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Categories: Indian, Vegetarian
Neighborhood: Mission
Mon-Thu. 11:30 a.m. - 10:00 p.m.
Fri-Sat. 11:30 a.m. - 10:30 p.m.
Sun. 11:30 a.m. - 10:00 p.m.
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okay,so earlier today i wrote that Tasty Curry was my favorite indian restaurant.Now i take it back.Tasy Curry now takes a step back to second place,becasue Udupi Palace is NUMERO UNO! First and foremost i LOVE the fact that its vegeterian and they can make things vegan upon request(which i did), i just feel less guilty when things are vegan. Since the whole menu is vegeterian i don't have to limit myself to the vegeterian section like i have to do at other indian restaurants.BIG PLUS. Second,the fucking prices.They are ridiculously cheap,especially for the dosas which are gigantic! And i love love love the way meals are served,PERFECT.i dont have to worry about ordering a side of ANYTHING here.The entree comes with anything and everything i could possibly ever need. I just ate here a few hours ago,and though i am STUFFED,if the oppurtunity arose,i'd go back right this second and have more food.Not only is the food unbelievably delicious,but the service is exquisite! love love love it here!
It was worth walking in the rain to try out this place.
It's across the street from 'Dosa' and the food is better and cheaper.
We ordered Dosa and Uthappam, both were really good. Great Chutney and it was less than $20 for 2 (no drinks, no dessert). I'll definitely come back.
This place that serves delish south indian also some serves equally good chaat. I have been here twice and absolutely LOVE the sambar that accompanies their dosa and idlies.
Best sambar in the whole SF bay area (I would even rank my second home Madras Cafe second to this sambar and that says something).
Their non-credit card accepting practices is annoying. You got to dole out cash or write a check here. Something to keep in mind before we dig in.
I'm giving it a 4 because it really was all right and so few places actually have South Indian food that it just makes me happy they have it here.
However, we are picky about our South Indian food. My husband is South Indian and we have spent a year there, and eaten with lots of relatives outside India too, so we know our dosas, idlis and uttapams.
And, this place would not cut it in India, let's put it that way. I say that mainly based on their condiments. The coconut chutney was a disgrace, tasted super stale, but I"m assuming that fresh coconut isn't really easy to come by here obviously compared to it being everywhere in India. Their sambar was great however. The tomato chutney was just weird. Too much tomato not enough chili. The actual dosa, idli and uttapam we tried though were all tasty in and of themselves, fairly impressed there! The masala filling for dosa though was really weak on the flavor, maybe dulled down over here or something? Not really sure. Next time we'll probably get plan dosas.
Problems with condiments aside, it is pretty darn good for San Francisco. And reasonably priced,, as well as they give you massive portion sizes. Overall it will probably be our go-to place when we want our south Indian fix, but would be psyched if their condiments improved! And, would also be great if they were open for breakfast, idlis and uttapams are what we eat for breakfast in India!
The best vegetarian Indian I have ever had; great service, wonderful wine.
The good - nice portions that come w/ rice and bread (i couldn't believe it either), good value
nice decor, paneer mahkni was good by san francisco standards
the not so good - their vegetable curry was terrible, way too much CLOVE, yuck! not only was the clove flavor overbearing, but there were also whole spices that i bit into. Please invest in a cheesecloth, as this was a problem with both dishes.
clueless waitstaff, friendly but basically walking in circles oblivious to their surroundings, more servers than people the night i went, yet i could hardly get anyone's attention, would have probably sent the inedible curry back, but no one ever checked back w/ us
Super delicious! Not happy that they were dumping water all over the sidewalk and front door entrance to clean it during business hours, but daaaayum the food was fantastic so dump anything anywhere, I don't care! Good wine selection and wee bottles, perfect for two. Get the Matanzas Creek chardonnay.
