"This place has the best South Indian food in the area."
(in 47 reviews)
"This is the best South Indian restaurant in the south bay."
(in 14 reviews)
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Saravana Bhavan
Rating Details »
Category: Indian
1305 S Mary AveSunnyvale, CA 94087
(408) 616-7755
Reservation
We are taking reservation week days only.
- Hours:
Tue-Thu. 11:30 a.m. - 2:00 p.m.
Tue-Thu. 5:30 p.m. - 10:00 p.m.
Fri. 11:30 a.m. - 2:30 p.m.
Fri. 5:30 p.m. - 10:30 p.m.
Sat. 11:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m.
Sat. 5:30 p.m. - 10:30 p.m.
Sun. 11:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m.
Sun. 5:30 p.m. - 10:00 p.m.
- Price Range:
-
$$
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Private Lot
- Attire:
- Casual
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
- Takes Reservations:
- Yes
- Delivery:
- Yes
- Take-out:
- Yes
- Waiter Service:
- Yes
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- No
- Good for:
- Lunch, Dinner
- Alcohol:
- None
202 reviews for Saravana Bhavan
Review Highlights
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This business is a Yelp Sponsor
10/31/2009
11/20/2009
9/28/2009
9/10/2009
11/6/2009
9/13/2009
8/2/2009
10/25/2009
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5 photos
9/22/2008
8/24/2008
One of the Business' Favorite Reviews What's This?
Awesome food and decent service. The food is quite authentic tasting, and comes reasonably quickly - especially considering that the place tends to be full everytime we go. I used to be more adventurous, but these days, every time I go I always order the same set of items:
* adai avial: $7.95
adai = cream of lentils + rice pancake with spices
avial = a vegetable + yogurt + chilli + cumin + coconut + turmeric based soup
This item tends to get on the spicy side, especially the adai, so I must say its fortunate that a lump of jaggery (which is similar to brown sugar) is also provided
(note: the actual menu has a variation on the above definitions, but I got these particular ones based on my own cooking experience)
* rava kichadi (aka uppuma - cream of wheat): $4.75
- also includes onions, tomatoes, carrots, green chillies, and green peas, with herbs, and comes with chutney and sambar
(this definition is almost exactly like the one from the official menu)
In both times I have come in the recent past, these items have been excellent and prices are reasonable. I should mention, though, that more adventurous types may also enjoy it here, vegetarian or not. There are no fake "meat" items served here, but the service is very quick and food quality is quite good. The menu is reasonably diversified, moreover.
There's even a lot offered here for those who have a sweet tooth and can eat sweets (funny I write that on a Halloween evening). Not only is there a sweets section on the menu, but there is an extensive array of sweets right at the front of the store. This is something I rarely find in Indian restaurants these days, even in the South Bay.
The only real gripe I have with this place is that every time I come, it is always crowded (despite the ample number of tables and seats available). On the other hand, that also reflects positively upon the experience of dining here. I'll definitely be back!
Decided to give the place a whirl last night around 7:30; we were able to get a table immediately. By the time we left it was packed again. Craziness!
I had the cheese masala dosa -- it was so wrong and yet so right. Basically it was a giant Indian quesadilla. I was expecting potato curry with cubes of paneer or something, but it was actually a huge amount of melted white cheese, which went really well with the crepe bits and the spicy potato curry. I have no idea whether this thing was on the menu to appease American "omg need to cover everything in cheese" palates but I was happy.
Boyfriend got the rava masala dosa and he was happy as well. It did not take 20 mins to appear like other folks are warning about. Actually, the service overall was pretty speedy, also unlike other folks are warning about.
We snagged some burfi and jalebi on the way out and nibbled them while watching the incredibly boring Project Runway finale. Good times.
Anyway, next time we're in the mood for south Indian, I'm sure we'll be back. Yay for new options!
Many years ago, when I first came to the Bay Area for work, a college friend of mine brought me here to introduce me to his native (South Indian) cuisine and in particular, the dosa. I remember seeing this two foot long crepe filled with potato curry, thinking there was no way I would be able to finish the thing. Observing the look of fear in my eyes, he laughed and advised that I slow down, work from the sides and most importantly, eat with my hands.
