The evolving face of Bengaluru’s darshinis

The humble darshini of Bengaluru is changing.

Like thousands of others in Bengaluru, most days I head out to a local darshini near my office to grab a quick lunch. It is a simple affair of dosas, idlis, or full meals and reliable filter coffee on good old steel tables. Something Bengaluru has been doing right for decades now. The last time I was there a young man approached me, saying he wants to take pictures for the darshini’s social media page. A darshini chasing after Instagram likes is a new phenomenon! It got us thinking about how this humble eatery is evolving with the times, with modern aesthetics, marketing strategies and updated menus.

“You cannot be old school anymore,” says Aashish Lunawat, the owner of Bangalore Thindies. The small QSR restaurant chain has outlets across the city and is popular not only for the food, but also the cleanliness. Their Instagram page has 7,000 followers and stands out with creatively edited videos and trending memes. “There was a time when there was no social media, but nowadays 50 to 60% of businesses run because of their presence on social media.”

What changed the game

Love it or hate it, The Rameshwaram Cafe has changed the game for the cuisine. It has become the face of QSR dining in Bengaluru and the place tourists head to first, to get a taste of the city’s cuisine, even if locals may have other picks. The cafe was started in 2021 by Divya and Raghavendra Rao, it has outlets in Indiranagar, JP Nagar, Brookfield and other popular locations.

“When we opened Rameshwaram Cafe in 2021 we went with a quick service concept because Bengaluru is a fast-moving city with a huge working population. There are many darshinis, but what we did differently was looking at a younger crowd and adapting to their mindset, especially with our presentation. Hygiene was a main concern of ours too,” Divya says. Special attention is paid to details like food being served on banana leaves and the fragrance of sambrani wafting in the restaurant. Their ghee-laded dosas being made in open kitchens took off on social media. From Game of Thrones actor Nikolaj Coster-Waldau’s visit, to serving food at the Ambani wedding, the cafe is always in the headlines.

Thirtha, their new restaurant on Cunningham Road, uses the same quick service concept but gives it another twist. Instead of only south Indian cuisine, it offers a menu that spans the whole country with dishes such as vada pav and sandwiches.

Not just about the food

Priyanka NPR is a doctor by profession but started the restaurant Extra Chutney because food is her passion. “We wanted to give a modern feel to a darshini,” she says. The restaurant has a chic and quirky aesthetic, and though a small space, can accommodate 40 diners.

What sets it apart is the unique chutney concept. “We were entering a market that was already cluttered so we needed a differentiator,” Priyanka says. The restaurant makes a special chutney daily. The chutney is hand pounded in old school stone grinders in front of diners. Not only is the chutney fresh, but it also adds an element of fun for social media.

”Every day we have a new chutney. It could be a heerekayi​ (ridged gourd) chutney, dondakaya​ (ivy gourd) chutney, cabbage pachadi, or a capsicum coconut chutney. It depends on what is in season.” The menu has idli, dosas and pulaos. They have included some dishes from Andhra and Tamil Nadu.

Sankrit Iyer, the co-founder of The Filter Coffee, started the restaurant chain as a small hole-in-the-wall set-up in Kalyan Nagar. Today it has nine outlets in areas such as Koramangala, Indiranagar and Brookfield. “We found that there was a great demand for people who wanted to eat good south Indian food at a reasonable price. That is where the story began.”

“When I am eating out alone, I do not mind standing and eating it. But when I am with my family I would like to sit down and enjoy my meal. I wanted to extend that to our guests.” Sankrit says there is stiff competition from several restaurants in this segment. He priced the dishes at The Filter Coffee higher than a usual darshini, but still in the moderate-cost range.

Clean eating

He credits the brand’s success to being product oriented. They give balanced, healthy meals that are cooked in clean kitchens. The menu has a mix of dishes from all south Indian States. “We will abide by these philosophies. Our food is not indulgent. There is no colour, no extra butter or ghee. That ends up masking the real taste of the food.” He says the simple style of food is also balanced with a good mix of carbs and protein.

Diners today discover new places to eat through social media. More and more Indians are getting conscious of their diets and food safety. And old school restaurants are upping their games to keep up. Bengaluru, after all, is a city of innovation.