India GOSouth Indian thali in Mysore
In Mysore the South Indian thali is lunch, and on the menu it is usually called meals: rice in the middle, small dishes around it, refilled until you stop the servers. Most of the classic addresses are a short walk from the palace or Devaraja Market, so it fits naturally between sights.
South Indian Thali
Rice in the middle, small bowls around it, refills until you stop them. On southern menus it is usually written as "meals", and the unlimited part is the whole idea.
How it's eaten
Wait for the servers to come round rather than ordering more: the rounds are how the meal is paced.
The city's food with veg and non-spicy filters, in the app.
Open in India GO
Where to eat it, by area
Places from the India GO guide. All are vegetarian except Hotel RRR, which also has a meat menu.
Gandhi Square: Hotel RRR
A decades-old banana-leaf hall where the leaf is loaded the moment you sit: rice, sambar, rasam, palya (dry vegetables) and payasam (a sweet pudding), refilled until you stop them. The kitchen also runs an Andhra-style meat menu, so the room is mixed. Expect a queue at peak lunch.
Gandhi Square: Hotel Dasaprakash
A name in Mysore catering since 1921, in a heritage hotel. Its vegetarian hall, Akshaya, serves mild, classic South Indian meals, and after them the old-school ice-cream sundaes and fruit salad with ice cream that generations grew up on.
Near the palace: Om Shanthi
A long-standing, well-priced restaurant near Mysore Palace, best known for its South Indian thali, in an air-cooled room. It fills up, so time it around the lunch rush.
By the market: Indra Café's Paras
Opposite Devaraja Market since 1956, with full North and South Indian thalis at lunch and its own sweet counter. Almost always busy, so be ready to share a table.
Ballal Circle and Gokulam: Mahesh Prasad and Nalpak
Mahesh Prasad at Ballal Circle (Krishnamurthypuram) is a clean, family-packed room known for its generous unlimited vegetarian thali, within easy reach of the palace and the market. Nalpak in Gokulam is a local pure-veg chain with branches across the residential west of the city, a dependable thali without hunting.
👣 How a Mysore meal works
The servers set the pace; you follow.
- Ask for meals
On menus the thali is usually written as meals, and the unlimited part is the whole idea.
- Wait for the rounds
Rather than ordering more, wait for the servers to come round: the rounds are how the meal is paced.
- Say when to stop
Refills keep coming until you say you have had enough.
Vegetarian, rarely vegan
The classic meals plate is vegetarian, and all the places above are pure-veg except Hotel RRR. Curd (yogurt) is a usual part of a thali, and payasam is often made with milk, so it is rarely vegan. What goes on the plate is explained on the South Indian thali page; more lunch options are in Mysore restaurants and vegetarian food in Mysore.
❓ FAQ
What is a South Indian thali called in Mysore?
Meals. Ask for meals at lunch: at Hotel RRR, for example, the leaf gets rice, sambar, rasam, palya and payasam, refilled until you stop them.
Where can I eat a South Indian thali near Mysore Palace?
Om Shanthi near the palace, Hotel RRR and Hotel Dasaprakash at Gandhi Square, and Indra Café's Paras opposite Devaraja Market.
Is Hotel RRR vegetarian?
Not entirely. Its banana-leaf meals are vegetarian, but the kitchen also runs an Andhra-style meat menu. For a fully vegetarian room, choose one of the other places.