Since that first encounter with the dosa, I have had many a dosa here and at other south Indian restaurants in the Bay Area and elsewhere, but will always recall that first time at Saravana Bhavan as a revelation to a whole new branch of Indian cuisine.
I came here yesterday with a couple of coworkers for lunch. My Indian friend wanted to introduce us to South Indian Food. It was great!
For $8.25, I ordered the Mysore Masala Dosa which is featured in the photos section. It tasted great with the potatoes and spices in this crepe like pastry. I'm between a mild to medium spicy girl, and this one made me drip sweat from temples. A great way to work your hotness tolerance!
The ambience is very casual, diner style seating. There's a large room in the back that can accommodate a party for about 40+ people.
If you want something different for lunch, check this place out. The only bad thing is that the menu doesn't explain exactly what each dish is, so I'd advise you to bring someone who is familiar with South Indian dishes.
Love this place....great food and variety. Have been going here for years and it has a very south indian restaurant ambience....brings back memories!. My only critique would be that the waiters are a little tardy in fulfilling customer requests. For eg, if you ask them for extra napkins etc, it takes them a while to get them to you and sometimes they forget entirely and you have to remind them again. Minor, but that does not take away the positives.
Not ideal for romantic dates....its a family restaurant, so expect noisy kids and chatter around you.
Love the filter coffee and appetizers
I'm not an Indian cuisine connoisseur in any way, but this place rocks.
First, the fact that I'm the only non-Indian person there when I go makes me feel good right of the get-go.
This time (our 4th visit), we made it there without any Indians in our party... oh what an adventure. We order idlys, pooris, some sauces, and dosas... everything was hmmmm hmmmm yum.
Oh, and remember to order the mango lassi. Sweet sweet goodness that goes with all the spiciness.
Beware though, it is always packed! So you mayu need to wait for a table.
This is the best South Indian restaurant in the south bay.
I'm not sure why I haven't reviewed this place before, coz I eat here all the time. Well, a glaring mistake is now corrected.
South Indian food is very different from the normal Indian fare in the US which tends to be from the north of India. If you're new to South Indian cuisine here is a quick introduction to prominent dishes you will find in all south Indian restaurants:
Idly is a rice cake made from rice and lentil dough that is lightly spiced and then steamed. This is a staple of south Indian cuisine. It is generally served with Sambar (see below).
Dosa is a lightly spiced crepe of fermented rice flour. You can have it plain with sambar and coconut chutney, or you can have it with a variety of potato fillings called masala.
Sambar is a spicy soup made of lentil and vegetables. Delicious!
Thali (literally "plate") refers to a full meal comprising several vegetable and lentil dishes, rice, bread, sweets, and other optional items.
For your first visit to this restaurant, I suggest any or all of the following:
-- 14 piece ghee idly with sambar (can be shared and is delicious!)
-- mysoor masala dosa (spicy and comes with sambar and an assortment of chutneys)
-- poori (fried puffed bread with two side dishes of the day)
I ordered the above for a friend from Kansas who was visiting this weekend and he loved all of it! It was a highlight of his trip.
This restaurant serves consistently delicious food at cheap prices and decent service. Five stars.
I've eaten at this restaurant 3 times over a period of 4 years.
The first time I waited over 45 mins on a Friday night by the time we were seated. Since this is a south indian reastaurant I thought I 'd go with the standard fare and ordered an idli and sambhar combo...no brainer! The idli was alright however the sambhar was watered down yes....like when you run out of it and add water to increase the quantity. The taste was insipid due to this and I reported it to the owner and he did not seem to care, he said it was like he makes it everynight?
Second time, we ordered the thali meal and the food was sooo spicy (everything excepting for the desert) that we just could not eat the food, and we eat fairly spicy food! We left and picked up something at another restaurant close by.
