The south Indian eatery is now in its bougie era

When you picture a south Indian restaurant, you probably envision an old-school Udupi hotel. The kind of place where a meal is typically eaten while standing over a community table. Maybe if you’re lucky, the joint will have stalls that you can squeeze into. These seated booths offer the luxury of the food arriving at your table. A server juggles six plates of Mysore masala dosas on one arm, flicking plates with the precision of a frisbee as he walks by. 

The meal is undoubtedly a culinary experience, but if there was one phrase to describe it, it would be quick, comforting chaos. You don’t luxuriate over the menu or take a mid-dosa break to scroll on Instagram. Bengaluru’s darshinis and Mumbai’s Matunga joints just don’t have the time for that. For decades, south Indian food has been sold to us in the QSR (quick-service restaurant) format. Even new-age, internet-viral names like Bengaluru’s Rameshwaram Cafe and Mumbai’s Benne still abide by this order-eat-leave setup. 

Well, guess what? The tides are finally shifting: micro cuisines from the south have officially entered their fine dining era. (And no, we’re not talking about the AC halls at Udupi restaurants.) In this quarter alone, Mumbai has witnessed the launch of Nanna House, Bandra’s bougie ode to Andhra spice; Uppu, with its quaint white facade that could pass off as a French cafe but actually serves puliyogare and kulambu; and Malgudi, the innovative paradise that concocts picantes with Guntur chilli and tops fluffy idlis with za’atar. 

“For a long time, south Indian food was seen as homely and familiar, something you ate for comfort, not celebration,” says Panchali Bhatia, chef and co-founder at Oor, which serves bondas and uthappams to Fort’s fine-dine crowd. “That’s changing now. People demand authenticity and experience.” The food may satiate your taste buds, but in the lap of indulgence every sense is taken care of. To bring in threads of Karnataka into south Mumbai, Bhatia’s space also features Kasuti embroidery artwork and Channapatna wooden toys set to the wafting smell of saamrani.

Similarly, Goa’s darling Hosa has recently opened an outpost in Gurugram where chef Harish Rao continues to spill innovation into nostalgia. The brain pepper roast from Tamil Nadu is served alongside an egg-white soufflé, while raw banana paniyarams are blended with tarty fruit-peel chutney and punchy milagai podi. Every dish is plated to perfection with a cloud of smoke here and a dust of spice there. The drama and immersion seal the deal on the premiumisation. 

Interestingly, in an era of modern Indian experiments, many new fine dining south Indian restaurants are paring back the global blends to focus on hyper-local flavour. After all, for years the expansive cuisine has been reduced to dosa and Kerala parotta in the mainstream eye. What’s the point of offering twists on classics when swathes of audiences have never tasted the OG? “I got tired of going to restaurants that call payasam kheer just to make it easy,” says Delhi-based Kannadiga Sanjna Raman. “Don’t dumb it down. Use the real names and educate diners. If we can make the effort to learn how to say ‘tteokbokki’, we can figure out averekayi saaru too.” 

As diners demand diverse flavours and authenticity, chefs are responding by taking south Indian menus beyond the five headline dishes. In Bengaluru, Extra Chutney is selling exclusivity by creating a new chutney, hand-ground before diners, every day of the week. The luxury lies in the craft and in the heirloom recipes of the capsicum, cabbage, and ivy gourd condiments. Meanwhile, UB City’s Marriott Executive Apartments—a moment for the sheer bougie-ness of the location—has a new culinary destination called Madras Kitchen., where highlights include Dindigul biryani and pallateru mamsam, which has melt-in-the-mouth mutton seared in coconut. 

By creating culinary experiences that go beyond fancy plating and extend into the realm of cultural immersion, these south Indian fine dining places promise diners more than just an Instagram-ready space. And you know what? At a time when social media and screen fatigue is at an all-time high, it feels good to eat a meal where you can taste something novel but still feel grounded. “While north Indian cuisine has traditionally held a prominent place on premium menus, there is now a rising and well-deserved appreciation for the rich depth and diversity of south Indian flavours,” explains Rohit Yadav, executive chef at Madras Kitchen. “This demand is driven by culturally curious, well-travelled diners who want traditional food served with elegance.” 

Not to forget, upscale restaurants carry the allure of wellness that we now crave from every aspect of our life. Sure, we will indulge in deep-fried vadas but what oil was it fried in? EVOO, cold-pressed or flax seed? Studies show, 69 per cent of Indians seek out safe and healthy ingredients while making food choices. Bhatia emphasises this quality of care at Oor by limiting all things store-bought. “Our podi and rasam powders are made in-house, and no oil is ever reused. The irulli uttappam, a bestseller, is made with a house-blend onion masala,” she adds. 

In truth, the serendipitous mix of curiosity, exclusivity, and cultural immersion that we seek while dining out make the glow-up of darshinis inevitable (not to forget how light they feel on the pocket). And it’s not like fancy restaurants that serve rasam are entirely new. We have had Avartana and Karavalli for years but caged within five-star hotels, though there are a few popular standalone restaurants like Kappa Chakka Kandhari. We also have experiences like Bengaluru Oota Company or The Olé Project but they demand reservation and planning days in advance. This fresh crop of fine-dining South Indian restaurants make luxury curd rice much simpler to access. The best part? You can decide to walk into one of them right now.