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Category: Indian
Neighborhood: MissionDuring Happy Hour, 5:30pm to 7pm, Monday (11/30) to Thursday (12/03), with the purchase of a starter or an entree It's been FOUR years!
Announced 19 hours agoMon-Thu. 5:30 p.m. - 10:00 p.m.
Fri. 5:30 p.m. - 11:00 p.m.
Sat. 11:30 a.m. - 3:30 p.m.
Sat. 5:30 p.m. - 11:00 p.m.
Sun. 11:30 a.m. - 3:30 p.m.
Sun. 5:30 p.m. - 10:00 p.m.
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Below is a BRUNCH review:
This is the best brunch I have ever had.
(should I stop there?)
This food feeds my heart. Spicy tangy sweet Fiery Fruit. So good when with friends I order my own and one to share. The south Indian coffee is one of the best things ever in my mouth. Like some magical melted coffee ice cream warm in a cup, just for me.
The best way to get your eggy potatoey brunch on is he Egg Poriyal Dosa with a Masala Dosa. Spicy potatoes in a smooth creamy coconut dipping sauce sound good? Chivey egg in pancake with sweet tomato or spicy lentil sauces? The only thing better is the Cilantro and Tamarind sauces that come with the Pani Puri, which is like a create your own mouth orgasm, TRUST.
I want to bathe in those sauces.
Recently I went out of my comfort zone after watching a table next to me giggling while eating the Dahi Batata Puri and tried it. Think: crispy shells with cool yogurt inside with a sweet sauce. A perfect bite of brekkie as far as I am concerned.
Sure sure, atmosphere, excellent service, reasonable price. But the food...sigh....
Brrrrunch! A great way to eat at Dosa without the bustle of the dinner rush. We had one of the egg dosas, which was delicious and came with the best bowl of dahl I've ever tasted. They also have some chaat entree dishes that they don't have in the evening, which were excellent. We had two chaats and one egg dosa split between two people and we were full and happy.
Service was super friendly and attentive. Fresh plates and a cleanly-wiped table between the starters and the main course, which even some fancy restaurants neglect to do. We were there right at opening, 11:30, so they weren't very busy yet, but I was still impressed with the service.
My only gripe is the coffee, which was some kind of Indian sweetened coffee with milk that I didn't like. I'm sorry, but I just really need three thumping strong cups of black, rich, coffee at brunch. I know this was Indian brunch, but if you can have a Bloody Mary or Champagne at Indian Brunch, I don't see why you can't have a gut-eroding cup of Ritual or something like that. Nor was the tea selection extensive. If you like black tea but don't like Earl Grey, you're out of luck.
We were out of there for under $50 with a big tip, and will be back, though I might BYO coffee next time.
Best indian food I've had - every single dish we tried was amazing, mouth watering, wish there was more so I can keep stuffing my face, good. Our waitress was very attentive and friendly - and helped us pick what I can only assume was the best stuff on the menu (seriously, so good.)
I do have to warn of the $20 corking fee (not that that is soo unusual)
Ate at Dosa for the first time tonight and I was definitely pleased. I decided to eat out alone tonight, so wanted someplace with a good vibe and that I could eat at the bar. Dosa is warm and inviting, while at the same time having a hip vibe going.
I sat at the bar and found the bar staff very friendly and helpful - unlike many bars in the Mission. Even the guy sitting next to me was helpful in my beer selection. I had a great experience at the bar. The food had some great flavors - although I'd skip the organic field greens since you're probably there for South Indian flavors. The salad wasn't bad; it just didn't seem appropriately paired with the rest of the menu. The garlic soup was out of this world - spicy and flavorful - and was a work of art visually. The shrimp chili fry had a really great flavor, although the shrimp might have been a little overcooked.
The downsides? It took quite a long time for each of my successive dishes to arrive. At least the vibe kept me entertained during my wait.
I'd definitely recommend trying Dosa, even if you don't consider Indian to be your thing. If you consider flavor your thing, then Dosa has plenty of that.
South Indian Hot...not even close. Just say, "overpriced average indian food"
For the price, the food is very substandard. I had their newest Goa Shrimp curry dish which supposedly is the "most knarly hot dish" but the overwhelming flavor was sugar, not chili. For 2 people, the bill was 85 bucks with a few Kingfisher beers. For 20$, I'll take my friend to Viks chaat house in Berkeley for real dosa flavor.
