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Rated: Good
based on 6 reviews
Windsor Pub
Kodava Samaja Building, No. 7, 1st Main Road, Vasanthnagar, Bangalore
22258847, 41148006
| Locality | Vasanthnagar |
|---|---|
| Place Type | Bar, Restaurant |
| Food Type | South Indian |
| Timings | 12:00 PM to 3:00 PM, 6:30 PM to Midnight |
| Price |
  Expensive
|
- Additional Information
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Credit cards accepted
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first reviewed by blr.bytes
- User Reviews (6)
Nov 24, 2008
'win'dsor indeed
Windsor pub is one of my favorite places in bangalore. great food great music and no need to dress up for it being top reasons.
It is a comfortable place, easily seating over 50 people in simple tables of 4. Now that smoking in public places has been banned it is easier to get a table than it used to be once. There are a few stools by the bar too where u can perch. The ambiance is nothing spectacular- though it is clean and the seating comfortable- the usual miles davis type posters adorn the wall - along with some original artwork by the owner- who will be more than happy to explain it to you and even sell reprints to you. The owner with the meanest handle bar mustache makes up part of the familiar ambiance that is windsor. The music is always something I love - if it isnt a little bit o gentle chiding will get it changed.
The service is prompt and efficient- no matter how crowded the place is , someone is always available to top of your drinks or take your order. - And almost always they seem to know what you want before you do.
The food is simply excellent and one of windsors biggest draw. The cuisine is primarily Coorgi / Mangalorean / Malayali and a haven for non vegetarians. The vegetarians have not been completely ignored, though the vegetarian options are considerably small. Nevertheless I know many vegetarians who regularly visit the place and swear by the masala peanut (!). The must try dish is the ‘Pandhi Curry’ - sour and spicy- its just perfect- I doubt if you will get this anywhere else in bangalore and even if you do i it tastes so good. Also try the crab meatballs and the chicken samosas. All excellent. No matter what dish you try in windsor- the food here leaves you with a 'comfortable' feeling and leaves you feeling warm and satisfied.
Great Food, Great music, great service- and ice cold beer to go with all of it- just what i want from a pub
Other useful details
1. its always a little difficult to find parking here- especially if there is a function at next door kodava samaj. No valet parking available
2. Credit cards accepted
3. Only beer is served. (but its worth it)
4. A/c
5. Veg and non veg (tho veg options are limited)
Oct 03, 2008
Used to be good, used to be fine ..
Windsor Pub used to be our favourite hangout while we stayed in Frazer Town. We have taken friends umpteen times to try the best stuff there .Once we moved , (even closer) we found we were not going that often.
Walk in to the small place - loud rock music , affable conversation and smoky haze and you feel at home. Two steps away from a collapsed miners lung ,perhaps, but still at home. Its the place I brought a PG Wodehouse to read , while my husband sipped on a beer and watched cricket on the large TV screens. Other guests played a convivial game of scrabble on the bar counter ( yes it was that kind of a place !) Great atmosphere, and there was always Reggie or Sudesh who owned/ran the place to make you welcome. But soon that changed , and while you see a surly face on the bar counter saying they are not sure when you could get a table , you know why restaurants are so much about people. And you know why great places are about making you feel welcome. Service is uniformly good, otherwise. Pleasant and matter of fact .
Cut to the food .
The Pub Lunches and Dinners are their mainstay . Absolutely excellent food. I have never had a complaint about the food except that their divine Pandi Curry coud have a little fatty pork at times. The husband says the draught beer is super , and dabbles in their brain fry which he says is great too. I say ee-yuck!
The Pandi Curry is their signature dish - black , sour , spicy, tempered perfectly . It is the best I have eaten . I prefer it with parathas rather than the sannas , but both rule. Its the only place where the kachumber salad served with the main course is crisp, fresh and lemony with the perfect hint of a chili . Also , the Ceylon Kheema and Egg Paratha is great . Bring a spare tummy though. Lots of other good stuff and starters, I know, but I am writing about what I keep going back for. And its super and consistent .
For dessert, the Tosca , crisp and served hot with melting vanilla ice cream is the best . A must have !
I still go back now and then.
If only I could go back and feel I belong there , again !
Aug 23, 2008
Good Food
After reading about a lot of pubs and drooling over when to visit all of them, myself and two of my friends visited Windsor Pub today evening.
If you have a two wheeler, you can park on the footpath in front of the pub building. If you have a car, then you will have a tough time finding a parking space.
The pub itself is really small. altogether around 10 tables, each accommodating four. There is also a bar table which has three stools but it is not too appealing. There is a LCD TV on the bar, and loud music plays in the background.
The crowd is sprinkled with young, young and restless and the young,working and need rest kind.
We ordered Kingfisher Tap and Cheese Chilli Toast, Masala peanuts.
First came our Beer, then masala peanut. The quantity justified the price. Then came the Cheese Chilli Toast. It was really really really really really yummy. Soon, my friend ordered Onion packoda and veg /aloo packoda. They were served well and had no trace of oil.
