gayatri tiffin room

gayathri tiffin room or gtr is the most familiar name for traditional mysore style breakfast. i had been here almost a year ago while coming from gopalaswamy betta. we were supposed to go to another legendary breakfast place, but one of the localities suggestions, we en route towards gtr.
as soon as i entered inside i noticed so many middle aged folks with a cup of coffee. these things gave me positive impression about the place. while going here i was checking about the place and saw beautiful blog posts of the gtr and the dishes to order!
we ordered ghee roast, rava dosa and idly vada chutney. ghee roast was excellent and truly appealing with aromas of ghee and especially chutney was too lip-smacking! idly was fluffy and piping hot, heavenly feeling of idly lovers like me. i did not like the rava dosa for some reason and a couple of my friends like their carrot halwa and kesari bath!
our breakfast finished with a cup of strong coffee.
bill was around 400 inr for 5 people, which is quite nominal isn’t it?
restaurant owner realized that we had come from bangalore, so he was quite courteous and polite. he welcomes everyone with his attentive smile. i enjoyed my breakfast at gtr and highly recommended place at heritage city of karnataka. i would love to visit again!
overall:
taste: 4.5/5
quality: 4/5
ambiance: 4/5
vfm: 4/5
service: 3.5/5

pluses:

1. menu: they have a simple menu of masala dosa, plain dosa, idli coffee, upma and kesari bhaat. coffee is very good. they also serve south indian thalis for lunch

2. price: reasonable price for the dosas

minuses:

1. dosas are good but not outstanding. not worth the hype. preferred the masala dosa over the plain one. idlis were good.

2. self service: the main dining area is self service, so once you handover the coupon at the food counter you literally have to push and shove around to get your dosa.

3. hygiene: they have this open kitchen and serving counter. the hygiene left a lot to be desired. the food counters were not cleaned properly and the kitchen looked unhygienic.

4. location:a little difficult to locate

final verdict (2/5) would not drive all the way to the other end of town to taste their dosas

update: with much disappointment, i am downgrading the rating from 5 star to 1. i defended gtr even most of the people were saying it is not as good as before, but finally i had to give in. on a sunday morning (supposedly busy day), my family had breakfast here before leaving for a trip. we were served a half stale dosa and my father, an elderly man, had to suffer indigestion for a big part of the trip. i am never visiting this place again. and i have utter disgust towards restaurants serving unhygienic food and that take customers for granted. what a pity, to see the once famous gtr crumbling before our eyes. it is dying a slow death.
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disclaimer: my review is biased since i have an emotional attachment with this place.

gtr is a traditional food joint in mysore and i have been a patron here for around 25 years. this place serves the best masala dosa - chutney combination ever. though people argue that the taste has come down, for me it is still the best.
it is also famous for idly, poori saagu, kesri bath, mangalore bajji.
the nostalgia is free with the delicious food served here.
p.s: it is closed after 8 pm and on mondays, so plan accordingly.

the best dosa of mysore
this hotel is very old but has been slightly renovated compared to olden days
the masala dosa with ghee roast is the mouthwatering and juicy dosa you an ever taste in mysore

recommendations / must try

1. masala dosa
2. carrot halwa (superb) 
3. upma

ambiance 3/5
food 4.5/5
service (self service)
price 4/5

gtr must visit place in mysore...
must try : masala dosa n chutney,carrot halwa,manglore bajji and coffee.. a true taste of mysore masala dosa. be early to reach there as the place is crowded.

a small hotel in mysore, read the reviews and on friends suggestion visited this place. went there for the dosas but loved the khara bath. i felt, the dosas(plain, masala and onion uttappa) were just about ok. there was no 'wow' factor in the taste. i'd rate khara bath higher in taste than the dosas. the chutney was good. they have installed ro purifier for water which is good for a small hotel. the coffee was alright. overall, i had something like vb of bangalore in mind which obviously disappoints me. khara bath - thumbs up !

a childhood favorite spot for all the mysoreans. but now the taste as well as the quality of food has been compromised. the dosa is extremely oily and thick. the kesri bath and carrot halwa are excellent in taste till date but the portion is very very little.