It's swanky, yes, but not worth the price. Find a good dive Indian place like Alhambra on 16th near Valencia for cheap food yet better flavor!
Great food and great Service !
We were in on Sunday night and had a great dinner. The Tamil lamb curry was the highlight ( I can't get enough of that stuff). We also had the Kerala Chicken curry and spinach and fennel dosa and they were both delicious too. Our server, Cheri, was friendly and knowledgeable.
We made a reservation and the friendly hostess with the beautiful flowing red hair made sure we were sat immediately.
Overall, a great experience. If you haven't already checked this place out, you're missing out.
The food and the ambiance are really good. I'm not too familiar with Indian food, so I don't know if it's traditional or not. The servers were great and explained everything on the menu, and I enjoyed a really nice dinner here....it is a tad on the expensive side, but at least you know you're getting something good to eat.
Dosa in the Mission is good, not great. I tend to go back because its a safe choice and offers a variety of Dosa's; however, the Indian place down the street (Udupi Palace) is just as good, and Viks Chaat in Berkeley is actually better (but more greasy).
The service here is great, you can count on being greeted by just about everyone working at the place (from the hostess to the bartender) when I arrive and/or leave. The food is also served usually quick, considering how packed the place is.
This place was great - all around. There were just two of us but we ordered a little of everything. All dishes were around $10 which seemed a great price. All the flavors were perfectly balanced. The restaurant was loud (too loud - I say cut the music on a busy Saturday night!) but the ambiance was still lovely.
Over 1000 reviews?! Either Dosa is really all it's hyped up to be or everyone (including myself) is just another sheep in the flock...I think it's a little of both...
- Music: Top 40, definitely nothing "Bollywood" about their choice of music.
- Decor: Dim & romantic. Intimate. Simple elegance- mirrors with gold frames, dark wood, trendy lights.
- Service- Fantastic- seated within a few minutes of our reservation time, they refilled our water often which was much needed due to their spice level & the waitress made great suggestions. My eyes are bigger than my stomach so the BFF & I went down the dosa list & hungrily picked out THREE...the waitress said if we weren't *that* hungry to only choose two, as the dosas are quite substantial. I love that she was thinking of our pockets rather than her own.
Here's the food rundown:
- Kerale Chicken with lemon rice- the rice was really fragrant & tart in all the right ways. The chicken portion would have been too small if the BFF & I were starving, but was more than enough since we had other items to munch on. Kudos on serving lean white meat chicken.
- Spicy Mung dosa- it put my mouth on FI-YAH. I think they went a bit overboard with the spicy chilies, but the chutneys cooled it down enough to be enjoyable.
- Spinach fennel dosa- also a little spicy & very hearty. The texture of the dosa itself is very comforting & is a pleasure to eat; it's crunchy around the edges & soft in the middle.
- total without tip: $44 (i thought the dosas were well priced but $17 for the chicken dish was outrageous & for that reason, I may not be ordering it again.
Fantastic environment for a first date or anniversary.
With friends in the Mission I've finally had a chance to tackle Dosa, thank the holy lord (and his unicorn) since I was such a huge epic fail living near the Fillmore twin for a year and never made it out.
Main event: Spicy Mung Masal Dosa. Tasty tasty stuff that dosa, I was impressed. The flavor of the filling was there without being covered up by the wicked spicyness. Sometimes when food is hot like this the flavor of the ingredients are lost in the burn. Not so in this case. The "fire broth" soup was simple and a good starter, again well played on the spicy. I love Indian spicy done right. Have you ever seen someone have a moderate allergic reaction to something? Sweating, redness in the face, tears, runny nose, and a general look of despair? That's just how I look when I'm finally eating Indian food that I think is just right on the spiciness. Yea, this physical proof work out really well for me, especially with the ladies... :/
I only had one concern, and I will address this on my next trip. My food was really good, so of course I wanted to I try a chunk of my friend's dosa. She went for the Spinach & Fennel Pooriyal, I was stoked to try it as the description is not very close to mine at all, so I'm thinkin' "Sweet, I get to try two pretty different dosas". Hmmm not so much, yes I could pull in a slight spinach flavor but for the most part.. her's tasted a lot like mine. I'm not talking the chutney and sambar, I know those are the same, but the filling in hers was pretty close and equally spicy (even though there was no note of "spicy" in the description). On a financial note, $10 seems reasonable to me for the dish.