5 Tap beers
Two sprites
Four starters
Total Bill: Rs. 581.00
The food is good. The ambiance is average. But a good hangout for friends.
Apr 06, 2008
It's near Kodava Samaj!
And whenever there's a function there, you'll end up not finding place to park. And that's the only drawback Windsor has, parking. Great food, good service, nice crowd and the BEST draught beer in town. Beef jerky is a favourite. But no Old Monk, so stars--;
Sep 17, 2007
I've found my shrine...
What’s the first image that springs to your mind when you hear the words ‘Kodava Samaja’? Let me hazard a few guesses – in your head, it’s a place where over-the-hill members of the Coorgi community catch up on weekends (with the younger ones reluctantly in tow) to let their hair down and network with other natives at 'cultural events' over plates of piping hot ‘Coorg plate-idli’ and tumblers of steaming coffee straight from the hills. Or maybe for you, the Kodava Samaja in your city has so far been the preferred choice of venue for your all of your 3 Coorgi friends’ weddings – where, like at every other wedding, said older members engage in a bit of clandestine matchmaking for their own sons, daughters, nieces and grandnephews-in-law.
Push, if you will for a minute, these images to the back of your head and imagine instead, a Kodava Samaja playing host to a bunch of people who drink beer, listen to jazz music, admire popular art and eat what I believe is some of the best non-vegetarian food I have ever had the fortune of sinking my chompers into. Well boys and girls, such a place does exist – and you need look no further than Windsor Pub, situated on the ground floor of the Kodava Samaja building in Vasanthnagar, Bangalore.
A sucker for ‘old establishments’ (Pecos in Bangalore and Toto’s in Mumbai being my other favourites), I loved the feel of the place the minute I walked in – the place is dark and inviting with muted lighting. Smooth jazz music (the kind I don’t usually get but what sounded pretty good that afternoon), greets you as soon as you walk in and is more or less complemented by the Miles Davis & Dave Brubeck posters on the walls. What’s also on the walls are some cool paintings that have been done by the owner himself – chat him up and he’s pretty willing to explain the meaning behind each of his works and even sell you reprints, if you want. And oh, the dude has the meanest biker handlebar moustache I’ve seen in a while. :)
Seating is comfortable and ‘loungey’ with the place built to accommodate about 50 sitting people at tables of 4 – there are a couple of bar stools at the bar counter and one of those ubiquitous LCD TV screens, with which you can distract your mind from the chatter and the music, if you so wish. The waiters are prompt and come to your table with menus almost as soon as you settle down – though most of them know that the first order will be for a pitcher of the cold stuff – which doesn’t disappoint. That first sip of Kingfisher, straight from their taps and out of a frosted beer mug, feels really good on its way down.
Rubbing my hands together with visible excitement, I dived into the menu and felt my heart soar with every line that I read – what’s on offer is food cooked the traditional Coorgi / Mangalorean / Malayali way and the place is a haven for carnivores like yours truly. I’ve been told the Coorgis are unrivalled in their manner of cooking pork and the ‘Pandhi Curry’ (which literally translates into ‘pig curry’) may sound a trifle uninviting but is a universal recommendation to all who enter here. I wasn’t feeling too ‘porky’ that day and so we decided to start off with ‘Masala Fried Prawns’ – a zingy preparation of prawns tossed in a wickedly good spice paste and shallow-fried with curry leaves. Hats off to the chef for getting the texture of the prawns just right – the flavour of the masala was also brilliant. Already half-full with beer, I couldn’t wait to get to the main course – which turned out to be ‘Ceylon Egg Kheema Parathas’ and WP’s house speciality – shredded beef. We couldn’t have chosen better – the parathas were delicious, wholesome affairs – stuffed thick with an egg and mince mixture, shallow-fried just right and served with a ‘korma’ and salad. The beef dish was excellent too – quite literally, fine shreds of beef fried with plenty of garlic and onions to a crisp texture – and I couldn’t help but reach for fingerfuls of it every now and then. I’d immediately recommend all three of the above that I tried that day. The menu has a great choice of what WP calls ‘Pub Lunches and Dinners’ – with continental and Indian choices for both vegetarians and non-vegetarians. There’s also plenty more to choose from in the starters and sides menu – it’d do you well to give about 5 minutes to the menu before you order. The seafood here is another hot favourite – the lady at the next table was completely engrossed in her shell-fried crabs all the time that she was there and like me, looked completely and utterly satisfied by the time she was done.
The place is obviously popular and usually has a waiting period for lunch and from about 8ish in the evening. Smoking is allowed, though I’ve heard that all that cigarette smoke can get a bit stifling after a while, owing to the size and lack of open ventilation in the place. The place is easy on the pocket - a pitcher of draught is about Rs.195 and a starter and main course for 2 (likely to climb if you binge on the seafood) will cost about Rs.500.
As for me, I think I’ve found my temple and frequent visits here on weekends look very likely. And before I forget – to all you Kodavas out there, you people truly rule. May your tribe surge forth and multiply! :)