Brigade Road

This is a popular hangout for young people, because there is a lot of entertainment available, as well as a lot of shopping options.

You’ll get just about everything here. There is Rex (the best movie theatre in town). There is Cyber Café (coffee and the Internet). You will find a bowling alley, a discothèque, a video game parlor, eating places (including The Only Place, which serves great steaks and desserts) and Nilgiri’s (which is a really good grocery store). There are showrooms for brands like Lee, Van Heusen, and Louis Phillippe. You can buy a lot of unbranded clothes, shoes and jewelry as well.

There are malls like Fifth Avenue and Mota Royal Arcade, which are worth exploring. You’ll get a range of items and the stores range from low budget to exorbitant.

Commercial Street
This is a strictly shopping area. You won’t find entertainment outlets as you would on Brigade Road. Here, you can buy clothes, dress materials, jewelry, and food.

Woody’s serves good South Indian food. They also have continental and North Indian items, but I personally suggest you go for the classic masala dosa. Nothing beats it! (Unless, perhaps, you make it everyday at home.) This place is definitely value for money.

Coffee Day is popular with people of all ages. The ambience is excellent—informal, discreet and generally appealing. They have different kinds of coffee, and they also have items like sandwiches, pizzas and pies. And of course, you can surf the Internet. A friend of mine once told me that you could do just about anything there as along as you don’t burn the place down. That’s a little exaggerated, but the management does allow you a fair amount of freedom. You can ask them to play any cassettes that you may have brought along…

Natural’s is heaven on earth for ice-cream lovers. For Rs.22, you can feast on the most delicious and exotic flavors imaginable. They use real fresh fruit in their ice cream. This is not to be missed.

The Cakeshop of the Taj, with its pastries, cakes and patties, is located right next to Naturals’s. Indulge your stomach by eating some of the Taj’s goodies, and topping it off with dessert at Natural’s!

The side streets are definitely worth exploring. You never know what you might stumble upon. Clothes and jewelry here tend to be inexpensive, especially if they are unbranded. The clothes aren’t of particularly high quality, but if you’re not too snobbish about it, you’ll find some really good deals. Most people do not remember the names of the smaller stores, because it really does not matter. Just go ahead and look around!

M.G. Road

M.G.Road is a very popular commercial area. There is a large number of sari stores, like Deepam Silks and Prasiddhi. There are plenty of stores that sell saris as well as other clothes. The Raymond’s and Cotton World showrooms are located here. Go ahead and browse—as a shopper it’s your prerogative!

There are two movie theatres—Plaza and Symphony. Gangaram, a well-established bookstore, is a very popular stop, as is Higgin Botham, which is also a bookstore, but much smaller.

Jamal’s is frequented by buyers of china and cutlery.
There’s a lot to see, so you should allocate a goodish amount of time and explore.

The best part is, M.G. Road is right next to Brigade Road! Rejoice!