JOIN USKeeping the charm alive
When it started 16 years back as a small restaurant in Mysuru, the owners didn’t think that one day it will be one of the most popular restaurants in the City. ‘Naati Manae’, as the name suggests, serves the traditional food of Karnataka and is currently located in Koramangala 5th block.
Ravi Shankar and Darshan B, partners of the restaurant, say, “Originally when we started ‘Naati Manae’ in 2000, the restaurant had a village kind of ambience. It was built in the shape of a hut, with bamboo walls, red oxide flooring and a tiled roof. One could also see the walls painted with warli designs.”
Elaborating on the concept, Darshan adds, “After visiting many places that serve Karnataka food, we noticed that there are not enough places that serve the authentic cuisine in a place which is clean and hygienic. Our aim is to serve traditional food to people in a more hygienic condition. We also wanted to preserve the cuisine for the generations to come. Our first branch was started in Mysuru, which then shifted to the food hub of Bengaluru, Koramangala.”
‘Naati Manae’ is popular for its ‘chicken donne biryani’. Darshan says, “Though we are known for our ‘naati’ style biryani, people also look forward to the ‘naati koli saaru’, ‘kempu menasina koli fry’, ‘Kannadanadu special chicken’ and ‘Guntur chicken’. Though most people find the dishes spicy, they are always excited to try something new.”
With its increasing popularity, the old building seemed small in comparison with the large crowd it attracted. Which is why they demolished the building and built a new one right opposite. As Darshan explains, “People used to line up on the road outside the restaurant. The old ‘Naati Manae’ could accommodate about 30 to 60 people but eventually we started noticing that people used to wait outside, which made us hunt for a new place. The present building is right opposite to where the old one used to be.”
The restaurant sees a mixed crowd coming in so the menu currently serves not just ‘naati’ style food but also multi-cuisine dishes. Explaining this expansion of the menu, Darshan says, “We have a mixed crowd coming to our restaurant, and most of them might not prefer the ‘naati’ style of cooking. To cater to this, we have started serving multi-cuisine dishes. Currently, we serve only Chinese and Indian cuisines along with ‘naati food’.”
Though they have shifted to a bigger space and have introduced other cuisines to their menu, they have not compromised on the quality of ‘naati’ food.
Darshan explains, “‘Naati’ food is our speciality and we have made sure that even though we have expanded our space and menu, we have not compromised on the taste and quality of it. We have a lot of regular customers who visit, and they come to enjoy the food they are used to.”
‘Naati Manae’ is located at 462, 17th C Main, KHB Colony, Koramangala 5th Block. For details, call 9886006585.