Traditional Gowda Cooking Class and Meal in a Bangalore Home

Recommended by 100% of travelers

Bangalore, India

3 hours (approx.)
Group discounts
Mobile ticket
Offered in: English

Explore our promoted experiences

Doctor led Bengaluru Food Tour Discover Authentic Local Cuisine

Bangalore, India

5.0

(4)

Doctor led Bengaluru Food Tour Discover Authentic Local Cuisine

from $88

Bangalore, India

4.9

(11)

Bangalore The original Pub crawl Tour

from $50

Discover Bangalore's Cuisine: Private Half-Day Cooking Experience

Bangalore, India

5.0

(3)

Discover Bangalore's Cuisine: Private Half-Day Cooking Experience

from $60

Price varies by group size

Viator earns higher commissions on experiences featured here

Overview

South India is famed for its food, but it can be hard to get your culinary fix once your vacation ends. Learn how to prepare Gowdi favorites such as “neruli bajji” (fried onion fritters) and “mamsada saaru” (stewed mutton) during this private, half-day cooking workshop in Bangalore. Learn generations-old recipes you won’t find in any restaurant. Then, sit down to indulge in your freshly prepared meal and conversation with your hostess.

Perfect for foodies seeking to experience culinary traditions and Karnataka hospitality
Includes cooking lesson, and full meal with appetizers, dessert, and beverages
Choice of lunch or dinner workshops easily slots into even packed travel schedules
Private tours mean a personalized experience, with undivided attention from your hostess

Sample Menu

Main

Holige (a lentil-stuffed flatbread)

or Bisi bele huli anna (a savory dish of rice, vegetables and lentils)

Starter

Ragi mudde

(millet flour balls which are typically eaten in rural Karnataka state)

Main

Mamsada saaru (stewed mutton)

Dessert

Gowda sweets

What's Included

Private authentic Gowda cooking class
Home-cooked South Indian meal

Hotel pickup and drop-off

Meeting and Pickup

Meeting point

Rajajinagar, Bengaluru, Karnataka, India
Meet your host at her home in Rajajinagar in Bengaluru. As maps can be confusing in India it is best to have your driver call your host to ask for directions to her home. Above only offers neighborhood details, for the exact address please check the 'before you go' section in your voucher.

End point

This activity ends back at the meeting point.

What To Expect

Additional Info

Confirmation will be received within 48 hours of booking, subject to availability
Not wheelchair accessible
Stroller accessible
Near public transportation

Vegetarian option is available, please advise at time of booking if required
Please advise any specific dietary requirements at time of booking
This is a private tour/activity. Only your group will participate

Supplied by

Cancellation Policy

You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.

Traveler Photos

Gallery picture 1 (from a traveler's review)

Gallery picture 2 (from a traveler's review)

Gallery picture 3 (from a traveler's review)

Gallery picture 4 (from a traveler's review)

Gallery picture 5 (from a traveler's review)

Featured review

Sarah_J

We had a wonderful afternoon with Archana and her family in theor lovely home. As 5th generation Bangalorians, you cannot get more authentic food than what she shared with us. Archana clearly loves sharing about her heritage and the family recipes going back generations. From the tour of her roof top garden, to the lessons on making Dosas and other traditional dishes, it was a perfect way to spend the afternoon. Our only mistake was to wait until the last day of our trip to visit with Archana - she has so many great suggestions on places in and around Bangaluru to try - we wish we had visited with her at the beginning of our stay so we could benefit from her and her husband's wealth of knowledge about the area. Thank you!!

Reviews

4.9

based on 31 reviews

Total reviews and rating from Viator & Tripadvisor

We perform checks on reviews

Wonderful authenitic meal and cooking lesson

Sarah_J, Jan 2026

Wonderful food and family

Ian_M, Feb 2025

It’s a pleasure to be invited into a family home and receive such great information about the delicious foods but also to experience the way of life of our hosts.

