With the number of cuisines and the kinds of restaurants opening in almost every city in the country, there's certainly no dearth of good food. yet, sometimes one yearns for home-style comfort food. A homely meal to us means a plate full of food that is simple, non-fussy and with a hint of nostalgia. A thali style of meal comes quite close. But don't be fooled by the simplicity of the thali. There are restaurants that serve thalis that will remind you of festivals back home—lavish and indulgent. If you like a variety of dishes on one plate then a thali is the way to go. You could do buffets too but the little bowls of delicious food on one plate is another experience all together. Be it an indulgent feast or simple, wholesome comfort food, we've got you covered.
Bangalore
In this city you'll find a darshini on every other lane, where you can sample simple South Indian fare in a jiffy. But for a more relaxed lunch experience, there's Panchvati Gaurav Thali, with branches located in Garuda Mall, Bellandur, Whitefield and Nagawara. They serve authentic Maharashtrian food in a thali as well as buffet-style meals. Then there's Rajasthani and North Indian-style food at Gramin in Koramangala; their thali is fantastic.
Let's head southwards now with Nagarjuna. With five locations open, you know where to go for a fiery Andhra-style thali. Another South Indian place to stuff yourself with delicious thali food is Maiyas in Jayanagar. The best part is you can finish your meal off with a steaming cup of their popular filter coffee. You can even order in your thali. Thali15 in HSR is a delivery-only outlet serving simple home-style food.
Mumbai
From Gujarati to South Indian, in Mumbai you will find thalis from everywhere. Shree Thaker Bhojanalay in Kalbadevi serves a great Gujarati thali with so many dishes you'll stop counting. They have a number of rotis, sabzis, dals, kadhi, sweets and lot more to offer. Then there's Pancham Puriwala in Fort where a great thali with amazing puris come for a very reasonable price. Craving some Andhra-style food? Gonguura is for you. An unlimited thali for ₹385 is quite a steal. At Malwani Kalwan you have the luxury of trying various kinds of thalis—surmai, chicken, prawn, mutton, bangda, bombil and veg, ranging anywhere between ₹230 and ₹400. For a more premium thali as they call it, head to any one of Maharaja Bhog—Premium Veg Thali restaurants. From kadi to vatana keri, Rajasthani dal to bajari rotla, they have a wide variety of Gujarati and Rajasthani dishes.
Chennai
Alright then, Chennai. Roll up your sleeves for a feast at Maplai in Nungambakkam. For ₹699 you can eat your heart out with eight meat starters, eight vegetarian ones, three beverages, soup, two kinds of non-vegetarian rice dishes, and much more. Apparently, 50 dishes. Now, that's some value for your money. Nellai Xpress in Mylapore also offers tasty non-veg thalis. Feeling a little adventurous? Try the chicken, beef or fish thali at North East Kitchen in Egmore. Vegetarians have Amdavadi to try out. As the name suggests they serve Gujarati food. Lucky Da Punjab in Perungudi serves some mouth-watering North Indian thali. Their non veg thali includes an egg masala, dal makhni, chicken curry and more.