Third time, (four of us) were seated immediately..now waiting and placed an order for two combo, Paratha with mixed veges and a Rava dosa. Dinners ordered by 3 diners were brought 10 mins later and the 4th had to wait. 10 mins go by then 20 minutes when we asked where the dosa was, the person taking the order told us that Rava dosa's take 10-20 mintues to make one dosa due to the very low temperature that it needs to be cooked?????????
All 3 diners finished their meals and no dosa in sight yet! After more prodding the person said one must wait if they order difficult items on the Menu. 45mins had passed since we were seated...I'm not sure how much longer we should have waited, we asked for the bill, paid and when we were ready to leave they brought the dosa...needless to say we said thanks and left.
For a restaurant that serves South Indian, I think the minimum requirements is to make a good sambhar/chutney/idli/dosa. No rocket science, we've eaten at Komala Vilas many a times and never had to wait for more than 10 minutes to receive our Rava dosa! Maybe Saravan Bhavan is highly overrated and I don't think I'm going there again as they never seem to get it right!
THE place for a Southie thali or dosa!
My favorite south indian restaurant here. Usually very crowded...food is spicy n heavy but great.
This is not the place for ambiance, but the food is fantastic. The restaurant is always busy, but service is fast. I am not a vegetarian, but this restuarant has partially converted me - I like it that much.
Their online menu is a lot different from their in restaurant menu, the latter being dirtier and less detailed. I had no idea what I was eating, and the peculiar food dyes did not help appease my appetite.
The dosa was the best part; if I were dragged back, I would probably get a dosa... but the keywords are "IF" and "DRAGGED BACK".
Not worth the money, I'd rather stick with Indian curry from Taste Buds.
There are many other reviews, so I'll keep this short.
Pros:
- A wide range of flavors that are outside the norm, even for eclectic Silicon Valley -- very tasty;
- Relatively inexpensive, filling fare;
- All vegetarian, yet plenty to hold the interest for an adventuresome carnivore;
- Generally VERY short wait times for food, even when busy.
Cons:
- Tends to get very busy in the evenings; even though the wait staff is quite efficient, they are not as attentive as I would like;
- Some dishes are hotter (as in peppers) than I can tolerate, and for a suburban white boy, I have a pretty good tolerance. Ask your server for advice if you want to avoid surprises.
Particularly if you're not familiar with south Indian cuisine, I suggest going with friends, picking one menu item per person, and sharing them around. The food is not intended to be served family-style, but the waiters will bring extra plates if you ask.
Decent south indian food, but really awful service. I've been here three times and on all occasions atleast one person in my group had to wait for their food till the rest of us had almost finished our plates. So make sure everyone orders the same thing, else some of you may be left twiddling your thumbs, and if the rest of your group is polite, they'll have to watch their food just sit there for a LONG time. If you try to ask when the rest of the items arrive, someone will shake their head and just pass on. I don't think I'll go back there again!
This place routinely serves stale food from the refrigerator. They did this to me on two separate occasions. It seems in this place the manager is not answerable, but the waiter who serves the food is. My earlier review about this place on yelp was deleted. I wonder if yelp offers business places to delete bad reviews about them. Don't know why... but I feel this cheats us reviewers. Any comments ?
I have yet to taste bad South Indian food. I know it's possible, but I'm still in my honeymoon period with the cuisine. That said, the thali-type dish I was recommended was as awesome as I expected (and huge), the coffee was smooth at the end of the meal and I was surrounded by languages I didn't understand.
It was pretty busy and we were forgotten about between the coffee and asking (again) for the check, on the order of 20+ minutes. I saw this happen with another table nearby who had a different waiter.
Lots of families with small children, so very casual and kid-friendly.
My husband and I come here at least once a week, since our good friend who used to live in south India introduced me to it as the "most authentic south Indian food outside of south India."
Non-Indian folks, here's the deal.
#1 - Don't waste your time; a) trying to figure out what everything on the menu is, how spicy, what ingredients, etc. b) looking for good service, or even reasonable service (i.e. everyone's food being delivered at same time, apps before entrees, etc.). c) looking for ambiance. SB has the look of the Coco's it used to be, except with an enormous staff of very busy looking Indian and Latino men filing about, not paying attention to you, and not understanding you even if they do stop by.
