Food Secrets: Eat Your Way Through Thindi Beedi, Bengaluru’s Favourite Eat Street

Every cosmopolitan city in India has at least one street dedicated to food, and Bengaluru is no exception. Thindi Beedi, Bengaluru’s iconic food street, is the Mecca of local street food.

Here’s all you need to know if you are planning to visit this lively thoroughfare that is nothing short of heaven for die hard street food fans.

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Located in VV Puram, one of the oldest areas of Bengaluru, this famous street starts stirring only after the sun sets. Shutters are rolled up, pushcarts arrive at their designated spots and shopkeepers lay out their in-house specialities, bringing the area alive.

Over 20 food stalls, spread out over a narrow 300 feet stretch, start serving a mind boggling variety of south Indian, north Indian and Chinese delicacies to a loyal and appreciative clientele. Soon, the street becomes a bustling mass of people hollering for their dosa and chaat orders. With the crowd making a beeline for their favourite snacks, sweets and more, the shops at Thindi Beedi remain supremely busy till the clock strikes midnight.

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The food at Thindi Beedi is wallet-friendly, fresh and delicious, and the best part is that it’s made right in front of you. So you go home from this eat street with your taste buds satisfied and without burning too big a hole in your pocket.

With so many culinary options in front of you, here are a few recommendations to ensure you don’t miss the must-have delicacies at Thindi Beedi. Remember to take along a friend or two so you can all sample from each other’s plates!

1. Cream Puffs, Honey cakes and Congress Bun at V.B. Bakery

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V.B. Bakery has been a local landmark for over 50 years. Try this confectioner’s  Benne and Khara biscuits, Congress Bun (a spicy bun slathered with masala peanuts and butter) and other baked goodies but, whatever you do, don’t miss the bakery’s famous Honey Cake and Cream Puffs.

2. Curd Kodu Bele at Arya Vysya Refreshments

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Curd Kodu Bele are crunchy rice flour rings in curd, served with spicy green and red chutneys. With a crisp exterior and a soft chewy core, the Curd Kodu Bele served at Arya Vysya Refreshments are an absolute culinary delight.

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3. Akki Rotis, Avarekalu Dosa and Paddus at Shri Vasavi Chatnis

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Vasavi Chatnis is where you should go if you want to try Karnataka street food specialities. The locals swear by the akki roti (served with a signature brinjal curry), paddu (small lightly fried idlis) and the avarekalu (hyacinth beans) dosa served here.

4. Dabeli and Rasgulla Chaat at Dev Sagar

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At Dev Sagar, binge on spicy dabeli, tangy chaats and Indian sweets.  Also try the crazy but very unique Rasgulla Chaat – a couple of unsweetened rasgullas immersed in thick sweet curd, topped off with a sprinkling of spice powders, boondi, pomegranate seeds, cashews and chopped coriander.  A really yummy cold chaat!

5. Ubattus/Holiges and Bisi Bisi Masala Dosa at Idli Mane

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Served on a leaf with a splatter of coconut chutney and sambar, the fluffy idlis at Idli Mane just melt in your mouth. Also try the scrumptious ubattus or holliges (traditional flour flatbreads stuffed with a sweet filling made of either dal or coconut) and the soft yet crisp bisi bisi masala dosa.

6. Badam Milk and Rabri Custard at Mumbai Badam Milk and Lassi Center

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This 20-year-old shop sells refreshing milk based drinks like the all-time favourites badam milk, rose milk, lassi and rabri. The perfect way to wash down the ton of snacks you have just had, these delicious drinks are served in cute little matkas.

7. Ghee Roast and Baath Dosas at Ramu Tiffin Centre

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Generously doused in ghee, Ramu’s sinfully delicious dosas will put you on a guilt trip. For the adventurous, there’s also the traditionally made Baath Dosa – masala rice lined inside a crispy dosa – that is perfectly complemented by the spicy chilli mixture it is served with.

8. Gobi Manchuri Roll at Sri Subramanya Chinese Fast Food Centre

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With an Indo-Chinese fare of gobi manchuri rolls, babycorn rolls and spicy fried rice gracing its menu, this Chinese Fast Food Centre is always crowded. Served steaming hot inside a roomali roti, the ubiquitous gobi manchuri is fiery red in appearance and sweet in taste with a hint of heat from the chillies in it.

9. Chilli, Capsicum and Banana Bhajjis at the Bhajji Stall

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The Bhajji Stall is, unsurprisingly, one of the most popular stalls at Thindi Beedi. Bhajjis here are deep fried, slit, filled with chopped onions, coriander and carrots, and then sandwiched together. They are served with spicy chilli powder, green chutney and a sprinkling of grated carrot salad on top.

10. Butter Gulkun Ice Cream at Shivanna Gulkun Centre

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Finally, end your walk on a sweet note by walking to Shivanna’s Gulkun Stall to savour a decadent concoction made from butter, gulkand, amla, ice cream, and fresh fruit, served with a cherry on top. Don’t forget to pack some fragrant gulkand to take home.

Thindi Beedi is the ultimate gastronomic destination for all foodies travelling to Bengaluru. Although weekdays are pretty crowded too here, it is on weekends that this unassuming Bengaluru street truly develops a flavour of its own.

Thindi Beedi is located on the old market road in VV Puram, and is sandwiched between Sajjan Rao Circle, Minerva Circle, RV Road and National College Flyover in South Bengaluru.

Also Read: Street Eats : A Foodie’s Guide to Sarafa Market, Where Indore Comes Alive Every Night

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