Vidyarthi Bhavan in Gandhi Bazaar has been serving the same breakfast since 1943, and the dosa here has become something of a Bangalore legend. The masala dosa arrives crisp and golden, filled with a spiced potato mixture, with chutneys and sambar alongside. The filter coffee, served in the traditional steel tumbler and davara, is excellent. The menu is short and the focus is total.
The dining room is small, the tables fill fast, and you may have to share a seat — this is a place where you eat and leave, not linger. It opens at 6:30am and is usually out of dosas well before noon on weekends. Basavanagudi, the neighbourhood it anchors, is one of the oldest parts of Bangalore, and a walk through Gandhi Bazaar before breakfast makes for a good South Indian morning.