This teeny-weeny 8 x 6-foot eatery on 11th Main, Malleswaram, has been making its signature idlis/vadas and awesome chutney for 33 years. Ramnath, the owner, now in his eighties, has an able manager in Narayana, who came to the hotel when he was just 12 years old. The Udupi lad learnt the tricks of the trade from Ramnath and has been running the hotel for the last 10 years.
One of Sri Raghavendra Stores's signature dishes is the khara bath with vegetables that tastes different tahnks to Mr. Narayana's magic box of masalas. Mr. Narayana recalls the time when idli was available for 25 ps., vada 60 ps. and coffee 40 ps. Though Ramnath is now 88 years old, he visits the hotel twice a day to mingle with his customers.
Steaming, fluffy idlis, crisp vadas and savoury chutney are served on plantain leaves or on a plate by eight stewards who combine to portray a beehive of activity at this eatery. Mostly a self-service restaurant, customers disappear with the takeaways or sit in the nearby katte and gulp it down.
Service
Regulars at Sri Raghavendra Stores — like filmstars Sihi-Kahi Chandru and Jaggesh, and Minister for Law and Parliamentary Affairs S. Suresh Kumar — want Mr. Ramnath or Mr. Narayana to serve them. The eatery is also called the Idli Hotel and is uploaded on the net courtesy a satisfied customer now stationed in the U.S. This has prompted domestic and foreign tourists to make a beeline to the eatery when in Malleswaram. The place is open from 6.30 a.m. to 12.30 p.m. and again between 4 p.m. and 9 p.m. Call Sri Raghavendra Stores on Ph : 23348477