To the vegans out there they have a very helpful allergen chart where you can cross reference any dish on the menu to see if it has dairy. Very clear, very easy. The servers will be glad to explain dishes that can be altered to fit the vegan diet too, they seemed to know their stuff.
So I'm gonna go all MythBusters and roll back and try something as far away from the description of my last dish as possible. If it comes out and it's amazing AND unique, then *wipes sweat of forhead* the 4 star stands. If it turns out to taste a lot like rest.... I maybe won't be so sure anymore. Ball is in your court Dosa, make me proud.
Pretty good, but they forgot our rice for takeout!
Want to try again.
Dosa is easily in my top five most overrated places in SF and might be THE most overrated in the Mission. And in a city where having high price points is practically an aesthetic value in and of itself, I would also call it one of the worst values, especially considering that there is a phenomenally better South Indian place - namely Udupi Palace - not even a full block away. Although Udupi Palace's lines are already longer than I like, the shred of me that is purely selfless implores you to go there rather than Dosa.
My main issue with Dosa is that it is silly overpriced, seemingly because those who run it believe that they offer something unique. I infer this from their emphasis on presentation of the food and also the fact that the wait staff addresses patrons as though they never could have had South Indian food before. Servers tend to be overbearing about making recommendations and the assumption of your ignorance then translates into $11+ dosas, $14 channa bhatura (!!!), $9 vada appetizer, and so on.
Apparently part of Dosa's draw for its many fans is the idea that eating there is an experience. To me, the modern decor/atmosphere is tacky and cheesy at the same time, and the (not Indian) music is obnoxious. How is it that even usually-discerning restaurant patrons miss these obvious issues?
The best thing about Dosa is that it does siphon a good many more potential Udupi Palace customers away from that far superior restaurant, especially those that desire a certain kind of service/experience that I find annoying.
OVERPRICED!
i'm not saying it's not good, b/c it is.
BUT...
you're paying for some fancy copywriter to write their menu and make stuff sound fancier than it really is.
it's a damn indian breakfast food...like toast and eggs here!
so the next time you are staring at their menu and the $10+ for a piece of "toast" think about alternatives to this joint.
i think places like this are great in introducing foods that aren't so popular to the masses...but the real fun is after your experience here, finding places that can give you that same tradition and quality. IMO, that's what makes eating out fun...the hunt for the hidden gem.
upudi palace gets another convert
I am devastated. this was one of my favorite places to eat in san francisco. I would consider myself a foodie and I have spent some time is southern india.
now, the flavors that dosa delivers are still top notch. the problem is it has all gone downhill since they opened the new place on fillmore.
-chicken appetizer-
used to be a lovely pile of spicy, crispy chicken bites. now.... 5 little pieces with a mixed green filler. NOT worth 9$$$!!!
so sad. I loved that dish :(
-lamb curry-
used to be a large streaming bowl of amazement with succulent lamb... now, a small bowl with only ok lamb meat balls for the same price. again NOT worth the price.
- paper dosa-
my all time favorite. chunky undercooked potatoes. I am crushed.
I used to love this place. it is so sad when owners get cheap.
I can only say two words to decribe the heaven that is dosa.
paper dosa. fuck yeah.
I am a huge fan of Indian food, but I am weary of some Indian restaurants. My first exposure to Indian cuisine was my best friend's mother's cooking and she was a damn good cook, so I compare everybody's cooking to hers.
Anyway, I hang out on Valencia a lot at night, and this place is crowded every time so I could tell that they got some good food here. I finally booked a reservation with my best friend to eat here and the food did not disappoint.
Both my friend and I are vegan, so we were really happy that the restaurant offered a chart to show what dishes contain popular allergens, such as gluten, or dairy, or meat. It made ordering much easier for us.
I ordered just 1 dosa and it was so delicious and flavorful that I couldn't even finish it, no matter how much I wanted to. It came with a coconut chutney that was so good, I want to steal the recipe but I dont think the cook would give it to me.
I give it 4 stars because the service wasn't bad at all, but it wasn't outstanding.
seeing as how dosa has 1000+ reviews, there's really no need for another review praising its wonders--but i kinda HAD to.. my knight in shining armor brought me here on our first date. and really, first dates don't get any better than dosa.
fast-forward almost a year, and dosa is still the same intimate, romantic, and aromatic eatery it was on that fateful day!
the food is amazing--fresh and delicious--just the way i like it. we're always impressed. and we never forget to order a glass of yummy wine or bubbly with our meal. as far as the seating goes, we prefer to sit at the bar. it's more intimate. the service is amazing. everyone is personable and attentive, for example, my boyfriend got up to use the men's room, and the owner (i presume) walked over, greeted me, gracefully folded my boyfriend's napkin and placed it back onto his seat.
we recommended dosa as the perfect place for a friend to take a girl on their first date, and what do you know?! they're happy as ever!
