Komala Vilas
Categories: Indian/Pakistani, Vegetarian [Edit]
1020 E El Camino RealSunnyvale, CA 94087 (408) 733-7400
- Price Range: $
- Accepts Credit Cards: Yes
- Parking: Private Lot
- Attire: Casual
- Good for Groups: No
- Good for Kids: No
- Takes Reservations: No
- Delivers: Yes
- Take-out: Yes
- Waiter Service: No
- Outdoor Seating: No
- Alcohol: None
86 reviews
Mountain View, CA
"Pretty good Indian food!!! We had the Chana Masala, Dal Makhani, Roti, Samosas, and Malani Paneer. Everything was great! And I forgot…" read more »
18 Reviews for Komala Vilas
I got a take out and trust me the food wasn't tasty at all. Their sambar is so boring.
Although, I have heard their breakfast dishes are good. Haven't dared to venture in the breakfast after my first experience.
I have to preface by saying that I am in no way a vegetarian or an Indian who has lived and breathed the food. What am I doing here then? Well, my vegetarian Indian friend took me here once during the "Festival of Lights" and I thoroughly enjoyed my dinner. I had potato dosa and I could still taste the dessert that they gave to us for free in celebration of the event.
I learned that they have a special brunch buffet on the weekend, so I dragged my wife here one weekend. Upon arriving, I was surprised to see the entire place packed with people, we were the only two non-Indian customers. That was ok, because I felt we actually received extra attention from all the waiters because they were so helpful in getting us spoons and explaining what each dish was. We were given two trays, and they first filled it up with fluffy rice, and then they poured sambhal right above it. That itself was tasty enough, and then they brought over some fried potatoes, kind of like hash browns, but 10x tastier. That was the best item of the day, I kept eating those potatoes like I am from Idaho. They also gave us some Mixed vege soup which was quite spicy, but we washed it all away with yogurt drinks. I was sweating profusely, but I couldn't stop eating; everything was so good.
So in conclusion, excellent food, friendly waiters, all for $9 a person. That may seem a little steep compared to other all-you-can-eat places around El Camino, but I would come back for sure.
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We stopped by this place on a whim - we knew we'd be in the area around lunch, it was right on our way, and Indian Cuisine (North or South) is always a good answer.
When I walked in, I flashed back to Northern Virginia circa 1995. A friend had a habit (which I encouraged) of taking me to a South Indian place for brunch - a place with idlis so luscious, sambahr so satisfying, and coconut chutney so addicting that I always ate until the pressure behind my eyeballs became unbearable. That place struck me as a cross between a diner and a living room, and we sat elbow-to-elbow with strangers. A good time was had by all, and I miss it.
Komala Vilas is a close cousin of that place. It's more of a no-frills diner atmosphere - right down to the plates and flatware that look to be Boy Scout Mess Kit irregulars - but serving food that comes close to meeting my ideal of homecooking. It lacks the almost-familial intimacy of the NoVa place, though.
I loved the variety and the tastes, the way everything is thrown together on the plate, and the endless supply. The food found my hard-to-please comfort-food receptors and plugged right in. I hope someday I can return for brunch - it's been a while since I've been able to find idlis and sambahr worthy of that NoVa place (oh, the longing!) - and I'd like to put Komala Vilas to the test.
Thing I'd change? Let me leave a tip! (The staff firmly advised me not to.) It felt so wrong to walk out after having paid exactly the amount on my bill....
I have been to this place many times.
This is a Tamilian South Indian restaurant (South Indian is a very vague term since there are four states each with its own unique dishes, though some are common, but definitely prepared in different ways).
Ambience - very very ordinary nothing to write, but fairly clean, though even by Indian restaurant standards its very low std.
Service - Is available only during lunch, which is good and very homely with waiters serving (like in India), for breakfast and dinner its self services, so nothing to write about, except its fast
Prices - Very expensive considering that it wouldnt cost much to cook south indian food and comparitively easy to cook. Lunch costs $ 11 for a home kind of meal, and their breakfast\dinner snacks are though priced low, but comes with very little quantity. So if u r an average eater, you would spend about 8-10 dollars for breakfast\dinner
Offerings - Lunch is very good with authentic tamilian south Indian VEGETARIAN brahmin style food (read meals), which is very tasty, homely and very very simple, no jazzy stuff and no specialities either.
For breakfast, I have tasted every offering, though there are only 4-5 items. Idli is nonsense (I am from bangalore where I am used to eating flower like soft idlis). Idlies here are hard like stones, and they give so little sambar (soup) and chutney, both I would say just OK. Their dosas are also just OK, there are many better places at same cost and much better taste. Pongal (a rice and lentil item) is very tasty but again, expensive.
