The restaurant is located along the Museum Cross Road which runs perpendicular to Church Street in downtown Bangalore; their USP are their meaty steaks and burgers, together with the nostalgia of yesteryears. It’s a standalone restaurant and an old establishment dating back to maybe thirty years or more; the brief history is printed out, laminated, displayed at the entrance next to the day’s specials chakled out on a blackboard. The day’s specials were the Vienna steak and Trifle pudding. It was our second visit here.

Our first visit to TOP was out of sheer curiosity. So what’s the hype ? The meat 🥩 and mostly American style food. The burger is a universal favourite and surrounded by French fries, it’s a major pull 🍔. They don’t serve alcohol.

The seating is open air with a high roof which facilitates natural air circulation and good for the pandemic times; but in the hot dry afternoons we missed the cool blast of an air-conditioner. On weekends, the restaurant fills up fast and parking in the small restaurant compound seemed a challenge, but its managed well by the valet staff with commendable parking skills.

We started with the Cream of Chicken soup; it came with an accompaniment of bread, buttered, toasted and sprinkled with herbs, it tasted heavenly 😘 and soon melted away in the mouth 😋

The kid decided on a steak -a Double Fillet Mignon, medium well done👇. Adjacent to us a small kid was looking happily at his burger which arrived loaded and surrounded by fries.

Hubs tried the O P’s Special Chicken, it was good too ! It was plated with a side of mashed potatoes and sauteed spinach. This dish was seen on other tables too and seemed to be a favourite among the guests.

I cannot digest a full steak or a burger patty and hence as a lighter alternative I tried the Chicken Lasagne during our first time and the O P’s Special Shepherd’s Pie on the second visit, they were just average. The Shepherd’s Pie was a generous slice but it had gone cold and surrounded by a brown glutinous sauce which was also cold and not appetising. The crust of the pie was hard and doughy; on the whole no wow factor for something with the “O P’s Special” tag.

Out first visit to TOP saw checkered tablecloths and the second visit was marked by disposable paper table mats. Cost cutting or hygiene !? The food for us felt just average, there were hits and misses; maybe we expected too much; anyone who is a foodie in Bangalore has heard of The Only Place. Or maybe the chefs have changed over the years and hence the quality has been at bit diluted. Or maybe it’s in the dishes you choose, some are just better. Both times, we skipped dessert, but the fresh lemon juice was refreshing.

The old Bangaloreans still hold the place dear, literally, amidst the young crowd, you can see solo diners and groups of silver haired patrons having their weekend lunch out here. That’s heartwarming sight to see. The service is impeccable and we will go back, but only to the tired and tested dishes.

Till next post, take care !!