Also good staff, and accommodating to myself and my party, including my 13 month old. The wee bairn got a little screechy, so they packed up my grub at my request so I could spare my fellow yummy-food-eaters the screaming child routine (yer welcome, folks! :)
Big, big dosas served on a metal lunch tray with three dipping sauces at a great price. Udupi is across the corner from Dosa the more bourgeois place. The wait for a table of two was short and the staff is friendly and expedient with food ordering, water refilling and billing. After ordering our two dosas the food was out fast! And then my brain could not process the size of these veggie, spinach and potato filled behemoths. Wine list is extensive and the observe the rule of filling all house ordered wines to the brim. Miss the giant bomber of Kingfisher served at other Indian restaurants since Udupi only serves the smaller version. Found the perfect place to satisfy the vegetarian in my life!
A place where everything can be shared with the vegetarian in my life
Delicious Indian food at extremely reasonable prices. We ordered a dosa, a curry and an appetizer for $24 and were stuffed (and had leftovers)!
Udupi is definitely a new staple.
Good value, good food, and you won't miss the meat. Clean and fresh flavors, friendly service. Not glamorous but a pleasant enough dining room.
The cash only is a bit of a bother but they also take personal checks (?). I am one of the ancient tribespeople who actually carries checks with them almost everywhere except the hiking trail, so it actually works for me. Fascinating, no?
Great South Indian fare, huge portions and super affordable. The wait staff are really nice and food comes out fast. Two of my friends and I just gorged here and paid $30 with tip.
Thoughts:
1. When I take my carnivore friends here, they don't miss the meat. I think that's a good sign.
2. The curries all taste like they were freshly made. Same with the chutneys.
3. Best tamarind sauce I have ever had. Possibly best paneer I have ever had, too.
4. Dosa down the street is expensive, bourgy, and slow compared to this place. Udupi might not be the better date restaurant, but it is the better place to get your daily curry fix.
5. Last but not least: the mango lassi here is really really good.
Worth the Wait you might have to endure! The two chutneys that come with the Samosa's are truly amazing! The service is kind and eager to help... this comes in hand when you order your food spice and need the water to keep on coming and it does. The prices aren't shabby either, they only take cash so make sure you bring some!
*They Only Accept Cash.
I. love. potatoes. So naturally, I love masala dosas as well. I came here over the weekend with the boyfriend while exploring his new neighborhood. And by "exploring," I mean stay close to Valencia and away from Mission.
I got the Special Rava Masala Dosa, which looked as good as it tasted. A feast for my eyes AND tastebuds? LOVE IT. The prices are reasonable (especially for the sizable portions), the waiters are friendly and attentive, and the food is OMNOMNOM-worthy. I finished my entire dosa, which wasn't an easy feat, but tasty Indian food is hard to access in yellow-washed Millbrae, so I had to make sure that I had my fill and then some.
The one defect is that they're cash-only. Can I just go on a mini-rant and say that I absolutely HATE places that only accept cash?? I hate dealing with change and dirty bills, so I prefer to keep all of my transactions plastic-friendly. I mean, who knows where those dollar bills in my wallet have been before nestling comfortably in my knock-off Chanel wallet from China? In the grubby hands of some people who are stingy with toilet paper? Tucked into a stripper's g-string? The possibilities are ENDLESS and that scares the shit out of me, the germaphobe.
So please, invest in a card swiper KTHX.
What a breath of fresh air for Indian cuisine! I'll be honest. The kind of Indian food I'm accustomed to usually are dishes that can be found at Naan N' Curry. (Not that that's a bad thing.) Though I am not a vegetarian, I was very very pleased with the food we ordered. I highly recommend the Saag Paneer, a spinach curry with cottage cheese cubes, as well as the Kadai Bhindi, which consists of okra and various spices. Very flavorful and makes me wish I had a higher eating capacity so I could enjoy more of its goodness. My friend also ordered the Paper Dosa (I think...I don't remember the name, honestly), which was a huge 3 foot long crepe. Very freshly made, which we could tell from it's fluffy texture. Oh ya! Get the Mango Lassi! Just get it. You'll see what I mean.
The wait is a bit long but it was a Saturday night in the Mission so no surprise. Totally worth the wait. Service is excellent! I'd definitely come back again!
