Shikari

The Verdict

Shikari — the word means 'hunter' in Hindi — is the main dining room of the Royal Orchid Metropole Hotel, a 1920s-era building that was originally the Metropole Hotel of Mysore and was renovated and reopened under the Royal Orchid flag in the 2000s. The restaurant occupies the hotel's ground floor with a terrace opening onto the hotel's central lawn, and the room is themed around the colonial-era big-game hunting culture — framed photographs, vintage taxidermy (restored rather than new), and a bar area that holds the hotel's single-malt whisky programme.

The menu is a multi-cuisine programme with a grill focus — Indian tandoor (the kebabs are the signature, with the paneer tikka being notable), a North Indian section heavy on Mughlai preparations, a South Indian section that represents the local Mysore culinary tradition, and a Continental section built around grilled meats and a short pasta list. The Sunday brunch is the most ambitious buffet in the hotel's calendar and includes a live grilling station.

The dining room seats approximately 90 across the main hall and 30 on the terrace. A private dining room for 16 is the usual setting for the hotel's corporate dinners. Service is Royal Orchid standard — professional, attentive, and bilingual English-Kannada — and the staff training is among the most consistent in Mysore's hotel dining.

Shikari is not the highest-register dinner in Mysore but it is the most reliable — a hotel dining room that has maintained the same operational standard for two decades, handling corporate and social groups of up to 20 covers without dropping the register. For the team dinner or the business occasion that does not require the formality of Sapphire, it remains the Mysore default.

Why It Works for Team Dinner

Shikari is the Mysore team-dinner room for a group that wants a heritage hotel context without the higher register of Sapphire. A 1920-era hunting-lodge-themed dining room inside the Royal Orchid Metropole, with a menu that handles 10-20 covers without strain, a wine list that will not embarrass, and a pace appropriate for a longer team evening.

Also in Mysore

For diners planning a broader Mysore itinerary: Sapphire offers indian and continental at a different register; The Elephant Bar is the alternative for a second-night booking; and Tiger Trail anchors the city's team dinner map. The full grid is on the Mysore index, and the broader Team Dinner occasion page collects the most relevant peers globally.