Hmmmm.....
Hmmmm.....
You know when you go see a comedy show, where everyone else is cracking up but you just kinda missed it (ha, ha...was it funny?)?
You know when everyone thinks that the guy over there is hella fiiiine but you just don't feel it (i mean, I can see he's not ugly)?
Eating at Dosa was kind of like thaf for me. I just didn't get all the hype. Was I missing something? Like I forgot to put the magic sauce everyone is raving about?
It wasn't so.
Cute, convenient, clean, affortable, filling, somewhat trendy, "OK" service....the food was alright, so I'm not complaining. I just didn't get all that excited. Can someone sum it up in five sentences or less as to why Dosa is so great? I'll pay more attention next time.
The T.D&.H. server brought out this huge stainless steel (county jail) food tray. It had a dosa, a little hot soup and 3 cold dipping sauces. It was so delicious. It was a lovely surprise. I like it here very much.
Dosa does not serve meat AT ALL. I love them even more for this!
I cant wait to go back. I want to take Tao Lin here after his reading at Amnesia September 29th.
Delicious. Well priced ($10 - $12 for entrees). Well decorated. Courteous service. The standard Masala dosa is great.
I've reviewed Dosa before, as I live in the neighborhood and have been here a few times. I came earlier this week with visiting parents, and have decided I'm not going to go again if I can help it. The food is sub par... samosas are really poor - can get better ones most places. The dosa was meh. Not worth a ton of hype. Barely spicy and just kind of blah. The wait service was surprisingly harsh. The guy made fun of my mom for asking what she could order that wasn't spicy - she's very sensitive to hot stuff (unfortunately - she doesn't pretend it's cool!) and just can't eat it. (Why'd we go to Dosa? Well my stepdad insisted.) Anyway, the waiter proceeded to make fun of her for it, telling her "it's just psychological, you know." And that she needed to power through it. Then he brought her the special, which she still found too spicy.
At the prices and the crowdedness of the place, I'm just not into it. If there weren't another indian place three doors down that were galaxies better, maybe it wouldn't seem to mediocre. But Udupi Palace is a thousand times better and the food is much more authentic. Do that over Dosa any day.
The dosa roll, an appetizer, is really pretty good I must say. But it doesn't really taste like… Read more »
I really, really wanted to love Dosa. Really, I did. It is THE Indian restaurant everyone in the Mission talks about. But the only thing that I tried worthy of talking about was the Dahi Vada, a tasty starter with lentils and Strauss yogurt. Everything else I we ordered was forgettable. The most memorable thing about Dosa was the terrible service. Although there were only four or five parties in the place, it took forever to get our server to take our order and when our meal finally came our server never checked on us again. Everyone was friendly, but I was bummed that the wait staff in particular was not more attentive.
Tasty dosas and spicy lunch. Good service. The guy at the door can be antipathetic and bitchy once in a while. However, you will enjoy your dinner once you get to your table.
Dinner here was very tasty. However they or their supplier uses that ingredient in their food (most likely a preservative on their vegetables) that I'm allergic to and requires me to lifetime ban :( Too bad! It was a good dinner! Those dosas are pretty incredible.
Wait can be lengthy and you're really crammed in there. Service was good though.
Just amazing service!
The bartender spent at least 20 min giving my friends tastes of different wines. Then after waiting 30min total for a table - they were fantastic because we were a group and they had to scootch together a few little tables.
We were finally seated. Our waiter helped us with the order. What was even better was that they were closing the kitchen and were waiting for us. It was really nice of them to do that. And then our food was fantastic! Just delicious. A great way to break into south-indian cuisine. I love it and will most def go back.
I must recommend though that you go in small groups of 2 or 4 and not 6 or 8 as that is a little difficult to handle in the small dining area. But otherwise just delicious!
we beat the crowd by showing up at the open, got a nice table by the window, had fantastic and knowledgeable service, and the food was super. we had the red beet cumin soup with creme fraiche ($7) and it was out of this world. Then my friend and i shared 2 entrees, the marsala dosa and the paneer and peas uttapam. The paneer is homemade. The carmelization of these with the way the uttapam is cooked is not to be missed. The dosa is the size of a kite, with a much smaller filling. The marsala (potato and onion) was good. The entree came with soup, which was flavorful.
