[spiritofdriving]

With my limited experience in Pune the below are the places Id been to and recommend - not rank in rank order - Ive just numbered based on which place came into my mind first - though if you ask me to rank the best place, Id say - Zamus for its food and overall eating experience.

1) Zamu's at Dhole Patil Road - Very good Sizzler's. I havent had such nice Sizzlers anywhere else. Nice Retro ambience, light music and nice crowd too. They have tables outside where people can smoke. I prefer indoors though.

2) 1000 Oaks - East Street - Mojito's, Music, Retro ambience, brilliant location

3) Hidden Place - Koregaon Park - very casual environment, you can let yourself loose and make some noise, noone will stare at you. very reasonable pricing with good music with even Dylan/Beatles. Love this place and this is a very popular place so better be there early enough or you have to wait outside. Plus point is that, they serve drinks outside while waiting for a table inside. Waiters are friendly too.

4) Corinthians - NIBM Annexe - Nice place to be although Ive never seen a good crowd in this place maybe because it far off the city. Food is nice.

5) Zaffrans - located at the IT park near Nagar Road where IBM etc are present. Good option for a Sunday brunch - With Rs.850 (I guess) + taxes you get unlimited drinks and food. Food is strictly average. Drinks are fine. Best thing about this place is that its roof top yet very well furnished and its nice to drink with a constant semi-cool breeze. I went there in Feb so it was pretty alright; I am not so sure in Summer. I really enjoyed this place despite its average food.

6) Hard Rock Cafe - I go here to eat! :P I am not a major fan of LOUD music, but pretty okay with it. and yea - its VERY LOUD! anyway, they serve brilliant mashed potatoes and general chicken items. Cant remember the dish names but whatever we had here were very good. if you can stand loud rock songs, this place is a must visit. a very high energy place.

Sree

[moralfibre]

Originally Posted by rahul_sinha

Tried "Rush Hrs" at Baner Road. Imaginative menu - stufflettes, sandwiches, burgers et al.
Much much better than McDonald's and healthier options as well. As the name suggests, a very quick service and good VFM too.

I visited Rush Hrs in Viman Nagar and ordered for a Chicken roll. By far it has to be the worst roll I have ever had in my life. I won't visit them again. Kapila and Olympia with their fixed Kathi rolls will be my pick any day.

Originally Posted by noopster

Does anyone know if the new Mainland China at Aundh (Sanewadi, where Shukriya restaurant stood earlier). We drove up there a few nights ago but they said they'd not yet opened for business. Took my number but wanted to check if they are open so that I don't waste another trip.

Not yet operational. I believe they'll be up and working within a week.

[Ricci]

Many people recommended Mahesh Lunch Home , in Camp near Lal Deval ( Synangogue ) and Nisarg in Kothrud for seafood. I have eaten at both places once each time, and in my opinion , Mahesh Lunch home was pretty good, though not the best sea food I ever had - that was in Tarkarli/Malvan and much cheaper to boot ! Nisarg lef tme disappointed , all the dishes we ordered were disappointing , which was fish and crabs.

Arthur's Theme in Koregaon park , had dinner once - lovely food but pretty expensive.
Also liked Chillies , also in Koregaon Park, opposite Hard Rock Cafe lane , which I visit occasionally for the Italian stuff. Khyber restaurant on JM Road is another place where the food usually is good.

There is Red Chillies in Kharadi, near Zensar technologies, purely vegetarian but good food.

[selfdrive]

Originally Posted by Ricci

Many people recommended Mahesh Lunch Home , in Camp near Lal Deval ( Synangogue ) and Nisarg in Kothrud for seafood. I have eaten at both places once each time, and in my opinion , Mahesh Lunch home was pretty good, though not the best sea food I ever had - that was in Tarkarli/Malvan and much cheaper to boot ! Nisarg lef tme disappointed , all the dishes we ordered were disappointing , which was fish and crabs.

yeah, the fare at Nisarg is pretty ordinary these days. And I think they add to the bill the cost of the table that you are seated at. Or maybe that of one of the painted glass pieces.

