Mysore Restaurant and Shopping suggestions

Khandoma

Namaste Friends,

I thought I'd share a few nice addresses I found during my last trip. Hopefully other travellers will use this thread to post their findings.

Restaurants
An absolute favourite is Paras / Indra's.
On Sayyaji Rao Rd, a few yards off KR Circle, on the right-hand side of the street. It says "Indra's" in huge letters on the side wall, visible from the Circle, and "Paras" on the street sign.
The ground floor is a very good restaurant & pastry shop.
However the real find is on the 1st floor, where they serve the thalis.
South Indian thali is : soup, 3 veg dishes, sauces, curd, one honey cake, one papadom, puri and rice. All except cake are free refills. Homemade, fresh, excellent, and an outlandish 35 Rs for more food than I could eat in a week.
Also, 1st floor is a very quiet and airy place. Very kind waiters.
It's usually very busy but you never wait long. They stop serving food between 3 and 5 PM.

Had a very good dinner on the rooftop at Shriprashri's. That's one block down from Dasarprasad whose rooftop restaurant was closed, on the opposite sidewalk. And almost opposite the RRR restaurant. Delicious veg dishes. They serve beer too. Very fast service.

Silk Shop :
Spoiled with options here. But I found a good choice, at a very acceptable price, at Rashinkar Emporium. The address on the bag is "Near Olympia Theatre, Shivarampet". It is on your right as you walk up from KR Circle to Dasakprasad's. A corner shop. The ground floor was crowded, but I asked to see some silk shawls and was taken to a room upstairs, where I was alone, by a charming and very efficient saleslady. Found nice items I didn't find elsewhere.

Ayurvedic Pharmacy
Can't recommend enough the shop of K. Govindaraja Setty Son. That's 78 Devaraja Urs Rd. Email : raguherbalist@gmail.com. A 5-mn walk from KR Circle, on the left side of the street, opposite the Classic Color Lab. Don't miss the few wooden steps going up.
It is an old-fashioned shop, established 1890. They make their powder mixes there, and carry the most incredible range of products. They also have a great brochure in English.
I was lucky to be attended to by the head pharmacist, a Gandhi-looking gentleman with a sparkle in his eye. He arrived right behind me in the shop, took off his shoes before climbing the stairs, and kissed the shop floor, then went to work. He was of excellent advice, refusing to sell medicine for a sickness I din't have yet, and selling me the best stuff for muscular pains and footaches I ever tried - 32 Rs. Also bought marvelous meditation incense there.

Burning CDs
There's an Internet place that burns CDs among the second-hand bookshops. From KR Circle take the road that goes to the City Bus Stand. Opposite the bus stand, a row of textbook sellers. Big sign for the Internet place.

Incense
For fragrant incense, and provided you're not facing a 2-month trip, I recommend a little stall inside Mysore market. Take the alley at the far South, the one that starts with the honey cake sellers. Walk up past the flower stands. On your right, there's a minuscule shop with a kid selling only two kinds of incense, not the green and pink tourist varieties. He is also the only incense wallah who doesn't shout after tourists as if his life depended on it. 100 gr. of incense, about 50 sticks, cost 30 Rs. Slightly (really slightly) more than industrial boxes, and this one is so fresh it is moist and some of the paste still falls off. Carry a resealable (deep freeze) bag to transport them.

Bureau de Change
Got a good rate at the "Center" Exchange on KR Circle, corner of D. Urs Rd. They quoted a rate, I thanked and moved to leave, rate went up. You can do that in Thomas Cooks too but I found their rates horrible compared to smaller shops and certain banks.

Odds & Ends
I had to buy batteries, an alarm clock, safety pins, a pencil sharpener, a bag for my camera, washing powder... I took Vinoba Rd, which runs parallel and North to Devaraja Urs Rd. Found myself the only tourist there. No silk emporiums. But plenty of ordinary shops, ideal to buy ordinary stuff at ordinary prices. An alarm clock was 100 Rs there, the same 115 Rs on Sayyaji Rao Road.

Hope this helps !

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Khandoma
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pmvelu

Hi Khandoma,

In fact I opened your link thinking you are expecting some help with addressess in Mysore(From the Subject I got this feel) , but saw helpful tips for the guests and your write-up is good and informative.