#2 - Go with a friend or a date and order the 14 piece mini ghee idly to start, and the Saravana Special Meals for an entree. Request 2 chais at the end. It's possible and likely that the app will come after or at the same time as the entree, but just deal. It's so good it doesn't matter. If you want silly french service go to the Plumed Horse. The 14pcMGI are quite possibly one of the tastiest dishes I've ever had. The Special Meals (I don't know why it's plural) is a thalli. That means a large round plate with lots of tiny dishes inside, plus rice, poori (puffy fried bread) and papadam (crispy fried cracker). The SM is different EVERY SINGLE TIME which is part of it's charm. Be adventurous! Everything is delicious.
#3 - The deal with spicy Indian food, dear fellow westerners, is this. Don't just heap on the yogurt. If you can't take the heat, have something sweet. My ten year old step daughter can take it if she has a mango lassi to sip on, so can you! The balance of salty, oily, spicy, pungent and sweet is Ayurvedic dietary wisdom. DO enjoy the little dessert in your Special Meals WITH your entree, not after. Order your chai AFTER, not during. DO have a little of the pickle (the little sour, hot, red thing on the side) with each bite. DONT bother asking the waiter to make it less spicy. And DO have some fennel seeds on your way out to aid the digestion and cool the heat in the mouth.
#4 - Finally, when you go by the sweets counter on your way out, beware that you cannot order just one or two sweets. There is some absurd policy where you have to order five or six, otherwise you pay twice as much. My husband has learned this the hard way.
Enjoy the insane yumminess, the impossibly dysfunctional service, and the glorious food coma sure to follow any visit to SB.
I'm certainly not Indian and have never been to India, but for what it's worth, I've been here by myself twice now, and plan to return. The Channa Bhatura was simply heavenly. The Bhatura was soft and thin, but quite oily, but I was in heaven savoring every bite of thin, flaky bread dipped in the savory chickpea stew. The Adai Avial was also good. My waiter was patient and friendly and it was a great experience at a reasonable price.
The best south indian food in the Bay Area hands down. I drove down from SF and my Mom drove from Berkeley just so we could eat here. Everything is fresh and delicious, and the service is fast.
I'm OBSESSED with dosas as is my boyfriend. He ordered a Mysore dosa and said it was the best he's ever had. I love the NY location of this restaurant, but I think the Sunnyvale location is better.
Way to go!! I'll be making the trek from SF whenever I want delicious south indian food.
I avoid going here during lunch rush because, man ... it is a rush. I always like to come here after the lunch rush.
Unfortunately, I always get the same thing: the executive meal aka quick lunch. The main items are always the same but they switch it up time to time. I always clean my plate. The spices are dead on, its spicy, and for less than 10 bucks for a delish vegetarian South Indian meal ... you can't go wrong here.
I have always had good service here and still do to this day.
Gotta have my Indian vegetarian fix. This place hits the spot.
The quality of the food here is consistently good . Staff isnt uber friendly but food is what matters,
They have some good lunch combos . Service is reasonably quick. Price is a slightly on the higher side but thats a trivial matter if they maintain the same quality .
Great food, massive dosas. They don't skimp on the spices, and the thali is great. This is pretty much my idea of a good South Indian restaurant (I'm not Indian btw, so take my opinion with a grain of salt). And is my favorite in the south bay.
I've been here about six times now, and it's been consistently tasty. I recently introduced my boss (also not Indian) to south Indian cuisine at this restaurant. she absolutely loved it... which is convenient because she's vegetarian and could order anything on the menu without a worry.
The dishes I've had were not greasy, like so many dosa shacks I've been to over the years. Their food has excellent flavor.
My only complaint is this (very minor): if someone has never had south Indian food before, they might have a hard time figuring out what everything is. It might help if there were pictures of more of the dishes for the first-timers.
Also, I love spicy food. If you can't handle any level of spice in your meal, this kind of cuisine may not be for you.
