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Dosa On Fillmore
Category: Restaurants Indian Indian [Edit]
1700 Fillmore St(between Post St & Sutter St)
San Francisco, CA 94115
Neighborhoods: Japantown, Lower Pac Heights, Pacific Heights
(415) 441-3672
- Hours:
Mon-Thu 5:30 pm - 11 pm
Wed-Fri 11:30 am - 2:30 pm
Fri-Sat 5:30 pm - 12 am
Sat-Sun 11:30 am - 3 pm
Sun 5:30 pm - 11:30 pm
- Attire:
- Casual
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Street
- Price Range:
-
$$$
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Good for Kids:
- No
- Takes Reservations:
- Yes
- Delivery:
- No
- Take-out:
- Yes
- Waiter Service:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- No
- Wi-Fi:
- No
- Good For:
- Dinner
- Alcohol:
- Full Bar
- Noise Level:
- Average
- Ambience:
- Trendy
- Has TV:
- No
- Caters:
- No
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
1183 reviews for Dosa On Fillmore
Review Highlights
"Also the chennai chicken is our favorite appetizer."
(in 79 reviews)
"Pepper Chicken + Lamb Kofta (South Indian curry."
(in 43 reviews)
"My favs - dahi vada, the masala chai, uttapam."
(in 39 reviews)
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1183 reviews in English
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Review from Roy C.
San Francisco, CA
1/27/2012 2 Check-ins Here
Beet Croquette = Excellent
Chennai Chicken = Pretty good.
Fish Pakora = Okay. I didn't really like the texture of the fish in this.
Rava Masala = Pretty good dosa. Goes well with the sauce.
Green Mango & Paneer Uttapam = Interesting flavor that really grew on me.
Poppy Seed Prawn = Excellent curry sauce that goes well with coconut rice.
Duck Vindaloo = Good curry that wasn't as spicy as I had hoped.
Lamb Kofta = Nice texture, delicious sauce.
I definitely prefer Dosa on Fillmore over the Valencia branch. It's a nice, upscale atmosphere with excellent service. -
Review from Ashley J.
2/7/2012 1 Check-in Here
It pains me to give this place a mere 3 star rating. I really wanted to like this place more. Let me start off by saying this place has an AMAZING ambiance. I love all the creative lighting, the friendly staff, and the bar is always a fun place to grab a drink even if you're not planning on eating here.
We made reservations (which I highly recommend for Friday-Sunday at least). We were seated pretty quickly on arriving and ordered cocktails when we sat down. The waiter was very good at answering our questions, and was very knowledgeable about the menu. We wanted to split a bunch of dishes between the 4 of us so we asked the waiter what he suggested. He told us that 3 small plates, 1 entree, and 1 dosa would probably suffice and we could order more if we were still hungry afterward. Sounded good to me so that's exactly what we did. And of course we ordered 2 bottles of wine on top of that :)
What We Ate:
-Grilled Calamari ($10): Worst thing I had the whole night. 2/4 of us liked it. It just wasn't was I was expecting and the taste just didn't sit right with me. It came with like 8 pieces all together. The price for this appetizer was pretty ridiculous for such a tiny amount of food.
-Hyderabadi Lamb Kebab ($12): The best appetizer I had. Just enough spice. This was really delicious! We were about to not order this as some of us don't really care for lamb (including myself), but we went for it anyways and I was pleasantly surprised.
-Chennai Chicken ($10): These were excellent. It came with a lot of chicken and the yogurt dipping sauce was excellent. Definitely a spicy dish so have a glass of water ready with this one! I really enjoyed this small plate.
-Hyderabadi Chicken Biryani ($20): This dish was alright. It was basically a medium bowl full of mostly rice and 2 chicken drumsticks. The taste was just so-so (almost tasted like chicken fried rice). For $20 I expected a much larger dish, or maybe the same amount of rice with way more chicken than what we were given.
-Masala Dosa ($11): The dosa tasted absolutely AMAZING, but what threw me off was the one tiny glop of spiced mashed potatoes inside the massive lentil crepe that was on the plate. How the heck are you supposed to split a tiny spoonful of potatoes between 4 people? I was expecting something completely different (MORE potatoes). The flavor was perfect though and I absolutely loved the tomato and lentil dips it came with. The coconut dip was also good, but not my favorite.
Our bill came to about $60/person including the tip and the 2 bottles of wine we ordered. Not bad for a fancy night out with friends, but next time I want Indian food I'll be going to a cheaper restaurant with the same/better quality, and save Dosa for a place to booze and socialize. -
Review from Sarah S.
San Francisco, CA
2/1/2012
What's really going for this place is the ambiance. If you are an American through and through but want to feel like you have done something vaguely "ethnic" but are afraid of poor people, this is a great choice.