I hear people mention the price, and I agree it probably starts to add up. I think $10 for a dosa and soup is quite reasonable, but maybe some of the starters or salad might be a little high. No matter, I'd save this for special occasions and savor the experience and the food.
Delicious food, fun to eat, friendly and fast service. Tasty tasty tasty...the only gripe is that its a bit too expensive for what you get...I mean not to sound cheap, but if you really look at the ingredients and how much you are paying, it feels like a bit of a rip.
That being said, I would easily come back here since we both really enjoyed everything we ate and had a lovely time.
For the value, the ambiance, the food quality and service?
4 stars. The dosas are crispy, plenty of dahl for filling, and it was just the right amount of spicy. The food is cheap, the service is great.
I had the dahl vada, which is this lentil dumplings... my friend and I had 0 expectations and ended up licking the plate clean. What's in that sauce man!? I also had the spring uttapam. It was slightly fluffy, packed with fresh vegetable ingredients. The food itself alone? I'd give 5 stars. I've had the famous dosa cart in nyc, and that cart does not come close to the quality of this restaurant
High quality ingredients very well prepared, although a bit pricey. Staff were attentive and the place has nice modern decor.. I would guess that my Indian friends would say that the flavors were modified for the American palate. I thought it was very good, especially the dosa with chutney. There are cheaper dosa places, but this place is pretty good given the quality and execution.
I enjoyed my meal at Dosa, and definitely recommend it to others looking for great lndian food.
At first I was surprised at the entree prices -- $10-$12 for most of the dishes. I guess given that most dishes are vegetarian, that makes sense. Still, though, there's an opportunity to squeeze extra dollars from the meat eaters.
I ordered the paneer and peas dosa, which was extremely filling. My partner ordered a dosa with a pound of potato in it; she barely finished half. Both dishes were very simple in terms of ingredients and seasoning, but we were also given three bowls with different sauces to try. So, there was a lot of good stuff going on.
Two things about me:
1. I typically despise "nouveau" or "fusion" versions of ethnic food.
2. I tend to shy away from hyped-up places in favor of finding my own favorite hole-in-the wall that I don't Yelp about.
I'll be damned if Dosa wasn't some of the best Indian I've had this side of Little India on Pioneer Blvd. in Artesia, CA. Of the three appetizers and three entrees we selected, all were phenomenal. Delicious and tantalizing "souped-up" versions of south Indian classics. The sauces/garnishes were fresh and flavorful and the texture and presentation of everything was perfect. Our knowledegable but unobtrusive server did a fine job, especially with wine selection.
The price is more than this White Trash would normally pay but the experience was worth every penny.
I don't really even know why they bother to offer the 5 or 6 "South Indian entrees." - they taste about the same as you'd get at a very good Indian restaurant, except you're paying more for the organic ingredients. The Dosas (and uttapams) are unique and set them apart from the other Indian.
That being said (that was describing the lamb that I got), both of my friends' Dosas were delicious - I don't know why I didn't get one. Great service, and the drinks looked good.
BECAUSE I CAN'T UPDATE MY REVIEW YET, I HAVE TO POST THIS NOW (and try hard not to KNOCK ANOTHER STAR OFF)...
One of the owners, Anjan, just sent me a message in response to my review. TOTALLY RUDE, IF I SHOULD SAY SO MYSELF. HERE IT IS:
"Hey Angella - Thanks for visiting us at DOSA. Did you actually knock off a star because we didn't refill your water! Tough! :-)
Anyway, I apologize for the service but I did want to let you know that we work as a team so you could've grabbed anyone to help you...another server, runner, busser or a manager.
I find it very difficult to believe that your server was missing for 30 minutes. If so, I'd be glad to to fire them! (Just kidding!).
I hope you join us again. We take service very seriously and I'll make sure your water glasses are filled at all times."
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HIS RESPONSE IS TOTALLY SARCASTIC. I SHOULDN'T HAVE TO "GRAB" ANY RANDOM MEMBER OF THE STAFF TO REFILL WATER IN A HOT AND SPICY JOINT. AND YES, 30 MINUTES WAS ACTUALLY AN UNDERSTATEMENT BEING THAT OUR SERVERS CHANGED MID-SERVICE.
