Dining away from Bengaluru's chaos

Farm restaurants are becoming popular escapes for those seeking to savour life.

Across Bengaluru’s periphery, farm-based restaurants are emerging as retreats that offer city dwellers breathing space. As the city’s fast-paced culture grows increasingly exhausting, these spaces present an alternative rooted in slowness, nature, and mindful eating.

“Here, you’re locked in for three hours having conversations with your loved ones,” says Kaushik Raju, founder of Farmlore, Bagalur. At Kombukal Bidara near Gottigehalli, founder Narasimha Murthy describes the experience as “slow living with satvik food and classical music.”

For many founders, these spaces are also attempts to preserve the disappearing garden city. “Many guests tell us that visiting Sattva Farms (in Tavarakere) reminds them of an older Bengaluru — greener, quieter and more connected to nature,” says founder Shailaja Khened.

At Yash Farms near Electronic City, the food itself is an act of revival. The farm serves what founder Karthik Padmanabhan calls “what Bengaluru used to eat 100–150 years ago” — home-grown meals, ragi mudde, payasa and festival foods. “We serve what we grow. There is no endless supply,” he says.

The founders say they attract a mixed crowd: some drawn by the trend, others seeking retreat, and many increasingly conscious about food, health, and sustainability. Yet they note that people engage with food differently in a farm setting.

On farms, people witness food production and slow down. Meals become slower, conversations feel more relaxed, and people are more present, says Shailaja. Kaushik adds that at Farmlore, “a walk forces you to shift gears from city life; you listen to crickets and smell the various flowers.”

The farms largely grow indigenous and local crops while curating South Karnataka cuisine. Farmlore experiments with local ingredients and traces their histories and lore. “Ecological consciousness also extends to tracing the histories and lore of local ingredients, like berries of curry leaf,” says Kaushik .

At Sattva Farms, Shailaja’s philosophy centres on coexistence. “We do not use artificial fruit-ripening methods or chemical pesticides, and we consciously share part of the produce with birds, peacocks, and butterflies. Farming is about coexistence, not maximum extraction,” she says.

Narasimha follows a similar approach at Kombukal Bidara. “I don’t want to poison my food,” he says, referring to pesticides. “I exist in the land of animals; I have no right to construct a boundary. They move freely.” Built without cement or steel, the space practices rainwater harvesting and sustainable construction.

The founders admit that balancing ecological values with growing commercial demand has not always been easy. “Initially, yes, there was tension in maintaining an ecological space amidst growing demands. But I think people trust us now,” says Kaushik.

Shailaja says guests increasingly seek experiences that reconnect them with nature. “Guests often say the most memorable part is waking up to birdsong and farm sounds instead of vehicle horns and traffic,” she says. As Bengaluru continues to expand, the founders believe such spaces are becoming part of a mindset change.

“If you look at the design aspect of restaurants today, you’re seeing a lot more green coming in,” says Kaushik. Shailaja reflects, “People want to live and reconnect with nature, and that has the potential to change how they think about food, lifestyle and the environment.”