Anyone who has ever been to India should not be impressed. The food is not spicy. It is expensive. There are only a couple vegetarian options. I thought the Southern Samosa was a preposterous food item. I cannot justify the pricetag on this place.Comment from Anjan M. of Dosa On Fillmore 2/8/2012
Hi Sarah Thanks for visiting us at DOSA! We certainly… More » -
Review from Natalie R.
San Francisco, CA
1/28/2012
Definitely upscale overpriced Indian food. Great ambiance in a great location bumps the prices up I suppose. I came with a friend for dine about town and so we went off the pre fixe menu. The scallops were deliciously spicy but you only get 2, the chennai chicken was ok - chewy, basically boneless chicken wings - ended up handing those over for my friend to finish. As for the main courses the mango & paneer dosa was kindof blah - like a crispy pancake filled with cheese that you dip in a bunch of sauces, and the tomato & onion uttapam looked exactly like an omelette with veggies - tasty but small. The pepper chicken curry was delicious but by this point I was stuffed with wine and the appetizers and would have preferred a dessert option instead.
As for the wine, the $18 tasting flight is a rip off as we were told you only get about the equivalent of one glass of wine. So we ordered a bottle of one of the less expensive redson the menu (still 40 something) and it was barely drinkable, but we didn't want to be those people and send it back.
I suppose if you have the money and/or a special occasion this would be a great place. I'm a big fan of the open and airy space with upstairs seating and service was excellent, but not sold on the whole dosa concept. Major negative points for the SF health tax. I think if I want Indian food in the future I'll go to the $10 buffet down the street.Comment from Anjan M. of Dosa On Fillmore 2/1/2012
Hey Natalie Thanks very much for visiting us at DOSA! I… More » -
Review from LTine B.
Virginia Beach, VA
1/26/2012
Walking into this place I knew it was going to be amazing. I absolutely loved the decor, probably my favorite ever.
Obviously a popular place since it was packed on a weeknight and now I know why.
The food. Delicious and extremely flavorful. We went with one small dish, one dosa and one larger dish to split between two of us. The waiter and manager were very attentive and willing to suggest certain dishes.
After dinner, we had a few drinks at the bar and socialized with the bartender D'France. He made a few specialty drinks for us and was very personable.
Overall, fantastic experience and I will definitely be back if I ever am in SF again! -
Review from Vanessa L.
San Francisco, CA
1/26/2012
I am not a big fan on Indian food but this restaurant may have changed my mind! If you are craving a cocktail, I highly recommend the "peony." Yum!
I can't wait to go back! -
Review from Hari B.
San Carlos, CA
1/17/2012
Great Ambiance, good food and drinks and great service.
I have eaten at the Dosa in mission, this was my first time at Dosa on Fillmore.
The whole restaurant is nicely done, main dining (split into two levels), the bar area and the restrooms show investment and taste.
The place was buzzing - it is definitely very popular so make a reservation. We were seated promptly. Our waitress was friendly, low-pressure and very helpful and pleasant - 5 stars for the right touch to service.
The drink and wine menu is creative with plenty of choice.
We ordered the fish pakoras and Chennai chicken for appetizers - plenty for a party of four. For the main course we got prawn masala, pepper chicken, green mango and paneer dosa and roasted chilly garlic masala dosa. The food came out promptly and was tasty, again service was excellent with multiple servers coordinating with the main waitress.
For desert we had Madras coffee, dark chocolate cake and fresh coconut cake, everything was good.
I give it 4 stars because the food, though very good, is a little Americanized and a touch below authentic. I would surely go back, take friends and recommend it to friends.Listed in: Best Indian Food
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Review from Kimberly J.
Manhattan Beach, CA
1/1/2012 Seated via OpenTable
Dosa is AMAZING!!!
We came here for dinner on 12/27 expecting it to be a little slower after the holidays. Thankfully we had a reservation because it was packed solid - from the bar to the door!
Whenever a restaurant offers a tasting menu, we tend to go ahead and order it, expecting it to be the best they have to offer. It was $35 per person for a 3-course menu, plus an additional $18 for the wine pairings. Very reasonable, and they did not disappoint! The food was amazing, the wine pairings were perfect and the service was excellent - our server was very attentive, our water glasses were never empty (which is important here because the spices start out mellow then catch up with you!) and the courses were pefectly timed. PERFECT!
Everything we had was amazing. Indian is one of my favorite cuisines, but I've never had a dosa before. It's basically a filled crepe. We shared both the spinach & fennel dosa and the white truffle masala dosa. It was so good, I'm still dreaming about going back again that white truffle masala dosa! Also highly recommend the halibut curry with the coconut rice, and the duck - not something that you'd expect at an Indian restaurant, but they did an excellent job of it. The entire dessert menu looked amazing too!
