Basappa Khanavali

You can find us in the Basappa Khanavali Building, right on College Road in Dharwad. We are very close to the Court Circle on P B Road, so we get a lot of different people coming in. Mostly it is students from the nearby colleges and lawyers or clerks who work at the court. Being a khanavali, we focus on traditional food like jolada roti. We don't have those fancy printed menus that change every week. People come here because they know exactly what they are going to get on their plate. During the lunch hour, it gets very noisy with the sound of steel plates and people talking. I usually sit near the front to handle the bills. The kitchen is small, but the cooks are fast. We use long wooden benches instead of individual chairs, which helps us fit more people when it's crowded. The walls have a few old calendars on them, and that's about it for decor. It’s hard work getting the grains ready early in the morning, and the kitchen gets quite hot by noon. We don't bother with any advertising or social media stuff. If the food is okay and the price is right, people will always come back. That is how businesses like ours have survived in Dharwad for a long time. It’s a simple, honest way to make a living and keep the neighborhood fed without any extra trouble.