The food is delicious! It's really different from North Indian food, but is spicy and perfect. We almost always get the Rice combo, which comes with 3-4 kinds of different rice (awesome and yummy!) and something sweet (too oily for my taste). I've had the mini idly and sambar as well and it was good. The ambiance is lacking (I don't go here for the ambiance) but it is clean, and the service, though not super-attentive, is usually fast and friendly. I like!
I was a Dosa Virgin until I came to Saravana Bhavan. To think I had been missing out on this all these years! I love discovering new and wonderful foods.
Now I've only been here once - and I'm not Indian - so can't say how authentic it is or how it compares to other south Indian restaurants with similar menus, but for a newbie like me - this hit the spot. I ordered the Masala Dosa and everyone else at the table had the Paper Masala Dosa. So wonderful to see these GINORMOUS crepes land on your table (bet these would be hard to order for take out!) accompanied by a quartet of lentil soup and three incredible chutneys - one with coconut, one tomato-based one and a third I couldn't figure out.
So flavorful, so good - will definitely be back.
I'm not a vegetarian myself, but I can definitely see what draws vegetarians to this spot. As with all food places, you have to start with a review of the food. And the food here is amazing. I haven't had many of these dishes before, but the selection is definitely a change from your normal indian eatery. Be prepared to try some new and tasty variations on curry.
The prices are a bit high, but you should at least try this place out. Don't expect the ambiance of an Amber. This place was formerly a Coco's so it has somewhat of a diner-like feel to it. Come for the food!
Most South Indian restaurants in the Bay Area have the ambiance of a Indian Railway waiting room, which trust me, is not a good thing.
Saravana Bhavan is one of the very few places which has a halfway decent ambiance. Unfortunately their food does not match the decor. The prices are way too much, I guess because there are so many Indians waiting to eat here. On a weekend be prepared to wait for 30 minutes at the minimum and that amount of time is unacceptable to me for a South Indian Eatery.
Its not like the food is terrible, its pretty OK but prices are just too high and service is very average. Most of the Dosa's are decent and the dipping sauces are tasty. Avoid the Spring Dosa which is terrible and if you order the Rava Dosa, be prepared to wait for 20 minutes.
Bottom Line:
Food: 6/10
Presentation/Decor: 2.5/5
Service: 2/5
There are far better options for South Indian food in the Bay Area.
I've tried a few places for authentic S. Indian fare & this place is the best so far! It's too bad the restaurant looks like a refurbished Denny's of sorts... but don't judge by appearances! The menu options are delicious, especially the Masala Dosa, Idli Sambar, Vada Sambar and the Chola Batura. Getting these simple favorites right, along with an incredibly fast & friendly service, makes this place hard to beat!!
Awesome food, best south indian restaurant food in the bay area.
But thats where the words of appreciation end. Poor ambiance and poor service. They will make you wait 20 mins on weekends at the door, even though there are several tablkes open. They are mismanaged and poorly run.
Their menu style, format and layout is illogiocal and it is difficult to find items easily. Shows lack of thought process.
I go there once in 3 weeks when I cxrave their good food. If they had better ambiance and better service and less wait, I would go there more often, may be once a week.
I'm more of an expert on north indian than south indian food (lets just say the owner of Shalimar knows me) but - I enjoyed this place. You know it has to be at least okay when you're the only non-Indian in the joint (I remember those days at Shalimar). Its layout, like the other reviewers say, is very Dennys-like. But the service was friendly and the waitress even gave me a spoon and fork when I looked like I was failing at the "eat with your fingers" thing. I had a masala dosa and then got greedy and also had the thali, which was better. Super flavors, lots of interesting things to taste. Bill wasn't so bad I don't know what everyone is complaining about.
Overall I WOULD recommend this place.
decent food. dosa is tasty.
Having recently moved to Sunnyvale, I decided it was high time to try Saravana Bhavan. Why eat Thai food in England, or Mexican food in China? The same logic applies to the Bay Area's Republic of Techie Indians, and my sources tell me Saravana Bhavan is the place to be.