We're definitely going back for the Bhatura. It wasn't offered on the tasting menu but it seemed like the thing to order since all of the tables around us had them. It looked like an amazingly huge ball of bread (naan on steroids) on a plate. Some of them may have been 12-15 inches in diameter, they were that impressive. I can't wait to get back! -
Review from Tony S.
Durango, CO
1/14/2012 1 Check-in Here
Great food, but service was lacking.
We arrived for late lunch and it was about 1/2 full. The hostess was also the waitress... and that combo didn't really work. She seemed really rushed and distracted. She asked what I wanted to drink, but forgot to ask my partner. She started to leave, but we were able to stop her and order a tea. A few minutes later she came back to re-confirm the beer.
Well, tea showed up, but the beer didn't arrive. We then waited quite a while for the food. After another 10 minutes, still no beer and no server. Food runner finally dropped off food, but no beer.
The two dosas we had were very good (spicy basil & spinach):
- Flavors intense and rich
- Coconut dipping sauce was wonderful
- Red sauce (forgot name) was too bitter
- Lentil soup... OUTSTANDING!
Halfway through the meal, our server and beer was still a no-show. I finally got tired of waiting and I hailed down another food-runner to ask the status of my beer. Turns out it was sitting on some counter (somewhere) for the past 30 minutes. Come on! It shouldn't have been that hard, it was just a bottle of beer.
For the price, it really should have been better service. The food was the ONLY reason it got 3 stars. -
Review from Kerstin A.
San Francisco, CA
1/14/2012
I'm not crazy about these people. I have been here many times and the first visit's sour taste has never left my mouth.
We went in on a Thursday night... no reservation... I get it...popular place, good food and all. They told us a certian amount of time. That time came...It was not to be...they told me another amount of time... I gave them my phone number, expected that was going to bring us to our table,,,nope,,, Upon checking later with her there was nothing for us and she was very rude...the way she presented our table seating time felt to me like it could be forever...
I did not get the feeling like the hostess (who is probably overworked, I know) gave a shit that she ruined my night... and my first experience with what should be a restaurant of great prestige...
I'll probably end up in here over the years, have been several times since that one time with HER... eating food that doesn't quell or impress me.
it's an institution I guess.... -
Review from Jeff F.
12/28/2011
Dosa is ridiculous. Bhatura is probably one of the most memorable things I've eaten this year - basically a crazy inflated naan. I've never seen anything like it. All the plates we tried were solid. No question it's pricey, but well worth it.
I'd come back. -
Review from Loreto R.
San Francisco, CA
12/20/2011
Everyone knows Indian food is delicious but Dosa really raises the bar! If you want to know what exquisite, upscale Indian cuisine is like, you've come to the right place. The interior of the restaurant is impeccably designed with a minimal, elegant vibe. This restaurant would impress business clients as well as a first date.
My husband surprised me for my birthday and invited about 12 guests which were seated behind a short wall so when we first walked in, I still thought it was just us on a dinner date. When I walked around the corner and saw a table full of familiar faces I was pleasantly surprised. I think it's great that the servers and staff were accommodating and enabled my husband to surprise me in this way. Service was superb and I felt like a queen the whole time I was there.
First timers: be sure to try 1 or 2 of the dosas. They are amazing. I had the Paneer and Peas dosa and it was scrumptious! The prices are fair for what you get. Portions are on the large side, but there are small plates as well as many appetizers and salads to choose from. They also had plenty of vegetarian options for my veggie hubby. -
Review from Anjali V.
San Francisco, CA
12/22/2011 1 Check-in Here
(Mid-week Lunch Review)
Key Players: 2 desi ladies w/1-hr lunch break & running parking meter
Setting: Bright+sunny Thursday afternoon with awkward SF chill
* Ambiance-wise & day-or-night: Dosa, Fillmore is b.e.a.u.t.i.f.u.l.
(Unless you're a bigger group, I doubt you'll ever need a lunch reservation, but I know for dinner it's highly advised)
* The 'dahi-vada' (lentil dumpling covered in organic yogurt w/ delicate minty-cilantro+tamarind design) is a *must* (available at the Valencia location as well)
* Do yourself a favour, and if there's two of ya'll - one person get a dosa, the other --} GET A FRANKIE! (I had a chicken one and my friend, the prawn..deee-freakin-licious.) -- Note: Frankies are solely available at the Fillmore location.
* Great service, friendly bartenders & hostess!
* End lunch w/ a smokey/chicory 'madras coffee' and you'll kick your food-coma right in the gut. BAM!
Lovely lunch & can't wait to go back for dinner to try more culinary delights! -
Review from Joan P.