I used to go their pretty often, but at their current price, I feel there are better choices with more quantity and if better taste also. My suggestion, go there only for lunch, if you think paying $ 11 for a simple home style food is not expensive, but then gotta give it to them their lunch is pretty good. Breakfast, not worth going there.
They serve one rasam (soup), sambar\mor kolambu etc, one curry and one kootu and offcourse buttermilk, with a sweet (so I said right, like in home may be with one item extra and sweet). Hey $ 11 for that...You get chapathi (indian bread) for 50 cents each
For lunch I feel, Saravna bhavan is better with more choices and for breakfast, there is Madras cafe, udupi palace, swati tiffins in that order.
I would go there for my craving of south indian meals (lunch) if they are willing to revert back to $ 8 or even $ 9 price, otherwise, I have better choices.
If for lunch only it would be 4 stars (one star less because of price). Since I review breakfast also, its 3 stars.
My pregnancy cravings were in full swing and there were visions of masala dosas and bondas dancing in my head, so I took myself, hubby and kiddo to Komala Vilas to indulge.
The ambience is nonexistent, but I gamely ignored it, so I could just focus on the steaming bondas and dosas that my DH had ordered at the counter.
The bondas arrived, I eagerly bit into one and yech! The potato stuffing was stale! It had probably been sitting out for a full day or so. My cravings died a sad death and I was afraid that if I bit into it any more, my unborn child would yell at me, so I left it. No points for guessing that the masala in the dosa was stale too!
I reported this quietly to the owner (Dhamaraj) and he immediately asked "what can I replace it with?" I ordered something else, and that order was fine but there was no surprise, or apology again.
This seems to be the story of my life these days - getting lip from restaurant owners ;o)
My first experience with KV was a dinner menu..I was in town for a short while and had a friend who took me there for dinner.. I ordered ADAI and avail .... I was disappointed..and marked it down to a forgetable place...
then I moved to the bay area....and pretty much had forgotten about it ..my local haunts included mostly north-indian food..( I am thoroughbred southy)...until I went in one-fine day for lunch..... ..I hadnt known they had "mess-type" service for lunch...I was pleasently surprised.. and more surprised by the quality of the food..compared to the previous time I dined there.... The food style is mostly Tamil-brahmin style... very close to home cooking for me....Now whenever I feel nostalaig hit me .. I go there....(which is almost 1-2 times a fortnight)
Breakfast..I havent yet had a better place to go to on a lazy Saturday morning... the food is fresh and coffee is good...
I have a few northy friends who like the food there as well..(surprisingly) and a few who totally dont get it.. some veg non-desis who find their tastebuds on fire when they go there... (of course they never return).. In short this is a place to go if you can handle spice to a certain level.. esp their rasam.. I myself cannot handle it without tons of ghee( clarified butter -for those who dont know the term), which they serve with their food as well...
My bro (when he came to visit me) pretty much lived in the place... all that was remaning was a tent and a sleeping bag to complete his stay there...
In Short ....if you like Tam-bram style food there is no place like KV in US.. you got to go there...!!!
I take 1star away from it coz I was happy with the price $8.something they had b4...( I have been to the place when they used to charge $7.something)..but 9$+ is a lil heavy for lunch... even my visits have gone down drastlcally coz of it...their breakfast prices are still competant...
Pathetic!! Waste of money...
I went here with my brother to have dinner. I ordered rava dosa and vada and my brother ordered plain dosa. You got to pay before you eat unlike some places that bill you later.
The vada and plain dosa arrived.
I had to break and eat the vada. Waiting for a long time for the rava dosa and exhausted from the fighting ordeal with the vada, I started eating my brother's dosa.
Since about five people who had ordered after us had got their food, I thought that it was about time to check back. The girl at the counter coolly asked if we had ordered the rava dosa at all. whaattt!!!
And then I got the pathetic tasting dosa. I am personally against wasting food, but this really dosa really did test that virtue. I had to give up my virtue after eating a few pieces.
Worst of all, after paying and waiting for the food (which was not palatable anyways), there was not even a single sorry for the negligence!!
If you have the time, drive a little down El Camino towards Sunnyvale, you will find better restaurants with better food and service.
When they have a full menu, the food is awesome. Idlis are fresh always which is a rarity. Dosa is very good. I am not a Thali fan and it seems that the Thali is always available here and not the Dosa and Idli. Very good, no-nonsense, simply ...
i am new to the US..but i have tasted south Indian food that is pretty tasty. But here i happened to order Dosa, n believe me they were SAD!!!!!! the batter had turned sour n the dosas were tasting like as though imli was mixed in it..n in the uthappam they put jalapenos instead of green chillies..aaaaagh..kills the real flavor.
