madhuonthego

Pondicherry is one of the best weekend getaways from Bangalore. Over the years we visited this unique destination multiple times and each time we discovered something new. Apart from being high on spiritual quotient, Pondi is also a heaven for foodies.

Having seen the popular tourist spots already, focus of our recent trip was to relax near the beach, eat, drink and try Best restaurants in Pondicherry.

Our friends (who visit Pondicherry often) suggested to try Tanto Pizzeria, their favorite and best Italian restaurant in Auroville. The idea of having a relaxed meal in an open-air restaurant was appealing. Adding to this Italian cuisine was our choice of meal. All of us happily agreed to give it a try.

Next day we headed straight to Tanto Pizzeria for Lunch. Tanto is an Italian restaurant near Auroville.

We parked our car under a mighty Banyan tree spreading its canopy all over the restaurant. What a fascinating sight, so at the very first sight, I liked the ambience and the vibes. Very natural, surrounded by greenery.

Tanto in Italian means “Abundance”. Restaurant claims to use all-natural ingredients freshly made at their kitchen. They don’t use canned or processed food, many of the ingredients are grown organically in their kitchen garden.

We visited Tanto on a long weekend and it was very crowded. Being an open-air restaurant (with some shaded sitting areas too) one has to bear the humidity and Sun, but they do have fans installed at places. We found ourselves a sit out under the tree.We were a group of 9, including 3 kids.

Food

We ordered a variety of dishes including 2 types of Pizza, Mediterranean Pasta, Grilled Fish, Chicken steak, Prawns, French fries and Lemon iced tea.

Being a vegetarian, I binged on Fries, Pizza and Pasta. They were simply mouth-watering. Specially the Wood fired Pizza with freshly prepared base, so thin that it just melts in your mouth. Best part being, all the vegetables used in toppings retained their freshness, color and yet tasted so good. If you visit Tanto, don’t miss out on Pizza.

I also loved their lemon iced tea, tangy and sweet, a perfect beverage for humid and sultry weather.

Non vegetarian dishes were equally liked and appreciated by rest of the group. All the portion sizes were really big, and 1 dish can serve for 2 easily.

Tanto also offer healthy options like brown rice risotto including vegan dishes, vegetarian and sea food. So if you plan to watch your calories, you still have options to try here.

Service

Restaurant was very crowded the day we visited, staff seemed to be in rush trying to figure out and manage. It took us some time to find someone to place our order. Although staff was courteous and helpful. Wait time was long and somehow, they forgot to bring my Pasta. After multiple reminders, finally the pasta arrived when we almost finished our meal.

Ambience

As mentioned earlier I loved all the greenery surrounding the restaurant.Open-air sitting, gives a lazy and relaxed vibe to this place. Although hygiene factor was a bit disappointing, some plates and glasses were not cleaned properly, also there were lot of flies around. 

Overall experience

Overall, we had a good time enjoying a sumptuous and authentic Italian meal. Tanto is one of the best restaurants in Pondicherry and a must visit Italian restaurant in Auroville. Do take out time to pamper your taste buds at Tanto, when you visit Auroville next time.

Tanto Pizzeria

Cuisine: Italian & Mediterranean

Approx cost: 1500 for 2

Options: Vegetarian, Vegan, Non vegetarian, Seafood

Must try: Pizza & Lemon iced tea

Suitable for: Solo as well as families

Ignore: the humidity, flies and dust around

 

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