If you like to eat fish, try Fish Curry Rice. It is an unassuming place near Appa Balwant Chowk. No fancy decor and not too much variety, but boy do they get the basics right?

[comfortablynumb]

Originally Posted by Ricci

Nisarg lef tme disappointed , all the dishes we ordered were disappointing , which was fish and crabs..

Originally Posted by selfdrive

yeah, the fare at Nisarg is pretty ordinary these days. And I think they add to the bill the cost of the table that you are seated at. Or maybe that of one of the painted glass pieces.

Yup, Nisarg is best avoided - their fish preparations are "Puneri", rather than Goan/Malwani/Konkani. For that matter, even Mahesh Lunch Home is so-so, IMO.

People who like seafood should try Fish Curry Rice [in Narayan Peth], Maase Maari [off Tilak Road, near Hotel Girija] and Satkar [on Sinhgad Road].

Cheers,
Vikram

[noopster]

Mahesh for sure is overrated (I remember fondly the days when they were just a small place in South Bombay) but Nisarg is one of our favourite places to pig out on seafood with family. Have always had excellent service there and the food is also very good.

Maasemaari is also decent- have been there once but parking on Tilak Road is a pain!

[voodoochild]

Have been ordering a home delivery from a place called Tsaai Shen Yeh on Baner-Sus Link Road quite often, so decided to head there for lunch yesterday. Very nicely decorated Chinese restaurant run by the management of Taareef (ITI Road, Aundh). The indoor dining area is quite small (just about 4 tables IIRC) but furnished with very quaint tables and benches (attempt at "chinese" decor?). However, the outdoor dining area is more comfortable, with regular tables and chairs. There's not much noise and traffic outside, quite agreeable if you can stand Pune's summer afternoons.

The menu has quite a selection of starters, which we went overboard with
Had spring rolls, wantons and Five-Spice Chicken, all of which were excellent!! Main course consisted of burnt garlic & spinach fried rice with Hunan chicken. Rice seemed a bit overcooked this time, but was perfect when delivered home previously.
Portions are very generous, we had to get most of it parcelled!! A "by-two" can be done on anything you order.

Service is quite prompt, but then we were the only people there
Waiters seem a bit clumsy and hurried though.

Price for two: Around Rs 700, if you don't go mental with the starters like we did.

Overall, I think I've found a replacement to my all-time favourite Chung Wah in Bangalore!!!! Finally!!

Cheers,
Rahul

PS: A special mention of the outstanding sauces they provide with the starters!!!

[noopster]

Sorry but in my opinion, Tsaai Shen Yeh is not a patch on Chung Wah (Bangalore). We order takeout from there all the time and it used to be a good option for cheap desi Chinese food but prices are headed North all the time and it has ceased to be a pure VFM option. For dining out there are much better options in the area: Magnolia on Baner Road or the newly opened Mainland China at Sanewadi though these are much more expensive, especially the latter.

[shreeps]

Aaah a thread after my own heart!
Here are some of my favourites:
1. North indian: The great punjab (baner rd) - some specific dishes, post 91 (KP)
2. South Indian: Vaishali - old favourite, Southies (Ganeshkhind road near Pune Central) - this is the most "authentic" south indian restaurant I have been to in Pune.
3. Oriental: Malacca Spice, Trikaya (Bavdhan), Copa Cabana (Wakad)
4. Sizzlers: Zamu's on Dole Patil road
5. Maharashtrian: Shabari, Durvankur
6. Continental: Little Italy (Ganeshkhind road near Pune Central)

Some other places I like: Marzorin for their yummy bean burger and sandwiches, Hard Rock Cafe for their ambience ... some more but cant remember at the moment!!

[DerAlte]

Originally Posted by shreeps

... 3. Oriental: ... Copa Cabana (Wakad) ...

Nah, they are best for sizzlers at most, especially veggie stuff. For all they write on 8 pages worth in the menu, their Oriental stuff is not even anywhere near a good imitation.

