Bengaluru bids adieu to four-decade-old iconic Samrat Restaurant

BENGALURU: The 45-year-old city’s iconic Samrat Restaurant at Chalukya Hotel, located near Vidhana Soudha, downed its shutters on Monday. The restaurant was a favourite spot for food lovers and was best known for its delicious Masala Dosa, South Indian and North Indian meals, Rava Idli, and Badam Halwa.

The iconic Samrat restaurant at Chalukya Hotel shut down on Monday.

The restaurant was a go-to place for some of the movie actors and political leaders, and also for the common people. Bengaluru citizens took to Twitter to express their feelings about their favourite eatery closing down.

The iconic Samrat restaurant was famous for its delicious food and served South Indian and North Indian meals, such as Rava Idli and Badam Halwa.

A Twitter user going by the name Apurva Hendi said, “Samrat restaurant in Chalukya hotel apparently shut today & took with it a part of my childhood. Now I can never bring my kids to this place two decades later, exclaim at the prices & do the “in my times, the masala dosa was just 65 & tasted 10x better” :-)”.

The late Maruthi Shanboghar established the Samrat restaurant 45 years ago.

Another user, Manjunath Naidu AAP Hebbal, said, “Have fond memories of Samrat restaurant as a child and as an adult. Disappointing to know it’s closing. Many generations of #Bangalore will share my thoughts.”

The iconic Samrat restaurant once served around 3,000 people daily.

“I have been working here for the past 22 years, and the restaurant was established 45 years ago. There was a case going on in a court related to the property. The property was ordered to be vacated by the court. The restaurant is closed, and we have to leave. This will be an unforgettable memory in our lives.

Nithyananda worked as a cashier at the restaurant for 22 years.

“The late actor Puneeth Rajkumar frequently visited our restaurant, and many ministers too. The hotel, started by Maruti Shanubogar, was run by his grandson Santosh Shanubogar. They have started a mini-Samrat hotel in Vasanth Nagar. The owner has plans to build a similar hotel elsewhere. People come from all places to eat and relive their childhood,” said Nithyananda, a cashier.