I assume, Dear Reader, that living in a elitist state where you listen to NPR, make enough money to have the government take most of it away, and liberally link posts from Stuff White People Like has made you multicultural enough to know the difference between North and South Indian cuisine. North Indian is what Americans might typically associate with "Indian food." Curries, roti, samosas, naan, tandoori, and generally more meat. South Indian tends to be more vegetarian, rice-based, and...well, I can't tell you more than that really.
Setting: Saravana Bhavan (hereafter SB), Sunday night. Many ladies are dressed up in saris, gold jewelry, and the Techie Indian Wife's favorite -- no, favourite -- Louis Vuitton bags.
Scene 1: Three Chinese people and one white dude walk into SB.
Scene 2: Ask waiter three times for cups and utensils. Ahh, ethnic restaurant service. I feel right at home.
Scene 3: Read menu cover-to-cover, still have no clue what the fuck anything is.
Scene 4: Order masala (a word I recognize) dosa (because it's on Yelp Review Snapshots), a yogurt thing with fried chickpeas, and biryani (another word I recognize, but had always associated with Middle Eastern food).
Scene 5: Chinese guy 1: "There's no way a little crepe [dosa] is going to fill me up."
Scene 6: I guess we didn't have to ask for those utensils after all. At least not all of us. Dip dosas in delicious, spicy, flavorful sauces.
Scene 7: Chinese guy 1 is in food coma.
Scene 8: Almost $60 for 4 entrees, 1 appetizer, 2 drinks. Not bad, but I kind of expected a no-frills ethnic place to be cheaper.
Good food. Good portions. Good atmosphere. Good prices. The place was packed last Friday with Indian people. It doesn't need to be made to be "white-folk-friendly" if that's not its target clientele.
But then, it'd be nice if they had a menu or description sheet for people who don't already know what food is what. So I'd recommend going with someone who knows.
Also, I'd prefer it if their photos in their menu bear a closer resemblance of what would be served.
Was invited by a friend a couple months ago. Never had south indian before. Food was SO good! Left stuffed. The restaurant is huge, so if you arrive to a line, it moves pretty quickly. Can't wait to go back!
Enter Saravana and leave behind Sunnyvale. The ambiance, the people, the chatter, the aromas, the sights of plates laden with yummy food passing by under your nose ... all of it is very reminiscent of good old South India! Minus the hot, sweaty Chennai summers of course!
The food is excellent, the service quick and friendly and one always leaves feeling satiated beyond belief. Good food can bring such bliss, who knew? *winks*
I'm a fan of the mini-tiffin - the portions are perfect for me - not too little, not too much - and a bit of everything in it - with the idlis, dosai, kesaribaath, upma and coffee! The thalis are also an excellent choice if the stomach is growling for more ... all the other items I've tried have always been par expectations!
My only gripe would be the loud music that they play at all times! Once we requested that they turn the volume down, since we happened to be seated right underneath the speakers, but the waiter graciously explained that turning down the volume would inconvenience the rest of the customers, he was sure they wanted the volume high, loud and clear! Oh well, we did try.
But overall, Saravana Bhavan is a top notch, authentic south-indian place, packs a punch without emptying the wallet. Becoming a regular here doesn't require much effort!
I don't even live near here, and yes, we schlepped out here on a Fri to check it out. Can I become a vegetarian eating this? Yes, but I'd get fat too. It's not what you would call light fair. Def will come back. We got the combo. and an extra dessert.
Who knew what you could do with good ol' cream o' wheat...! Or maybe we've been missing out all this time in the New World.
Fri at 6pmish- hardly crowded.
4.5 stars really.
i'm so very happy to find saravana bhavan! this exactly what i was looking for when it comes to a south indian restaurant in terms of flavors and authenticity. we've been here twice so far and each time i've had the mysore masala dosa and it doesn't disappoint. the flavors were spot on and the accompanying chutneys and sambar were excellent. the thali (listed on the menu as the special meal) is a smörgsbord of lil dishes w/ rice and puri is very very good and requires retries as they change what dishes come in this one dish.
a few misses here are the uttapum and the chole batura. the uttapum isn't bad but it's not great. could use some more seasoning. the chole batura was too hard when we had it but the chole itself was good.
the coffee here is a great way to close off the meal since it's the only way to stay awake after culinarily assaulting your stomach.