1. It's cheap.
2. The portions are huge. My boyfriend and I order an appetizer and split an entree and we were stuffed.
3. The service is super quick.
4. The waitstaff is extremely friendly.
5. It's better than Dosa. (and substancially cheaper- save ur money)
I finally went to the palace tonight. Food was good, service was good, ambiance was OK. Really nothing negative to say, but nothing all that earth shattering either. We asked for suggestions from our server and he chose for us an appetizer, a dosa, a curry, and one other entree. All were fresh and nicely prepared, but they kinda tasted the same especially because the same condiments were given with each dish. Very reasonably priced for Indian food, which I usually think is too expensive for what it is. Really liked that you can make reservations even for small groups and our table was ready right when we got there in a totally packed restaurant.
despite my,bf,hh,&bb's slight hesitation to eat at a place that was vegatarian (no meat? gasp!) we were delightfully surprised at how awesome, delicious, and filling all of the plates of foods we ended up ordering at udupi...ask me to repeat what we ordered? yeah, sorry, no can do...at best i could tell you i think i got a 17 and the bf got the 37?
needless to say, from the plates of foods, the tastings of curries, dips, and breads, it was ALL good, so i'm guessing that's pretty much the overall standard of this place!
would love to go back, but alas, my days of living in the mission was only a weekend long...
oh wait, they have a place in sunnyvale! yay!
I haven't been this happy eating out in a long time.
I ordered a Mysore Masala Dosa and asked to make sure it came out spicy. Not only was it very spicy (in a good way), it was well-seasoned, perfectly cooked, and just absolutely delicious. Their chutneys are all flavorful as well as their sambar.
I ate at Dosa on Fillmore awhile ago and Udupi is seriously a better place. More flavor, larger portion (only ate half, so I get to eat this delicious concoction for lunch tomorrow!), and about $2 cheaper per entree. The coconut chutney was particularly noteworthy, since I absolutely love coconut, and I do remember that I was seriously disappointed in Dosa's coconut chutney (it was bland).
Service is super friendly and the servers are really cute. Not necessarily in the "i want to take you back to bed" cute, but more in the "can i just give you a big fat hug?" kind of cute. I will definitely be back. No more Dosa (on Fillmore or Valencia) for me!
So the food is really, really good. I'm deducting one star because I always feel kind of gross after I eat there - the food is *heavy.* If you're looking for "healthy" vegetarian fare, Udupi is not for you. Service is a little slow, or rather, getting your check can take awhile.
I would give this place an additional four stars if I could take them away from Dosa.
Outstanding Southern Indian food. I've been trying to come here for years and it was well worth the wait. The Samosas are fantastic! They sprinkle special seasoning over them but, I really think it's crack. The Masala Dosas are super filling and the Poori is great!!! Their Chai Tea is very flavorful and balanced, not over spiced. Service is great!
Very nice addition to the Mission. Great decor and the food is tasty - I highly recommend the Spring Dosa. I much prefer Udupi over Dosa which is just down the street, as they're all veg and the restaurant doesn't feel as cramped.
Outstanding service for a busy Saturday night! Eating solo during slow times usually results in good service but during a dinner rush? At most places this doesn't happen but at Udupi I was give a seat with a view of the street next to a friendly "foodie" couple. I had water at my table by the time I organized my belongings. The waiter was extremely helpful. I hadn't eaten at an Indian restaurant in many years and didn't have the first clue on what to order. I gave him a list of things I didn't want to eat and he suggested a few items. They were great. The soup was creamy and spicy. The entree had fresh vegetables wrapped in a soft burrito type bread. I had a tea from India and it was naturally sweet and spicy which totally hit the spot. I walked out extremely full with leftovers and I only spent $13 with a tip.