Authentic South Indian Place.
How would you know?
Most of other Indian places, you will not know the diff between the curries cause the only thing that changes is level of "Cream" :-(
Here, you will get touch of authenticity if different flavors, and the menu is very much like you get in South India for lunch except the banana leave!
You get a set menu for lunch, it will all be freshly prepared and delicious. If you try to peek in the kitchen you will see an old Indian lady directing all the cooks and server. She's the hand behind the authenticity.
My only problem, It's Vegetarian, There are very few days that I am in mood for Vegetarian :-)
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This is home food!!! Any self respecting South Indian will vouch for the fact that this tastes pretty much like what mom has been cooking for years.......it's quite a joy going here and feeling like you're back home.
Their best meal is lunch: it's an all you can eat, fixed menu setup, and you will be served as soon as you sit down! And @ $8 for lunch...can't really beat the price.
This can be very different from the usual Indian food experience...so some basics for first timers:
Rice is the centre of the meal in South Indian food....you have two different curries that you normally have with rice.
The first is the Sambhar...which is thick and is like a dal with spices and tarmarind and veggies. So the first course of most meal is rice mixed with sambhar and a side of vegetables and khootu: a dal with veggies mixed in. They also serve appalam or papadam with the food.
Course 2 is the rice with Rasam: this is thinner, more like a soup, normally has tomato, tarmarind and peppers....much lighter than the sambhar.
Again to be had with rice and veggies and appalam.
Finally to cool the system, you can get a glass of buttermilk...traditional way to end the meal, either drink it down or mixed in again with rice.
I avoid this place on weekdays, mainly because after this meal, doing anything productive @ work is almost impossible. Perfect for Sundays, so that you can have a nice afternoon siesta immediately afterward :)
They have a regular menu for breakfast and dinner where you order what you want. But lunch is where it's at really for this place! I always thought that mainly South Indians would enjoy this place, but have always found a fairly eclectic mix of people there...which is enjoyed!
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My friend Mitch and I have been talking about going to this place for awhile now. Then, I was recommended to this place by a friend Ravi, who owns a different restaurant. Eventually, I went with my roommate Missy and my friend Mitch for the lunch buffet. It was an interesting experience because the waiters walk around with a platter of food, and serves you even though it's a buffet. The potato dish they cooked was good, and I liked the curry served as well. The price has since gone up to $9 for the lunch buffet. I think it's worth going at least once, just for the experience.
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This place is a total mind trip if you aren't used to the vegetarian South Indian style set menu. I walked in with a friend and a co worker and we were told to have a seat. No menu. No waiters talk to you. Food just comes out and is laddled onto your tray. Rice, daal, curried vegetables, and something called Mysore. I had no idea what this was but it was a curry like soup/sauce that you eat with lots of freshly made rice. Man was it good. The only problem is I've never seen it anywhere else and even my Indian friends were stumped when they ate it. The menu also changes daily so you may or may not get the same thing again given when you show up.
My co worker tells me this is pretty traditional in how they serve South Indian food except it's usually on banana leaves instead of a tray. Seemed impersonal at first but the wait staff warmed up to us after a few servings. Not much in the say of ambiance but it's all you can eat, so if you're a vegetarian you can load up here. If you're looking for choices this might not be for you. Definitely an experience and I'm looking forward to trying some more things.
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2008-Mar-20 Update.
Ok, after some recent trips here, I've come
to feel that the food is now quite mediocre
and a pricey given the surroundings. I mean,
I can understand Dasaprakash charging $7.00
for a dosa: you get table service and ambience,
here? nada. You order at the counter and pick
it up when ready. Oh, and it's just like a caffeteria
so don't expect any "ambiance". Not bad, but not
highly recommended. Go to Swathi TIffins instead;
you'll be glad you did!
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Total dive restaurant - but that's OK - the
food is totally authentic and superb! It's
VERY family friendly and the prices cannot
be beat - go!
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I like the food here but its quite expensive. They can have more people coming in if they reduce the price a little bit. Quantity of dessert was a put off but quality was good.
This place used to serve good south indian vegetarian food in a very homely atmosphere. I used to regularly dine here in the weekends. But in the past 2 to 3 months the quality of food, service and cleanliness has gone way down. I will not recommend this restaurant to anyone.
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food was ok, ambience is horrible. prices are high, go to Udupi palace instead
Homely atmosphere, great food. You will really appreciate this if you are South Indian.
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