Cheers
Velu

Khandoma

Hey, thanks, Velu ! I was a bit disappointed that no-one seemed to find this useful; your message cheered me up. Maybe it's the title that's wrong, as you pointed out. Perhaps a Mod could change it if better ideas come to mind ? Thanks for writing.

nadreg

Yes, I think it's the title that's misleading people. I will change it for you.

Useful thread, by the way.

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In pursuit of the Only truth: I Am!

Khandoma

Great ! Thanks much, Nadreg, that was quick ! And many thanks again to Velu for pointing it out.

Nick-H

Several really great posts about different locations, but the 'my address's titles make it sound a bit like that's where you live, rather than recommendations. I don't know if Nadreg changed the others as well; I don't have much time to look today ---- one of the team will get around to it!

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Just one member of the IndiaMike Mod Team

Khandoma

Thanks for the clarification, Nick. My mistake was transtlating a title that would have worked in French into English without a second thought.
The other post with the same title is Benaulim, in the Goa section.
Now that I know what's wrong, I'm putting together posts for other places too.
Have a great New Year's Eve's Eve !

Irishangel

Thanks, I'm going to be in Mysore in a little over 4 weeks (yippee!!) and I will print your recomendations and bring with me. I was there last year and wonder if I visited any of the places you mention..... If anyone else has ANY recomendations for either Mysore or Bangalore it would be great, (bearing in mind it's only a short trip) , thanks
Happy new year to all

pmvelu

This might be useful for you and if you have any specific questions on any place in and around mysore , I could provide the detailed information.
/** This write-up is done by me as a reply to some other post in IM some time back ****/
1. Mysore Palace (You could Avoid the Jagmohan Museum which is just behind the palace inside the same complex - It's not so impressive when compaed to the palace) - 1 1/2 to 2 Hours is Enough to view- 2 km from Suburb bus stand

2. Karanji Nature Park (A beautiful place Next to Mysore Zoo) with butterfly Park and Boating in the Karanji laks (all in the same complex) - Around 6 km from suburb bus stand - 1 1/2 - 2 Hours is required to see this and you need to walk a km to see Butterly park but it's worth a visit

3. A View of Mysore City from Chamundi hills (After 6pm) - 18km from Mysore City Bus stand - Very well you could try the city bus Or newly introduced Volvo Bus too . Frequency is hourly once
4. Ranganathittu bird Sanctuary (18 kms from Mysore ) -- This place is good to watch Birds BUT Now it's OFF-SEASON. Just Avoid this.I went around August & september and so many birds and my next 2 trips around November , NOT even a single bird, Just the Boat ride is there in the Crocodile infested Sanctuary Waters.
5.Somanathpura (Around 40 kms from Mysore) - Excellent Hoysala Style De-funct temple(Under Archelogical Survey of India) but architecture wise this is too good. --- If you have already visited Belur & Halebidu , You could ignore this place as it's almost same look-alike and relatively small atleast when compared to Belur - (If you want to try bus , you need to get Bannur bus(35 kms - Road is Excellent) from City bus stand and travel the last 7 kms in Share-Van OR Private bus which has already 250% occupancy rate and the road is so so so pathetic for this 7 kms stretch.) . if you could afford, Car is better.
5. KRS Dam (19 kms from Mysore City bus stand) - A Garden & a Dam with fountain show in the evening . But you could not have the view of the Dam water. -- Depends on your interests AS this place is sort of ok . - (From City bus stand, you could take the Government bus to this place)


P.S:- If you could plan a week-day , (1),(2),(3) & (5) you will feel much much better. In the Week-ends , Loads of Tourists buses (right from School ,College upto general tourists) will be thronging especially Palace, Karanchi & KRS Dam
Regards
Velu

Irishangel

Hi,
Thanks so much for you suggestions, I'v actually 'done' a few of them already, the palace, chamundi hill, but will def try your other suggestions, unfortunately we have only 3 days in Mysore before going back to Bangalore, but as I learned last time, its amazing how much you can fit into a shotr time in India!

Khandoma

Irishangel, I just wanted to say, have a great trip !