An evening to remember

Tajia_M, Aug 2024

This experience was incredible and I would recommend it to absolutely everyone! Archana is a wonderful host who has a wealth of knowledge that she is happy to share with others. She is the only cooking experience that allows you to come alone, but you never feel alone once you arrive. Everyone in the family shares their time with you and makes you feel welcome in their space. Archana clearly explains the thought and reasoning behind the food she makes and the cultural relevance of it all as well. She even made adjustments to what she had planned on making as we discussed my life and the access to ingredients that I had at home. This experience is meant to give you a glimpse into the lives, culture, and customs of people from Bengaluru, and that’s what you get and more. I cannot recommend this enough to anyone thinking of taking a cooking class in Bengaluru. THIS is definitely the class you want to take!

Great local South Indian cooking experience

Vanessa_G, Jun 2024

Had a wonderful day with Archana and family, with walking through the rooftop garden to select our herbs etc. to prepare for today’s meal. From when I arrived, Archana gave me a lovely overview of the culture and history as we chatted. She was very friendly and welcoming with me as a stranger in her home, I felt very comfortable and welcome with her warm hospitality. I feel that there is so much complexity to Indian cuisine and some of this need to be pre soaked and prepared the day prior to get the full authenticity, so we prepared what we could with the fresh ingredients to make the dishes complete. I learned so much and then got to sample the dishes that we cooked and prepared. I now feel confident that I may re-create these back home in Australia now Archana has given me her recipes too. Great day and would highly recommend this for a true authentic Indian food experience. Loved my day and thanks for the warm hospitality.

Amazing and Delicious Experience! 5/5 stars!

Isobella_H, May 2024

We absolutely loved this experience! We met Archana and her entire family; they were all so welcoming to us and we had great conversations! Archana showed us how to use several staple ingredients and mix and match to make new dishes. We had a blast with grating fresh coconut and making a roti each. The food in the pictures is not all that we ate, there was even more! Everything was so delicious and Archana spends the time to discuss with you anything you want to learn while you are there regarding the cooking. After the experience Archana also sends through some written recipe guides which are so helpful! This was such a lovely experience and really worth it, 5/5 stars! Thanks again Archana and your family for having us!

Authentic cooking experience!

Lea_P, Dec 2023

We were greeted very friendly in a calm residential area by Archana and her husband Rajesh. Immediately we started learning about the values and meaning of Indian cuisine while having a hot immunobooster and snacks. We learned a lot about what foods have which effect on the body and why they are paired in a specific dish. Cooking was very relaxed and we were able to ask many questions while Archana showed us multiple dishes. While the food was being served we had the chance to take a look at her vegetable garden, which was very impressive. The food was served on a banana leaf and incredibly tasty. We can’t wait to replicate some of the meals back home.

Authentic cooking and dining experience in a real home, with a real family

Abhay_M, Jun 2022

We are of North Indian heritage, but have been living in the US for over 30 years, and find that South India can really be a different country from the North. So we are really just tourists in South India, and wanted to get a good understanding of the South. As a tourist, it's difficult to get an authentic experience of a place. A tourist's dream is to get embedded in a real family for a day, talk about real things, get a feel for the everyday life through real happenings, experience the actual making of a menu, followed by the cooking of a real meal, ending with the enjoyment of eating what was prepared together, with all the cultural undertones of how family members interact with each other and how they interact with guests. We had exactly such an authentic experience with Archana, Rajesh and family. It was an evening we are going to cherish for a long time. It started on their terrace garden where they grow at least 50 species of vegetables, herbs and flowers. Progressed into an evening of light conversation about real topics where you can get to know each other. Then came the preparation of the meal with most family members involved, just like a real day. Finally, we sat down for the meal with the very authentic and doting family. Can't say enough good things about the evening. Overall summary: if you want to experience the real South India, in a real home, with a real family, and learn how to cook some real dishes, you can't find a much better experience than this one. Five stars and highly recommended

This is beyond a cooking lesson but...

Sandra S, Feb 2017

This is beyond a cooking lesson but also a great cultural experience. Archana and her mother were wonderful hosts. You felt comfortable and at home as soon as you entered their house. She enthusiastically shared elements of her culture through personal story telling and sharing family crafts and pictures. She shared with us different spices and even grabbed some plants from the garden to explain the various medicinal properties.