Hampi Restaurants

During the Virupaksha Car Festival, this hotel was offering a 'festival special sweet and salty' breakfast, which we just had to try! It turned out to be two helpings of what looked like semolina, one, as promised, sweet, like a pudding, and the other savoury. Quite odd, but worth a go!

This restaurant is a bit more touristy, but it's worth the trek and the prices for the ambiance and surroundings. You have to walk along the ghats and then along a path between banana plantations to get there, and then walk through the compound and down the steps to the seating on terraces overlooking the river and a glorious sunset. Once the sun has gone down, they light lanterns.

The service is attentive, the food is good (and the lemon sodas out of this world) and the setting is amazing. They serve both Indian and continental food. We had thalis for dinner, but returned on our last day for a late lunch and had pasta which was equally pleasant.

This little cafe is on the path between Vitthala Temple and Kodanda Rama temple. We had a drink there the day after the big storm - and the winds had knocked down their power supply! - and came back again later in the week for breakfast, as the owner was really friendly.

The rooftop restaurant at Rama Guesthose, which is where we stayed, does some decent snacks and meals. We had lunch of veg chow mein there on the day we arrived as we were too tired to go out straight away!

On the left side of Hampi Bazaar if you face away from the temple was Geetha's restaurant, which we had dinner at our first night in Hampi. We had a very satisfying thali, in the middle of a massive storm with thunder and lightning! There were a few locals eating there as well, and everyone was very friendly.

The Mango Tree restaurant is situated under a big Mango Tree west of Hampi village. To come here you walk along the river and then through a banana plantation. In my guidebook it says they have delicious food. I didn’t try the food but some people I spoke to said it was good. It also says in the book that this is a great place to chill out in. Well, with this in mind I though I would be sitting here for quite a while, but I stayed just as long as it took me to drink my coca-cola (Rs 18 in June 2010). The setting is nice and calm, with views towards the river. When I arrived the two or three tables with chairs were occupied, but there are several low tables at the terraced seating. There are no cushions and the wall lean back so I didn’t find it a comfortable place to sit in. And there were too many mosquitoes and flies. Even if the Mango Tree didn’t live up to my expectations I returned another day, but I was disappointed again and didn’t stay long that time either.

Durga Huts Roof has got good food and a relaxed atmosphere. There are a couple of tables with chairs, but most tables are lower and you sit on mattresses. It is easy to meet other travellers here, but the majority are very young.
This is what I paid in June/July 2010:
Aloo Gobi Rs 70
Malai Kofta Rs 75
Plain Naan Rs 20
Lemon Juice Rs 25
Mango Juice Rs 50 (too much of the seed was in the juice so it was not good)

I chose to stay at Gopi’s Guest House because they had a nice rooftop restaurant. It was a good place to sit in to eat or read a book. From the restaurant there is a great view over Virupaksha Temple and on a hot day it is nice with the breeze on the roof.
In the menu you will find a big variety of food, both Indian and dishes of pasta and pizza. But because Hampi is a religious place you will not find alcohol on any of the menus.
This is what I paid in June/July 2010:
Black Coffee Rs 15
Toast, butter Rs 40
Scrambled eggs, toast Rs 50
Fruit salad Rs 60
Lemon juice Rs 25
Lemon-mint juice Rs 30
Papaya juice Rs 40
Pizza al Fungi Rs 120
Tagliatelle al Fungi Rs 110
Malai Kofta Rs 70
Plain naan Rs 15