San Francisco, CA
12/13/2011
Christmas came early- received a gift certificate for Dosa. Biggest problem- what to get and who to bring to share it. I mean everything , but everything in this place is as delicious as the decor is gorgeous.
If you go for lunch- much easier to get a table- get the Lunchtime sliders- like nothing else. I'm telling you all so they stay on the menu. The only place in town I'll actually drink booze ( not wine) at lunch. Ask for the pink drink with coconut. -
Review from Jason M.
My favorite indian restaurant in the city. Conveniently located three blocks from my new pad in Pac Heights, I've become a regular. I came here for a dinner meeting and was able to kick it at the bar with a friend while we waited on our party.
The service was great, and the girl to guy ratio was unbelievable. There were literally 15 girls at the bar and then my friend and I. Ow Ow. They seamlessly transferred over our tab to the table which usually comes with an eye roll, however they were extremely polite.
We must have ordered seven appetizers to share and they were incredible. Forgive me for not remember the names of everything, but whatever item was bread filled with potatoes was insane. If someone could drop me a line if they remember what it was called I will update my review! -
Review from Shay D.
Reno, NV
1/1/2012
We came here for the NYE prefix dinner,
Three items from the menu ware unavailable, the food was so so...
The fish was way over cooked and chewy.
The service pretty much sucked but you can tell they ware trying.
Also the 20% add to the bill for the party of five made this a VERY expensive dinner $100+
The venue was impressing and The music was good.
I will not return here! -
Review from Ken Z.
Green Lake, Seattle, WA
1/19/2012 Seated via OpenTable
Dosa came highly recommended to us and lived up to the hype. It was very crowded but we had a reservation and only had to wait about 10 minutes for our table. I had a vegetable curry dish and my wife had a dosa and both were delicious. The service was very good, the atmosphere was pleasant. I would definitely go here again on my next trip to SF.
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Review from Hannah A.
12/6/2011 1 Check-in Here
Dear Jake/Terry/Youknowwhoyouare,
I don't like Indian food and I'm sorry for that . However, I do thank you for being a wonderful bartender and providing background noise for my dear friend and I early Saturday afternoon. Hard conversations call for a bit of a diversion and I think you may have noted the struggle /tiredness splattered all over my face. I enjoyed my whiskey with a twist, having the option to choose your wine or mine and quick tips on secret art galleries. :) I don't think I turn to yelp for a second chance to live out my calling as a writer or a food critic but I do turn to yelp to show my appreciation for people that make me smile.
Casablanca was a good movie and you pretty much caught me in the middle of a screening.
I'll be back so ....Play it again, Sam. -
Review from Carol L.
11/27/2011
I love dosas! Many are familiar with Indian food, including naan, curries, tikkas, etc. However, people are not as familiar with Southern Indian fare such as dosas. A dosa is a thin crispy crepe-like dish with curried potatoes in it... they are fantastic! And while these are usually best found at hole-in-the-wall Indian restaurants, Dosa is an exception to the rule. This place is a great place to enjoy some delicious Southern Indian food that has a slightly more upscale ambiance. Good food, nice atmosphere, makes for a wonderful sit down spot for some lunch or dinner with friends.
Southern Indian food is not just excellent for their dosas, but for their other dishes as well! If you are not sure what to order, I recommend the Masala Dosa, Channa Bhatura, some Uttapam (get the Uttapam variety plate if you're not sure which you want to try!), and Dahi Vada. These were all delicious, and some great ways to experiment with Southern Indian food! -
Review from Priyanka D.
Mountain View, CA
1/14/2012
Love this place! Its a great upscale restaurant to enjoy delicious South Indian food.
Listed in: Best Indian Food
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Review from neon m.
Santa Cruz, CA
12/10/2011
Loved everything about the meal and experience at Dosa. It is beautifully decorated, good music but not too loud, great service (over-the-top great), and FANTASTIC food.
I loved the beet and cumin soup in particular, but really everything we had was great, including the drinks. -
Review from Bebe W.
San Mateo, CA
1/1/2012
Had lunch at Dosa's on Fillmore for the first time yesterday. It was truly a wonderful experience - the food was tasty, the service was great, portions were generous, and the dining area was airy and spacious. The place was really inviting and had good ambiance. I also liked the music they were playing in the background.
This was my first time trying a dosa and the server explained how to eat it and which dipping sauces to use. There was 3 containers of sauces - the two smaller sauces included a green milder sauce, an orange spicier sauce. The container in the middle was sort of soupy and was made with 20 different herbs and spices (or something like that) The flavors really melded beautifully in that sauce.
The mint lemonade was fair - I think the lemonade was made from a bottle (versus freshly squeezed) but the mint was fresh.
