[sbraj]

Many times while driving through a town or a city or a highway, I have wondered which is a good place to eat there. A hotel/restaurant/eatery where one would get authentic local cuisine. And what would be the recommended dish at this eatery.

Memories of the food that I eat during my drives are often intertwined with the memories of the drive itself. Whenever I look back at my drives, flashes of what I ate do come back, along with the roads, traffic, surroundings, people.

* Hotel East End at Madikeri was recommended by a friend and I liked the piping hot mutton biryani served there. This one is just at the entrance of Madikeri town while going from Bangalore, and a good stop if you want to skip the town and proceed to Sulya side. Saw lot of local families enjoying their meal with a cup of wine. Very informal ambience. Hotel is a renovated bungalow from the British period.

* Buhari Hotel at TVM - famous for its mutton curry served with puttu. This food joint is at the Attakulangara junction, about 150 meter south of East Fort towards Manakkad. Ambiance is ok.

* Hotel Woodlands at Tirumala - serves excellent Andhra meals. Place is always crowded; to get a table, one has to keep an eagle's eye on others vacating the tables.

* Gudalur - A hotel just 1 km from the Gudalur junction on the left side on the way to Mysore. Not remembering the name - Hotel Garden? This one is a local wayside eatery with wooden benches and tables. The chicken biryani served here was good.

* Zeenath Taj Resorts, Yelagiri - breakfast, lunch and dinner served were excellent. In fact, the food remains an important memory of my stay in Yelagiri. Yelagiri otherwise has very less to offer to tourists other than honeymooners.

What are the places to eat while passing through different towns? Which restaurant would you recommend? Which dish? How would you rate the eatery in terms of food taste, hygiene, ambience (especially for family)?

I am driving to Thiruvananthapuram via Tenkasi next month. Heard that Tenkasi is famous for its biryani. Which is the best hotel in Tenkasi for this? Where would one get the best Srivilliputhur peda? Any suggestions on local cuisine at Thenmala, Kulathupuzha etc?

Suggestions on Hubli, Karwar, Shimoga, Mangalore, Kasargod, Nilambur, Sultan Bathery, Salem, Coimbatore welcome.

[msvg]

Very interesting topic and very useful too..really appreciate the thought .
Some of my pointers are :
1. On the way to Hyderabad from Bangalore :
a.Tiffin/Lunch/Evening snack stop at Chickballapur,Hotel Manjunatha behind mosque on the national highway road alittle deviation from the bypass ,good for dosa,rice varieties,traditional sweets,coffee,tea and badam milk.
b.In the same town ,Military hotel for Good Non Veg like chicken and mutton varieties.Local cusine like mudde,biryani etc.Take away option preferred.than dining in.Ambiance is Bad.
c.For Good tiffin and Garden restaurant on the same route is Sai Garden.

Originally Posted by sbraj

Suggestions on Shimoga, Coimbatore welcome.

Shimoga: Hotel Ashoka, opposite KSRTC bus stand.

Coimbatore: Hotel Sree Annapoorna/Sree Gowrishankar. Lots of branches.