gtr popularly known as vidyarthi bhavan of mysore! is it worth of all those hype? if i answer being a bangalorean it will be "no" and if i answer in the view of mysorean it will be "yes". let me explain,

the one who tasted masal dosa in ctr, vidyarthi bhavan, mtr would absolutely rate this restaurant below 2.5 or 3. but if you consider restaurants in and around mysore, gtr definitely scores above 3.5

ambiance: it appears like they have recently renovated first floor to serve north indian & south indian meals. but they have succeeded in preserving the old ambiance at ground floor where they serve south indian breakfast (especially masal dosa). tables and chairs reminds you 60's. they have a separate wing which is dedicated for women. apart from that, they have a vast serving desk. somehow, the ambiance gets you to the old times.

service: its quick. since i visited this restaurant as soon as it opened in the evening, crowd was really less. so, they managed to serve very quickly. i'm not sure whether the service will like that only even during crowded hours.

food: i ordered masal dosa, which was just good. i think, i went there with high expectation. i must admit, at the first bite i was bit disappointed. but however, convinced myself and finished it off. i didn't gave any thought for having another dosa.

dosa they prepare here will be soft and crispy at the same time. but it is more like home made dosa rather than being a typical "hotel dosa". however, taste doesn't disappoints you.

everything else: though the complete kitchen is not visible from dining area, i got a glimpse of it. its too dark and walls are oily. hygiene is a real concern in here. parking is not a problem. google map will lead you exactly to its location. they serve dosa till 10.30am & post 4pm only.

final verdict: you can give it a try! but don't compare it bangalore's legendary restaurants.

gtr's awesome dosa is a history. not anymore. i have grown up eating gtr's dosa but off late the experience has been really bad .dosas were either half done or over roasted. vadas were not at all fried and the barter was raw inside .
totally my experience has been really bad and i don't think it serves best dosas any more .

ambience: 3/5
service: na
food: 4/5

this place is known to have a legacy of it's own for serving some real good south indian food. i happened to visit this place on a sunday (late) morning for breakfast, when the restaurant was about to close and i was just in time. the owner/cashier was kind enough to let me order, even though he was very well in his right to deny me service since it was about to close. 

the moment you enter, you're supposed to order at the cash counter, pay for the food and take the receipt. you then have to give the receipt to another counter (which generally has a queue) and get your food from there. pretty much self service. although the people cleaning the tables are prompt.

even though the restaurant was nearing the closing time, it was pretty crowded. i had butter masala dosa, a coffee and gajar halwa. the food was really good and tasted amazing. talking of the prices as per mysore's cost standards, i'd say it's a tad bit costly but the price comes with the name and the experience.

recommended to visit at least once.

food - 4/5
service - 2/5
ambience - 3/5

dont miss their open benne masala dosa & coffee! legend restaurant with old school charm. no table service here. only self service. also, things run out very soon; so make a single order of whatever you want & wait & collect everything before sitting & eating. missed their famous kesari bath within a matter of minutes.

will i visit again? yes!

very unfortunate that it’s simply loosing its charm.
idlis never taste like before and the staff are rude .
people flock in due to its history and there are regular customers like me who come in since decades, i clearly see a change and sad to see it’s state and loosing its “go to” taste.

went there after seeing it in zomato’s “must-visit in mysore” but extremely disappointed with the food.
ordered a masala dosa and filter coffee. dosa was oily and bland. filter coffee was lukewarm and okayish tasting :/

very disappointed with the food here..overhyped place.
found three small hair in my masala dosa and the kesari bhat was disappointing as well.

gtr had a cult following once upon a time. a proud mysorean, i used to recommend this place to all my friends. sadly the standards have steadily declined. visited today (29th nov 2020). vowed never to come back. rude servers at the counter...uncooked dosas (i could taste the avalakki in the batter in every mouthful) , horrible coffee..😭. is this because of the pandemic ? is their usual manpower not in attendance?....i don't know...this is how popular places go on the decline...and then shut shop finally. am being generous in going with 2 stars.