Wow, this place is amazing. And cheap too. It's hard to find good dosa. For the uninitiated, Dosa are large thin pancakes (like a French crepe) rolled around a vegetarian filling that is spiced. Saravana Bhavan is actually a chain that has locations all over the world, mostly in India. This is a good place to get what feels like an authentic experience (complete with a crowded, loud restaurant!)
The menu isn't translated very well. For example, Rava Dosa is not made from cream of wheat -- I think it's semolina. But order anything and you'll enjoy it. I particularly liked the Masala Dosa, and the Cheese Masala Dosa (and the Rava versions of both). I also liked being the only non-Indian in the room when I went.
They give you a big square metal plate with a few different sauces to dip your Dosa in, two of which are spicy and one that is mild. If you like hot food, you'll love this place. I'm always looking for restaurants where they will serve me hot food... being a white blond girl usually means people assume you can't handle hot. Not a problem at this place.
If you have room for dessert, it's worth taking some of the Pistachio Burfi from the sweets counter, to go. You have to buy at least half a pound, but it's such a dense dessert, that only means 4 or 5 pieces. It's rich, but sweet and unlike anything Western. If you aren't already too full from dinner, you'll finish them, believe me!
Also of note... they don't serve alcohol.
I'm not a vegetarian, but I do enjoy a meatless meal once in a while.
We walked into Saravanaa Bhavan on Sunday at noon and were luckily seated right away. We also ran into an old friend who had driven all the way from SF for a big family luncheon here. We saw that as a positive sign, and as it turned out we were right!
* FOOD *
Being clueless as to what to order, we asked our waiter for advice. He recommended the two popular dishes: Mysore Masala Dosa and Saravana Sample Meal.
Mysore Masala Dosa contained some spinach filling inside and came with four sides (soup & curries). We would've liked the curries with more heat, but the DOSA was AMAZING! Thin, crispy and oh-so tasty.
Saravana Sample Meal came with rice, naan and 10 different sides in stainless steel cups (four types of curries, one soup, one veggie, pickles, yogurt, and two sweets). Despite the similar appearances, the curries were strikingly different in flavors and ingredients, and I liked them all. The yogurt was nicely thick and sour, and the soup was also very delicious. The plain rice was good, too. Dry and firm, just how I like it. IN SHORT - I'd recommend this dish to anyone eating at this restaurant for the first time.
There's a pitcher of water on every table, which makes your life much easier when eating those spicy curries.
At the cash register you will find at least a dozen different desserts/pastries. They got me all curious, but I didn't have the guts to try any... Not just yet.
* SETTING & SERVICE *
They have A LOT of waiters, running around with palms. With this many number of staff, we thought we could easily get our check at the end...but they're particular as to who's assigned to your table, so we had to track down OUR waiter for help. The food was served very quickly, though.
As for the ambiance and decor...there's nothing romantic or classy about this buzzling restaurant. It's where you go to eat and eat only.
* SUM *
Whether you're vegetarian or not, this place is definitely worth trying at least once. Good news is that it's a chain restaurant, so go find your closest branch!
The dosas here are tasty - not the best I've ever had, but a solid choice in a pinch. They are a quite skimpy with the sambar (and for me, that's the best part when you're having dosa). Still, I look past that, because it is pretty tasty.
The service is absolutely random and don't expect much when you go in - set your expectations low and they will always be exceeded. However, the food makes up for the rest.
If you like spicy food, you'll love it here. If you don't, hear my story.
I can't take very spicy food, mild spicy maybe. So we went to this restaurant with coworkers for lunch last week. I knew it was a veggie place and that it was spicy. so I asked the waiter not to have my dish too spicy but mild. When I got the food, it was very spicy. I guess the chef's version of mild spicy was different than mine.
Otherwise, the food was actually pretty good. Nothing special (Amber India down the street is the best) but ok. They had indian desserts as well which tasted good.