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Here is my review from last night:
Oh Dosa...
Why did you do this to me?
I was sooooo about to bump my rating up to five stars because the food is FANTASTIC, STUPENDOUS, TREMENDOUS! Dosas are to die for and you gotta love the uttapans. That thin crunchy chip-ish thing they serve is addictive. Dosa is a medium-spicy veggie heaven.
But the service. UGGGG. You really stepped in POO POO last night :(
----------------------
So here's the story...I was with a friend's parents from Oklahoma. Needless to say, they don't eat much spicy food and were certainly newbies to this type of Indian cuisine. Everyone was happy until mama took a spicy bite and her face turned red. She then began that subtle little "omg-that-was-way-too-hot-but-I-don't-want-anyone- to-notice" kind of cough.
I looked around and our waitress was NO WHERE to be found. She came strolling back around over 30 minutes later and never even noticed that the water was empty.
Such a shame because I actually really like this place; I'll surely be back at some point.
And no, my friend's mom didn't die...I just hope she wasn't traumatized.
I would say that this is the PC-presented version of Indian food, very easy on the tongue ;) Not… Read more »
With some 900 reviews, I don't expect my review to make a blip on the yelp radar, but my experience here was of the type where you had to write something about it, just to get it off your chest.
This place is ridiculous. 39 bucks for a tasting menu where you get "to experience a wide range of various southern indian food" sized for a single person. The food quality is very good, but nothing that any other southern indian restaurant would be able to produce. Separately, the singular dishes cost 34 bucks but you would get full sized portions, excluding the dessert.
Instead I got a jumbo prawn dish with 2 shrimp. 2. That's it.
Price performance is terrible. That's what it comes down to. I felt cheated, seriously.
Stupidly trendy and priced to be laughed at.
Dosa, I'm south indian, you're kinda-sorta south indian, I've been willfully ignoring you for a while now, knowing that I can get a tasty fix of the mother cuisine from Udupi Palace, the South Bay, or when I go home to Cleveland.
Still, I decided to mark the passage of my first year in the city by getting you over with. Please understand, I'm not trying to be an authenticity douchebag. It's just that I used the mother cuisine filter on yelp (oh wait - yelp - you don't have that? please implement! i'd prefer advice on indian restaurants from a Venkat than from a Victor) and that told me what I needed to know - I still see no reason to pay your prices for food that gets it about 80% right when I can do better in at UP down the road, or in freaking Cleveland.
The rundown:
1. Mung Salad - nine dollars. nine dollars? for that? about 2/3 a cup of mung sprouts that tasted pretty much only of lemon despite the advertised spices. Concept has lots of potential.
2. Rasam - good. You got one of the basics right.
3. Chile cilantro Uttapam. Weak sauce. Weak freaking sauce. No evidence of chile or cilantro. Didn't hold up very well to being eaten by hand, which is why you play the game in the first place. And are you guys pureeing some portion of the sambhar before it comes out to make it pass for soup? Sambhar is not supposed to have a uniform mouth feel guys. Uttapam was the low point and the sambhar was the low point of the low point.
4. Dahi Rice w / Achaar. The space above is to indicate that I waited about 1/2 hr. after the uttapam for the dahi rice to show up. I'm glad your kitchen knows the appropriate order of things (yogurt rice always last) but I don't recall asking for extra time after the uttapam to smoke a cigarette, use the restroom, and order tamarind rice from UP while I waited.
By the way, if you're going to be a south indian restaurant, how bout using a south indian word for yogurt instead of the Hindi. Ok, now I am being an authenticity douchebag.
Service was fine, and I thought your staff did a respectable job of shepherding newbies through the menu. But please inform them that Shrikhand is not just "sweet yogurt." Gogurt is sweet yogurt. Shrikhand and gogurt are completely different things. Therefore Shrikhand must not be sweet yogurt, right?
EDIT
.
I see dedicated pain in the ass Anjan M. has decided to comment on my review.
Here's an idea: why don't you convene your legendary 14 south indians to find some recipes that actually celebrate the gastronomic diversity of the south?
No?
You're still going to serve up the same old pablum?
And you're still the same condescending bore you were yesterday?
OK.
Very good food that's both a gastronomic and visual treat. Fresh, modern decor. You get to eat with your hands. Should have been an easy home run but the service killed it.