The cooks there have their own interpretation of oriental food, and don't bother about authenticity. Reminds me of eating horrible Indian food in Bangladeshi and Nepali 'Indian' restaurants in London and Brussels.

[selfdrive]

Not a patch on Chungs in Bangalore, but I liked the food at Chung Fa on East street.

Originally Posted by noopster

Maasemaari is also decent- have been there once but parking on Tilak Road is a pain!

Why would you try parking on Tilak road? any of the lanes near Maasemaari should be a better option! Just check the P1/ P2

Originally Posted by shreeps

2. South Indian: Vaishali - old favourite,
5. Maharashtrian: Shabari, Durvankur

your choice at the end of the day but my opinion:
what you get at Vaishali isnt South Indian food regardless of what they call it.
if you like simple Maharashtrian food, Saatvik Thali is a good place. in the lane opposite Tilak Smarak mandir. you could also try Sweekar near Nal Stop or Atithi off JM road

[comfortablynumb]

A new place called "Dakshinayan" has opened on JM Road a few months ago, in the building where Portico is located. It has an only veg menu, with mostly Tamilian dishes, and a smattering of selections from AP, KA and KL. Taste and ambience is good, portions are medium sized but prices are high.

Cheers,
Vikram

[noopster]

Originally Posted by selfdrive

Why would you try parking on Tilak road? any of the lanes near Maasemaari should be a better option! Just check the P1/ P2

Yeah that's what I meant. Last time we had to squeeze into some narrow lane and park there- throughout lunch I was worrying about my car being scratched!

By the way, the Mainland China at Aundh is operational and from what we observed last Saturday, doing a roaring business too! Excellent food but the service is a little slow. Hoping they will improve with time.

[selfdrive]

Originally Posted by noopster

Yeah that's what I meant. Last time we had to squeeze into some narrow lane and park there- throughout lunch I was worrying about my car being scratched!

My bad. I worry too when I park there. Usually I try to find a bigger car behind which I can park, but no dearth of morons who will still find a way to gift some scratches. There should be something like a set of protruding nails that would keep such motorists at bay. Maybe similar to those at the gates of old forts.

Nevertheless. So I try to park in Tilak Smarak mandir, but the walk back is too tedious. Hopefully a multi level parking lot will be built in that part soon. So that residents will park there, we can see the full board and keep looking elsewhere.
Oh, one of those days again where any line of thought is ending in a rant.

Have any of you had any issues (scratches/ dents/ incidents) while using valet service in Pune? I am paranoid about this and usually try to find a parking space first thing. I also dont like giving the car key to a stranger.

[shreeps]

Originally Posted by DerAlte

Nah, they are best for sizzlers at most, especially veggie stuff. For all they write on 8 pages worth in the menu, their Oriental stuff is not even anywhere near a good imitation.

Maybe so, but I sure liked the Green and Red Thai curries I had. It sure tasted similar to what I have had in Thai restaurants run by Thai people in US (Whether that itself was original thai food or not is another question though). All said and done, I liked it waay better than the so called thai curries I had at places like Magnolia, Mezza9, All Stir Fry etc. - mind you I have tried the thai dishes only and not chinese so I guess I should have clarified.

Originally Posted by selfdrive

your choice at the end of the day but my opinion:
what you get at Vaishali isnt South Indian food regardless of what they call it.
if you like simple Maharashtrian food, Saatvik Thali is a good place. in the lane opposite Tilak Smarak mandir. you could also try Sweekar near Nal Stop or Atithi off JM road

Well, the uttappa and sambar are pretty good and as good or as bad as any decent south indian restaurant in Bangalore, Mysore, Udupi etc besides being similar to what I have eaten at home and at relatives places since childhood. Being a kannadiga I claim the right to judge if its authentic or not
Yes, I do agree that the dosa and chutney leave much to be desired. The best thing I like about Vaishali is that they have managed to keep both the portion size and taste / quality of *all* their dishes the same for the 20 odd years I have been eating there. The prices though are a different story altogether!!
Thanks for the info on Satvik and Sweekar - will try these out. I have tried Atithi and yes the food there is simple and nice.