YUM! I bookmarked this place a while ago and finally just ate here. Now I will definitely come back ... for multiple reasons:
1. absolutely delicious vegetarian food, so much flavor in both of the dosas we ate, and no indigestion
2. very inexpensive for a large amount of food, especially as compared to DOSA down the street
3. short wait for a table and friendly waitstaff, especially as compared to DOSA down the street
4. seating is a little cramped but the high ceilings reduce the discomfort of close proximity to strangers; overall, the atmosphere is warm, inviting, and lively
5. I love this neighborhood; Valencia and 21st is perfect for a post-meal stroll
One of my favorate restaruants on Valencia.
YUMMY
Overall very delicious.
SERVICE
Outstanding; very polite and fast.
ATMOSPHERE
Above average for the price range
Wow I never thought I could enjoy vegetarian Indian food so much! I love having meat during my meals but I now have a new appreciation for this genre of cooking. The color scheme and decor in the space were earthy/festive with plenty of seating. (http://www.yelp.com/bi...) The food portions may look average but don't be fooled...they will fill you up! Service was wonderful since we were checked on often and the food came out in a timely manner. It didn't hurt that we had a cute waiter too. haha Remember it's cash only!
mixed vegetable uthappam ($7.95) - This was a rice and lentil pancake that came with 4 sauces/chutneys. OMG I adored every single one of those dips and was pleasantly surprised that they all tasted so different/unique. They had the right amount of spiciness and had varying flavors that challenged the palate. I think my faves were the tomato and coconut ones. That pancake (filled with peas, carrots, tomatoes and onions) was divine too...I couldn't stop eating it! (http://www.yelp.com/bi...)
special vegetable curry ($9.95) - My friend ordered this one and regretted picking the medium spice since it was a little too spicy. lol She really enjoyed it though and even had leftovers. The poori (inflated dough?) was interesting and went well with the curry too. (http://www.yelp.com/bi...)
Come here for an affordable, filling, and healthy Indian meal! Can't wait until my next food adventure here!
Another solid meal at Udupi Palace on Saturday night. Note that they take reservations. We were seated in about two minutes despite the line because we had phoned ahead.
The dosa with potato and the chickpea masala were both good but I give the edge to the chickpea masala again.
Fast, friendly and efficient service, tasty food, and bargain prices will keep me coming back.
Very good south indian food and a great value. Udupi Palace is a vegetarian restaurant so if you… Read more »
Been here for lunch about four times and it's on the radar for good. it's been consistently good all times. the ambiance is okay. I prefer Dosa for a dinner out with friends but for lunch or a regular week day meal or weekend where you dont want to spend as much, this place is great.
the portions are generous and the variety of vegetarian items makes you not miss the meat. I am not a vegetarian but I love coming here. If you are coming for lunch try the Vegetable curry. it rocks. The Dosa is too much food mid-day for me. The chai is good for those that dont like to too sweet.
I tried the two foot rice dosa here. I have to say that it turns heads when it is served. The dosa was like a huge crispy slightly sour rice cracker. The sauces were also amazing. I loved the coconut, pumpkin seed chutneys. For less than $10, I'll definitely be back.
At Udupi Palace, I can eat anything on the menu. This is such a huge relief (as I've said in other reviews)! Just to be able to walk in, sit down, and not have to scan the menu for my vegetarian options, because the whole menu is vegetarian!
Udupi Palace is also reasonably priced and you get a lot of tasty food for your money. I would actually warn people about that -- the food is filling, delicious, and there's a lot of it. Come prepared either to be stuffed, or take a lot of food home.
Ooooooh SNAP!
My second time with South Indian food and wow... I'm not sure I need to go anywhere else, ever again.
I was very impressed with everything here last night. The prices were great and the food was incredible. Dosas, the size of my forearms, packed full of delicious potatoes, peas, and other savory goodies. I believe we had the special rava masala dosa. It came with sambar and coconut chutney. It was incredible.
The pineapple Uthappam topped with diced Pineapple was mindblowing... and for $5.95, it was even better. We also had the paneer makhani: Cottage cheese cubes in Tomato & Cream gravy. It was delicious. Definitely my favorite, which is saying something since it was all so good!