I had the masala dosa, which is a good choice for a novice. Next time I will try other things on the menu.
This place was easy to get to, had plenty of street parking, good food and service - I will definitely return. Great place for a first date or to catch up with friends (I was doing the latter). Other reviewers have mentioned that it is pricey but I thought that given the beautiful surroundings, and food portions, it is worth it. -
Review from Patrick S.
Oakland, CA
12/7/2011 1 Check-in Here
Reading about this place made me very excited to try it. The location on Fillmore is very nice, beautiful in fact. It's a very handy location for dinner and a movie at the nearby Sundance Cinema.
Tried the seasonal tasting menu, 3 courses for $35. Not sure if this is really a bargain, but I thought it seemed like a good way to quickly get a survey of what they had to offer.
The food was exquisite. I loved the vibrant flavors and perfect spice balance. Some heat, but nothing overwhelming. I ended up eating the sauces with a spoon, completely clean plates. This was fine dining, Indian style. A reviewer called this place Indian food for White People. Maybe it is, but this gringo loved it. Total bill was just about 50/person. -
Review from Adrienne g.
San Francisco, CA
11/14/2011
Ahhhh - the elusive Dosa. You were finally MINE!
Can't tell you how many times we've tried to get to Dosa only to have them fully booked or we were out w/ friends who don't like Indian ( crazy, huh! ) ....but finally the planets lined up!
Both opted for the tasting menu w/ wine pairing & overall have to say the food was phenomenal - the pairing you can probably skip & just choose a good glass for yourself
My lineup consisted of:
Corn Soup - creamy & coconutty w/ bits of corn kernels & a nice spicy kick
Truffle Masala Dosa - OMG was this delish! Lots of truffley smells & the most tender potato all wrapped up in a tender dosa.....esp loved the green coconut dipping sauce
Seasonal Veggie Curry - winter squash ( ! ), cherry tomatoes, cauliflower, peppers, all nestled in a wonderfully spicy curry sauce & paired w/ coconut rice & the best yogurt sauce ever!
The bf got:
Chennai Chicken - spicy chicken paired w/ this great cooling yogurt sauce
Tomato Chile Uttapam - this was like a doughy pancake-like thing that was kind of chewy & all kinds of good!
Veggie Curry - thought was just as delish as I did
Waaaaay too full for dessert - this outing was a nice foray into their menu & we look forward to trying out lots & lots from their a la carte next time!Listed in: Ode to Pumpkin - the Savory…, Veggie Tasting Menus
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Review from Terry C.
I"m going to say Dosa is a 3.5, a little pricey for what it is but the food is definitely good.
We started with a few drinks and it was all delicious. I had the ginger ante and my friend had the Peony. they're both good. The ginger ante was refreshing, both drinks had a lingering spicy taste, perhaps it's the ginger.
For food, we got the spicy basil dosa, pepper chicken curry and the duck spinach masala & paneer. We took Dosa's recommendation and ordered a lemon rice with both of the curries. Both of the curries had a good spicy kick which the waiter told us about. He also brought over some yogurt to help with the spiciness. Everything was good. It was weird that the food came out within 10 minutes of ordering?
The one complaint i have about my duck dish is that it did not look appetizing at all - see photo!
http://www.yelp.com/us... -
Review from Eric M.
12/4/2011
This was really challenging because I absolutely loved the food, as did the rest of our Party of 8 that came here on a Friday evening. In fact, the food might be some of the best Indian cuisine I've had in a while.
However........
The service was horrid. It's understandable that fitting a table of 8 on a Friday night is challenging - but we made a reservation through OpenTable, and if you're going to accept reservations for bigger parties, at least follow through well. We ended up getting thrown at a table that was meant for 6 people, so all of us were a bit smushed. The table wasn't even set up when we were sat, and we actually had to request that multiple employees either a) move out of the way, or b) set up the table to proceed.
On top of that, we simply wanted to get a picture taken of the table towards the end. After asking 3 employees and getting turned down, our waitress offered to take a picture. She then proceeded to go to two other tables, seemingly forget that we were waiting, and then disappear. Not a huge deal, but come on - a picture?
They automatically added the 20% tip onto our bill - but many of us were wondering if we could actually deduct that on the receipt. If you're going to put a mandatory tip in, at least act like good service is mandatory as well.
Not coming here again - sorry guys. -
Review from Nancy C.
The food here is fantastic! I love Indian food and the dishes here are very well done. The dishes I tasted were:
APPETIZER:
The North and South Samosas: savory pastries filled with caramelized onions and vegetables (South) and spiced potatoes (North). These were very good. The pastry was lightly crisp and the filling was hot and flavorful. I liked the Southern samosa more. The dipping sauces they come with complement the samosas very well.