Perhaps I had too high expectations for this restaurant because it seems like everyone I know adores it but I was just a touch disappointed, and it was more than just due to the wobbly table. While the place was still packed at 10 PM, we had plenty of servers - 4 to be exact. Issue was that they were completely uncoordinated and didn't really care much. For example, we asked to be explained the menu and our waitress replied by telling us to order drinks first and then walked away without listening to our reply. When she returned, we ordered drinks but she was still not yet ready to discuss the menu. Soon afterwards someone else came and asked what we wanted to drink as well... Who knows? Maybe it's just the full moon?
In any case, the food is good - I think I'll try the one on Fillmore next.
At the outset, I must mention that I was pleasantly surprised by the decor of Dosa as it's the only "upscale" Indian Restuarant I've been to in this country. But I was a little apprehensive by the relative paucity of Indian clientele which set me thinking if the cuisine is going to be anywhere near authentic.
Well, perish the thought ! The chefs still appear to have their feet firmly planted in South India going by the dishes they dished out.
The sambhar/sambar at Dosa on 21st and Valencia (Mission) is the best I've ever had --- and I have lived in Southern India for a little over 12 years. It was simply amazing with the "Medu Vada" which was crispy outside and fluffy inside and made for an amazing appetizer !
Sadly, their namesake dish, the Dosa, on the otherhand, was pedestrian and sorely disappointing --- which is not to say that it was an unmitigated disaster; it was still a pretty respectable Dosa !
The spicy pepper chicken which is served with a side of either lemon rice or dosa (I went for the dosa) made for a satisfying meal with generous portions, and in my opinion goes pretty well with a glass of Riesling.
I'd rate it 4 stars for their food, service, and decor but have to dock one star for disappointing on their namesake dish.
The food here is good, but I don't really buy into the notion of making South Indian street food all fancy. I'd rather get a dosa from Vik's Chaat Corner over in Berkeley.
Still I think this place is worth at least one visit, and it could be a good place for folks that would be intimidated by more authentic food.
Sometimes I think about the habanero mango dosa when I'm doing other things, like sitting at work. I like that, when ordering this, I have to ask for an extra napkin, to wipe my head with. It's not outrageously hot, just some extra heat, but the flavor combination is sensational and when I'm in front of the microwave at work, and it's noon, and my little frozen meal is on minute three, I think back to how happy I am when the cool heat dosa is brought to me.
Naturally, and I realize it is silly to even suggest it, but should they ever open an East Bay branch, I would cry salty tears of pure habanero joy.
Usually our ritual of eating in the Mission goes like this:
"Is that a parking space?"
"I DON'T KNOW."…
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Bringing an aesthetically pleasing look to Indian food is a challenge, and though Dosa makes an admirable attempt, it's still mush in different sized bowls with bread and rice. They know this, so they dressed up the ambiance of the place and put on music you might find in a nightclub. The only problem is, you can't dance, they don't have drinks to help give you a buzz, and at the prices you're paying for the fare, you'd expect VIP treatment.
**Edit: One of the owners of Dosa got back to me and let me know that one of the reasons their prices were so high was because they used organic/sustainable ingredients in their food. I have to give them credit for that, indeed.
I went here with five of my friends last night and sampled a good cross section of their menu. The waiter was only marginally helpful in guiding us to some good choices, and we ended up with quite a bit more than we actually needed. The variety was nice, but maybe I'm just not a fan of Southern Indian cuisine because nothing that hit my palate made me want to groove; at least it didn't make me want to vomit. Well, okay, save for the habanero pepper creation--much too spicy for its own good, or for anyone else's for that matter.
Five entrees, a side dish or two and some drinks came to over two hundred fucking dollars. For two hundred dollars I expect art on a plate and a hand job under the table, not mush in a bowl with rice on the side. The service wasn't bad, but it definitely didn't warrant the forced 20% tip we had to leave. Sure, for parties over five or six the 15-20% service charge is standard, but I've never quite left the table feeling as raped as I did last night.
If you want Indian food, look elsewhere. Otherwise, the only reason this place got two stars is because I can see the table for two ending up being a nice date, but never a date that I would make.
Neighborhood: Mission
Category: Indian
Neighborhood: Mission
Category: Indian
Neighborhood: Pacific Heights
Category: Indian
Neighborhood: Mission
Category: Indian
Neighborhood: Civic Center/Tenderloin
Category: Indian
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