food is average.

- Trishna – Airport road. Ambience is good, but that’s where I would stop. Food disappointed me

- Coconut Grove – I’ve gone there only once, and nothing there makes me want to go again. Found the food a bit too oily.

The next 3 serve good food, but I wouldn’t suggest taking your would be inlaws here if you want to impress them. Ambience is set more for a friends dinner party.

- Surabhi – Near KSRTC Bus stand. Food is good. Try Andhra Chicken only if you have a bag of sugar handy with you. Not for the weak or normal hearted. (I dig spicy stuff, but I wasn’t ready for this one)

- Maharaja – Near Jyothi Circle. Sea food is great. Good for fun with friends.

- Kavitha Residency – I go here when I feel like eating a plate of regular fried rice and butter chicken. If you want a room, try Kavitha. Rooms are clean and well priced, I hear

- Hao Ming - Balmatta. Undoubtedly the best Chinese restaurant in Mangalore. Or for that matter, the best I have gone to in South India.

Quick Eats

Here’s the list of places I like for quick eats (a burger, fish n chips etc)

- Diesel Café: Part of Prestige Hotel (I hear actor Suneil Shetty owns this place). Small, but has good continental menu

- Chefs: I love the burgers here, esp the chicken supreme.

- Cherry Square: Lovely little place. Great sandwiches.

- Pop Tates, Juice Junction: Try the Rotisserie chicken and Shawarma rolls. Lip smacking.

- Sizzler: Near Mangala Stadium: As the name suggests, specializes on sizzlers. I found them very average though.

Good Food. Period.

Following are places I go for just good food. No bells and whistles.

- Narayana’s: Bandar. A very small place near the Taj Manjarun that specializes in fried fish. People flock there to eat fish. As soon as you seat yourself, they serve you a plate of rice with couple of side dishes and fish curry. Then the waiters come around with a large platter of various types of fried fishes from which you could choose yours. I heard due to the success of Narayana’s, Diesel Café has included a ‘Narayana style fish fry’ in their menu.

-Woodlands: Bunts Circle. Regular Brahmin style lunch and dinner. One meal costs Rs 30, and includes poori or chappathi, rice and dishes. You will feel satisfied after having the meal. Guaranteed.

- Janatha Deluxe: KS Rao road. I love their breakfast and thalis here.

- Ayodhya: Near PVS Circle. Famous for authentic Mangalore food.

Now, I still have a few places I want to get to. Those include Hotel Taj Mahal (heard coffee is great here), Shetty’s Kori Rotti, Kudla, Temperature Biriyani place, Dinoos. And now, there’s a new hotel that has come up -Deepa Comfort, right near the place i live. Should try that once. Will keep you posted.

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