Friendly staff make the difference

As the name suggests, Upahara Kendra is the place for rice idli, rava idli, vada, kesaribath, kharabath, dal roti, bhajjis, rice items and variety of dosas and chaats.
The newly introduced paratha and kurma which comes for just Rs 20, is also another sought-after item here.

"All dosa items – masala dosa, set dosa, plain dosa, onion dosa and rava dosa are in demand. We also have loyal customers for dal roti. We ensure that our customers get quality and hygienic food,” says Narasimha Murthy, who has plans to expand the
business soon. The food joint opens at 7 in the morning and closes at 10.30 in the night.

Upahara Kendra is very near to Gandhi Bazaar and there are many colleges like National College, Jain College, Vasavi Institutions located in and around the area. Therefore, hundreds of students rush to the hotel simultaneously during the break hours.

“The queue goes uptil the footpath at 9.15 am and 1.30 pm. We struggle hard to cater to their needs," says Chandrashekhar, who looks after the shop. He also tells that Cothas coffee with pleasant aroma is also quite famous here.

Devendra, who has 25 years of experience in kitchen, has been the main cook here for more than 10 years. When asked about the secret behind the popularity of the dishes, he says it's nothing but freshness.“I never keep old stuff. I prepare things as per the requirement. My experience and experiment helped to come out with stuff with great taste," he says.

Satya, an LIC agent, visits the place three to four times a week and likes the idli sambar here. “They serve the idlis with delicious sambar. The different taste makes me visit the Upahara Kendra very often. I also relish masala puri which is served in the evening," he says.

For Vijay, a student from National College, the food joint is a favourite hang out place.
“My group always orders paratha and kurma. The best thing is that all the staff is friendly and pour more sambar and chutney without complaint. The price is also reasonable," he opines.