Dahi Vada: Lentil dumplings topped with cool Straus organic yogurt, piped with tamarind and mint, mildly spiced. Freaking delicious! The presentation is very eye catching as well and matches the amazingness of this dish. All the flavors just work so well together. Yum! You absolutely must try this.
ENTREE:
Prawn Masala with coconut rice: reduction of coconut milk, red chiles, ginger, red onions & spices. Delicious! This is a curry entree and I love curry. The medley of spices really enhanced the flavor of the prawns but none of the flavors were overwhelming each other. You can definitely taste the heat in this dish. I'd describe it as medium spicy. When you order any of the curry dishes, they don't ask you how spicy you want your food. So if you don't like spicy, make it clear to the server how hot you want your curry when you order. The whole table ordered curry dishes and they were all on the medium spicy side.
DOSA (ENTREE):
Paper Masala Dosa: This is basically a crispy crepe served with spiced Indian potatoes, onions, and cashews. This is an entree sized dish but the whole table split it. The dosa is absolutely massive. Think of a size of a log. The dosa was perfectly crisp and not at all oily.
Masala Chutney Dosa: Classic masala dosa spread with spiced chutney of blended baby eggplant. I don't have much to say on this dish. It was just okay for me. Slightly too salty.
DESSERT:
Dark Chocolate Cake: topped with creme brulee, over 3-spice creme anglaise. All their desserts have an Indian flair with spices to enhance the flavors. The chocolate cake was pretty good. One of the spices is star of anise. Unfortunately, I found that out the hard way. They garnished the dish with a whole clove and I ate it thinking it was chocolate! Ick! Not pleasant. It's like eating a piece of licorice flavored wood. If you order this, don't pop the star shaped object into your mouth because I had to spit it back out. The star of anise is found in chunks in your cake. I think the cake would've tasted much better if it were infused in powder form. It just didn't work as well for me because of the textural difference and feeling random bits of spice stuck on my tongue. Aside from that, everything else was good.
I'd recommend coming here if you're looking for a more upscale Indian restaurant. Good for a date night or catching up with friends. The ambiance is very trendy. Think dim lighting, cocktails, beautiful people, elegant Indian decor with a lot of soft browns and gold, and plush leather chairs. The chairs were soooo comfortable. You just sink right in and you won't want to get back up. The service is okay. Our water glasses were constantly filled. The food takes awhile to come out so have some patience. The bathrooms were also clean. As far as pricing goes, I felt that it was reasonable for the quality of the food and the area. Definitely check this out if you're looking for a fine dining experience around Japantown. -
Review from Pam W.
San Francisco, CA
1/17/2012
Great food, great service, and what a beautiful restaurant!!!! Thankfully, we had a reservation - the place was packed on a Saturday night. The waiter was even flirty, which made for a fun meal!
They have at $35 tasting menu which was fantastic. One appetizer, 2nd course, and main course.
I got a salad for my appetizer, which was tasty. It was an interesting mix of greens, roots, and some crazy pears which were spiced, and didn't appear to be pears at all.
I had a dosa for my 2nd course - super tasty. One of the sauces was SUPER spicy and I had to order a beer because my tongue was burning off.
The main course was a veggie curry, which was delicious!!
We had a chocolate cake for dessert, with vanilla ice cream, which was yummy too.
Their specialty cocktail menu is also interesting...some spicy drinks, some sweet drinks.
I would definitely go back. -
Review from Nicholas H.
Walnut Creek, CA
11/11/2011
Loved it and especially my daughter who likes almost nothing enjoyed her meal. Great curries , breads, desserts and service. Thnx Vijay & Raja
Immensely talented chefs -
Review from Mihir M.
Fremont, CA
1/9/2012
Great beet croquettes, rava dosa & the 5 mini uttapam combo. The atmosphere is nice. I will be back to try other items. Service was also good.
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Review from Manish M.
San Jose, CA
12/23/2011
Finally an Indian restaurant with good food AND great ambience! The drinks were not so hot but every dish we had was great. If you like spicy food, this one's for you! Coming from someone who gets great Indian food at home, this is high praise indeed!
PS this is South Indian food, so don't come expecting tandoori or the standard indian fare ... -
Review from Nho H.
11/16/2011
Snazzy little Indian joint. Felt like I should have gotten up to go dancing at the bar after devouring some curry.
I think overall Indian food everywhere is pretty pricey and this wasn't any different but maybe $2-$5 dollars more. The food itself was just OK. At least I didn't think my dish was wonderful and usually when it comes to Indian food, I can never control myself. I walked away from here only finishing a quarter of my dish. What?!!
