India GOObbattu in Bangalore
Obbattu is a festival bread, but in Bangalore you do not have to wait for a festival: a specialist counter in Basavanagudi makes little else, and VV Puram, the eating street of old Basavanagudi, makes it in the evening among the dosas. In the city it goes by two names, obbattu and holige, for the same thin, jaggery-stuffed flatbread.
🥮 Obbattu
A paper-thin flatbread stuffed with jaggery and split gram, rolled so carefully that the filling shows through. Made for festivals, and in Mysore made all year because people ask.
How it's eaten
A spoon of ghee on top while it is still warm is not optional here.
The city's food with veg and non-spicy filters, in the app.
Open in India GO
Where to eat it in Bangalore
Three places from the India GO guide, all vegetarian.
Mane Holige, DVG Road, Basavanagudi
A specialist counter devoted to holige, with fillings of jaggery, lentil or coconut, in traditional and newer flavours. It sells so fast that there is usually a queue, which means yours comes warm off the tawa (griddle). DVG Road is also the street of Gandhi Bazaar, the old market of south Bangalore.
VV Puram Food Street
About a hundred metres of vegetarian stalls that come alive after 5 pm: dosas, paddu, bajji and holige, all cooked to order in front of you. It is noticeably clean for a street market. Eat what comes hot off the tawa, and carry cash.
Halli Mane, Malleshwaram
"Village house" in Kannada: rural Karnataka cooking on Sampige Road, with seasonal obbattu next to ragi rotti and akki (rice) rotti, and a banana-leaf thali at lunch. Obbattu here depends on the season. It gets busy, so go off-peak.
Obbattu or holige
The same flatbread changes its name across Karnataka: obbattu in the south of the state, holige mainly in the north, and puran poli in Maharashtra. Bangalore uses both. The classic filling is chana dal cooked soft and ground with jaggery, often with cardamom or nutmeg, wrapped in dough and rolled so thin that the filling shows through. More on the family of names on the obbattu page.
It is the festive bake of Yugadi (Ugadi), the New Year in Karnataka; in 2027 Ugadi falls on 7 April.
Eat it warm, on the spot
Obbattu is best warm off the tawa, which is why the queues at Mane Holige help, and it is served with a layer of ghee on top, as is standard in Mysore. It is vegetarian; ghee is among its usual ingredients, so it is not vegan. An evening at VV Puram also works as a guided walk, see food tours in Bangalore, and more snacks are on street food in Bangalore.
❓ FAQ
Where can I buy obbattu in Bangalore?
Mane Holige on DVG Road in Basavanagudi specialises in it; VV Puram Food Street has holige after 5 pm; Halli Mane in Malleshwaram has it in season.
Are obbattu and holige the same?
Yes. Obbattu is the south Karnataka name, holige is used mainly in the north of the state, and Bangalore uses both.
When is obbattu eaten?
At festivals, above all Ugadi, the New Year in Karnataka (7 April in 2027). In Bangalore you need not wait: Mane Holige specialises in it.
Is obbattu vegetarian?
Yes: dough, chana dal and jaggery, with no egg. Ghee is among its usual ingredients, so it is not vegan.