Restaurant India News: Kanara Kanteen Opens in Mangaluru as All-Day Canteen and Modern Dive Bar

Kanara Kanteen has opened in Mangaluru, bringing together South Canara’s everyday food culture in a relaxed, all-day format.
By day, it functions as a casual canteen serving comfort-driven coastal dishes inspired by home kitchens, local eateries and snack counters. By night, it transforms into a lively modern dive bar.

The menu balances familiarity and innovation. Dishes like Amritsari Chole Buns and Kanteen Pomfret and Chips revisit popular favourites with a fresh twist, while Soft Shell Crab Pav and Silver Fish Tempura add a street-style indulgent touch. Coastal Crab Masala highlights the bold, spicy flavours the region is known for. Snacks such as Modern Chakkuli Chat retain their comfort factor while being reimagined. Desserts stay nostalgic, with the signature Shahi Tukda served with malai rabdi, nuts and rose petals offering a warm, traditional finish.

In the evening, the focus shifts to cocktails inspired by local memories and regional references. Gujje Kolada celebrates jackfruit and the monsoon season, Ay-Rekha Martini draws from the region’s areca culture with hints of betel leaf, and Gulf Return Uncle is inspired by monsoon guavas and childhood snack memories.

The interiors blend canteen-style seating with a central bar, drawing inspiration from the South Canara coastline and retro-futuristic design elements. For Avinash Kapoli, Cofounder of Kompany Hospitality, Kanara Kanteen is a homecoming. Originally from Mangaluru, this project marks a return to the city that shaped his earliest food memories, from canteen lunches and evening snacks to late-night conversations over drinks. After building well-known hospitality brands such as SOKA and Kalpaney, Kanara Kanteen is about bringing a new idea to the city that has given him so much.

“There are flavours and habits you grow up with that never really leave you,” says Avinash. “Kanara Kanteen comes from that place. It’s casual, it’s comforting, and it doesn’t try too hard. It just feels like it belongs here.” From Kompany Hospitality, Rooted in the Coast Kanara Kanteen is the newest project from Kompany Hospitality, the group behind SOKA and Kalpaney. While those brands have built strong reputations across cities, Kanara Kanteen remains firmly grounded in Mangaluru.