I got the Duck Spinach Masala & Paneer and I thought it was just ok. The tomato rice suggested to pair up with the curry actually didn't go well together. Instead of finishing my dish, I ate my cousins Lamb Kofta because it was too spicy for her and perfect for me! Love the extra spice.
If I go back, I would get that. The wait for this place is a little silly given that its just alright. I suppose its a good place to be seen. If ya know what I mean. -
Review from Ratish K.
Bellevue, WA
12/26/2011
Our first eat out on our SF trip & it started out so good. Good ambience, mouth watering dishes & equally good service. Idly, dosa, vada with excellent sambar and my personal favorite being Idiyappam. Highly recommended & would love to be their again :-)
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Review from Paul G.
San Francisco, CA
11/27/2011
Went to Dosa last night just before trying to head to a show at the Fillmore as it's just down the street. The show was sold out and sort of a bust, but the food at Dosa certainly wasn't!
We got there at around 6 or just after and it was packed already (it was a Saturday, just after Thanksgiving, so could explain it). The wait for a table was 90mins, but the hostess put our names down for the communal table and said she thought it wouldn't be long for a spot for 2 to turn up.
We got a couple of drinks at the bar, I had their house Gin and Tonic, which is made with a homemade tonic water, it was pretty good, and my friend had their bourbon/chili cocktail which was actually excellent.
Took about 20 mins for a spot to turn up on the table and we weren't disappointed. We ordered a couple of spicy Dosas and the seasonal vegetable curry - all were amazing. My friend said she knew I was enjoying them as I stopped talking and basically inhaled dinner! True.
Bar and wait staff were really friendly and chatty, and the food was really tasty and pretty reasonable. I think with drinks and quite a lot of food we were at 30-35 a head.
Will be heading there again! -
Review from David G.
San Francisco, CA
11/12/2011
Plus a half. This was the closest I have come to a five star meal, in my limited Yelping and dining experience. I was extremely happy with our server. We sat at the social table, as the wait for a table was at least 45 minutes. What a great space, first of all. Hip and classy at the same time. Back to our server, he could tell right away that we were first timers. We perused the menu, and he helped out with explanations about certain things. We got two starters, three if you count the fire broth. Our meal was a dosa and an uttapam. Wow, that pretty much sums it up. I am neither a food critic, nor a writer, so I won't go into awesome detail about the textures or flavor pairings or spice or anything like that. What I will say is, go here now.
PS
One of the reviews on here complained about the server saying that he took a horrible picture of them and didn't check in to see if it was an ok shot...Are you flippin kidding me? That has nothing to do with his job or the level of service that you should be reviewing. And who the frick asks their server to take their picture?
PPS
We, as I said earlier, were at the social table. Turns out that the man at the table across from us was the director of The Cove. Holy shit Miss Agnes, what a trip...got to talk with him about his life and times and I didn't even know until my wife told me later who he was -
Review from Ziyan C.
My boyfriend is south Indian, my best friend is Indian, and her date is British/ Sri Lankan. When all three of them love the food, you know it's legit. (I kinda knew it before. This just confirms it)
And SO affordable (it was my friend's birthday and with 3 of us covering dinner for 4, it came out to only $27 before tax)! Plus the service is great, the upstairs is a little more private and there are a few on the wait staff always keeping an eye on the tables and making sure the water is filled, your questions are answered, etc.
Last time I came I got cocktails as well and they were delicious. This time we got:
* Vada Pav - 4 stars
Spiced-potato patty, chutneys, caramelized onions & "gunpowder"- ground chiles & lentils (1 for $6, 2 for $10)
Really well done, really spicy, and apparently its rare in Indian-American restaurants for them to split the "gunpowder" chile and ghee and let you mix them to your liking. The potato patty was fantastic, but the bread, while it had a good buttery subtle crunch, was just a tiny bit on the stale side (only reason this wasn't 5 stars).
* Channa Bhatura - 5 stars
Chickpea (garbanzo) masala served with an oversized, soft, puffy wheat bread or vegan poori ($15)
Love getting this at a table. The bread is the size of a pillow and always impressive when its brought to the table. The chickpeas are cooked to PERFECTION, any less and they would've been too hard, any more and they would've been too starchy. Strong and wonderful flavor as well.
* Uttapam - 4 stars
(Slightly thicker, pancake-style variation of the Dosa. Each Uttapam is also served with fresh fresh coconut & tomato chutneys coconut & tomato chutneys and sambar sambar)
Topped with onion, tomatoes & green chiles ($11.5)
Really liked the tomato & onion one - the tomato gives it a nice tangy kick. The pancake, while soft and spongy and delicious, is just a little bit on the oily side though.
