Bengaluru Food Awards: CTR, Nagarjuna, Konark top the cherry
“Bengaluru is undoubtedly the food capital of India.”
That is what the jury said, amid thunderous applause by restaurateurs and their families, before announcing the GRB-Bruhat Bangalore Hotels Association (BBHA) Food Awards (2022) in Bengaluru on Tuesday (September 21).
Later in the evening, Karnataka CM Basavaraj Bommai acknowledged the hospitality sector’s contribution to the state in a moving speech.
“Hotels are an extremely significant industry. They provide food and accommodation to migrants and people on the move. They are one of the largest employment providers in the unorganised sector,” said Bommai.
The Chief Minister also said the government was committed to giving the sector ‘industry status’ provided it was registered under the tourism sector.
“Hotels and restaurants can and must do more on the tourist front. There should be a holistic approach and then only the sector can grow,” he said.
“We cannot allow restaurants to function 24/7 as of now, but we are considering extending the working hours,” said Bommai, in response to the Association’s demand.
PC Rao, president of BBHA, said: “The event is an annual celebration for the members of BBHA and is an endeavour to recognise the best in the industry for their efforts and best practices followed in various disciplines.”
Arun Adiga (Vidyarthi Bhavan) and chairman of BBHA Awards (2022), said, “This is the second time (the first one was in 2019) we are coming up with such an award. Many private institutions have been giving awards, and the association then thought of setting up one of its own. The idea is to enable healthy competition among ourselves and strive for better service. Also, we want to add more members to the association and widen our umbrella. I think we are the only hotel association in the country to initiate such awards.”
The association now has over 2,500+ members though Bengaluru is estimated to have 20,000 eateries across the city.
Here are the winners:
| Sl. No. | Award Category | Winner |
| 1 | Best Darshini Style | iSiri Café Arekere, Bannerghatta Road |
| 2 | Best Casual Style Dining (Veg) | Shri Sagar (CTR) Malleshwaram |
| 3 | Best Casual Style Dining (Non-Veg) | Nagarjuna Restaurant Residency Road |
| 4 | Fine Dining (Multi-Cuisine) | Cable Car Jayanagar 5th Block |
| 5 | Best Hotel (Hospitality / Rooms / Accommodation) | The Fern Residency Tumkur Main Road, Yeshwanthpur |
| 6 | Best Sweets and Savouries | Sri Venkateshwara Sweet-Meat Stall Gandhi Bazar |
| 7 | Best Bakery | Iyengar’s Oven Fresh L J & Co, Electronic City Phase-1 |
| 8 | Best Ice Cream Parlour | Fruits & Nuts (Natural Ice creams) Koramangala |
| 9 | Emerging Woman Entrepreneur | KY Keerthana Pure & Natural, 7th Block Jayanagar |
| 10 | Emerging Hotel/ Hotelier | Asha Tiffins HSR Layout |
| 11 | Best Innovative Concept | Konark Restaurant Residency Road |
| 12 | Lifetime Achievement Award | Gopadi Srinivasa Rao Chairman – Mayura Group |
For the awards ceremony, nearly 250 nominations were received in multiple categories.
An independent jury, comprising hospitality expert Mohan Kumar PK, chef Nimish Bhatia and Ramaiah University of Applied Sciences associate professor Priya Arjun, evaluated the entries and chose the winners. The jury visited locations before picking the winners.
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