* Dosa - 5 stars
(Savory rice and lentil crepe, all served with fresh served with fresh coconut coconut & tomato chutneys tomato chutneys and sambar sambar, a flavorful lentil dipping soup made with vegetables and spices. Masala described below is a traditional filling of spiced mashed potatoes)
* Spicy basil - Masala dosa with a chutney of fresh basil, cashew nuts, ginger, shallots, curry leaves & chiles ($12)
* Spicy mung masala - Mung lentil dosa ('pesarattu') with green chiles, chopped onions, cilantro and spiced potatoes ($12)
Both the spicy basil and mung were amazing. As thin as the dosa is, it still manages to have a soft interior with a slight crunch to the outside. The masala is great as always, and the basil wasn't too overpowering (we were afraid it would taste too Italian).
* Rasmalai - 5 stars
Sweet cheese patties, cream, cardamom, rose water ($6)
Love everything, from the toasted pistachio crumbles to the cardamom infused rose water to the chewy cheese patties. -
Review from Ashley L.
San Francisco, CA
10/26/2011
Great food, great venue, awesome service. Our server was very friendly and knowledgeable. He helped us navigate the menu and provided wonderful suggestions to help us pair dishes.
We started with the Spicy Sweet Day Boat Scallops and Dahi Vada -- both had amazing sauces. For entrees we shared the South Indian Lamb Kofta (highly recommend this), the Channa Bhatura and the Paper Masala Dosa (on the best of 2011 7x7 list) -- each dish had great spices. Our only regret was not getting a dish to balance out the spices of these items. For dessert we tried the Dark Chocolate Cake per our server's recommendation -- excellent choice.
An added bonus was that Dosa's bar serves Basil Hayden Bourbon, which made for excellent Manhattans. All in all, a wonderful meal. I can't wait to come back! -
Review from Frank J.
San Francisco, CA
10/19/2011
Yes, the food is delicious, but the cocktails here are fantastic as well. The space is huge and the atmosphere is really nice and lively, but not incredibly loud. They seemed to have a descent sized bar area, so I might come back here again just to grab a drink. They have great options, but the Wry Rajah is something I will order every time. Its a whiskey-based drink with vermouth and cherry/mango flavors, but the bird's eye pepper is what really makes it special.
The menu has a huge selection. It is different from any other Indian cuisine menu that I have seen. It actually took a little while to decide what I wanted because there was so much to choose from, but I was very pleased with what I ate (can't really go wrong with any of the Dosa *Paneer & Peas is great!). They have a tasting menu for $35 a person and I think I will do that next time.
Good Food
Good Drinks
Good Atmosphere
Good Service
Good Selection
Good Time -
Review from Jay B.
Los Altos, CA
12/20/2011 1 Check-in Here
I took my wife here tonight. As we walked in The space was large ,open and had large white modern looking chandeliers. So far so good. This is where it went all down hill. They sat us on the smallest bench table against the wall right smack up next to another couple (almost like we were sharing the same table). Ok still not too bad I can live with it ,not happy but lets see how it goes. As I was wondering how anyone could fit two plates and two glasses on this toothpick of a table I couldn't help but hear the entire nightmare of a conversation this couple was having. Not only were we in the laps of this strange awful un-intelligent couple with a hack for a laugh but we had to endure their presence for an entire hour. At one point I got up and went to the restroom just to get away from their awful conversation.This completely ruined the entire evening.I couldn't wait to get the hell out of there! I could'nt even have a private /romantic conversation with my wife without having to listening to these peoples awful exchange. Have you ever been jammed in to sit next to the worst couple and after enduring their mind numbingly braincelless overbearing conversation for an hour to find out the entire resturaunt has emptied out and you are sitting in these peoples laps in an empty room? What an experience! I swear to god I prayed they wouldn't get desert but when they did my wife and I looked at each other with telepathic powers and.... .We'd had enough. Long story short
wait staff = very attentive no problems
seating by the wall 0 stars
food =2 stars I had the fish plate undercooked and overpowered by curry and lemon. My wife had the lamb balls, Spicy but didnt taste like lamb .
we ordered the pre fix meal for 35 dollars a person . plates were very small and mango lassee is $5 a small glass.
We spent $100 and thought it was way over priced. aside from the bad seating and mediocre food the glitzy decor was nice. well thats what my wife said , I was facing the wall. I came out feeling like I paid 100 bucks for a bad experience. Sorry Dosa I won't be coming back :(Listed in: Indian food
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Review from Josh D.
Oakland, CA
10/1/2011 1 Check-in Here
Amazing Indian food. I'll tell you what though, this place ain't cheap! The entry way is also pretty cool, open and inviting. We tried to walk in and had to wait a long time to sit down so make a reservation.
We had no idea what to order, so we had the owner give us some ideas. He also came and had a drink with us, very friendly.
If you want some legit Indian food and a good dining experience I'd put this one on your list