I have yet to find anything in Seattle that serves up the deliciousness that Udupi does.
I still really like Dosa down the street, but I gotta say that Udupi is better and the price points are much, much more reasonable.
Cash only, but there's an ATM next door.
After splitting a $16 feast with my boyfriend (just returned from a sojourn through South India) at Udupi Palace last night, I felt compelled to write out this five point plan for the Future of Indian Food in America.
Step One: Re-brand all "Indian" food North Indian/Pakistani food so that South Indian food can take its rightful place as the one and only Indian food worthy of the name. If it's not a vegetarian, bathed in sweet coconut or nosebleed spicy, I just don't want to talk about it.
Step Two: eliminate the pretenders. That means you, Washington Square Park Dosa Guy (ok, i like you, but you're destroying the MOVEMENT), and you too, SF's Dosa. Down with "California Style Dosa". Up with idli sambar!
Step Three: Metal plates, ubiquitous in actual India, are far too scarce stateside. Metal plates are a must.
Step Four: No more Tikka Masala. Ever
Step Five: Stop ordering your own entre. That's just dumb. A meal for two should be $20 with tip.
*Fuck Dosa.
Oh why yes - I think I will eat ALL of the sauce from that plate. Hand me a spoon!
Cheap and chilled, it's definitely a place where licking the plate is appropriate! Bring on the dosas (hugely delish), pineapple uthappam, paneer makhani! Nom, nom, nom. I'd say more but I'm busy daydreaming about this bit of tastebud euphoria!
So I'm a harsher judge of South Indian restaurants than other types of cuisine -- I grew up on the stuff -- so indulge me please. Three Yelp stars is a pretty solid showing on my personal South Indian scale. Four stars = outstanding, and five stars can really only go to Mom for her impossibly amazing ability to make vegetarian food taste divine (and don't just take my word for it, all my friends used to try to finagle a meal at our place when I was a kid).
Udupi Palace gets three stars. Go here and order dosas, the thali (a smörgasbord that lets you try many different little traditional South Indian dishes -- my recommendation), or the uthappams. The sambar is delish, and the rasam packs a mean black pepper (not chilli powder) punch as its supposed to.
Do not go here to order North Indian dishes like samosas, saag paneer or pretty much anything you get at Pakwan or any Indian / Pakistani restaurant you're familiar with. Would you get kung pao chicken at a Japanese restaurant?
Minus a star or two for the following: (1) their coconut chutney was not fresh, and must have been made 1-2 days ago. The best coconut chutney doesn't taste obviously coconut-y. A South Indian place that messes this up is like a Korean restaurant screwing up kimchi; (2) the pappadam was stale -- the good kind should be crisp and crunchy, not soft with a paper-like texture; (3) Cash only? Do these places exist anymore?
Still, a pretty solid showing. As is to be expected at most Indian restaurants, service is marginal and indifferent at best.
A poser place like Dosa just down Valencia makes me so mad that I can't even bring myself to rate it.
Dosas! Many things on this cheap, all-vegetarian menu enticed me; I went with the fantastic spinach dosa. We ordered a half carafe of wine and the total altogether was about what you'd expect for two entrees at some comparable restaurant. The paneer dishes are also worth checking out, especially if as a counterpoint to the dosas. Did I mention, Dosas?
Both times I've arrived, I was seated within 10 minutes even though the place was fairly filled out. Just make sure you've got cash...
"The dosa place across the street from Dosa"
Cheap, filling, authentic, delicious. Encapsulates what I love about San Francisco's food scene.
yup.
thursday night, showed up about 30 minutes before closing time. food came fast and furious. we were the last ones there and they let us take our time finishing our dranks. they didn't even care that my friend made a mess. cool folks, tasty treats.
Love the food (4 stars!), but when I tried to get them to deliver today they told me that:
- they only deliver within 3 miles of the mission
- my place, which is about 2.5 miles from their door, is "too far"
Boo. :( Trying again tomorrow, with my handy google mapped data to back me up. If they change their tune, I'll change mine.
I'd like to echo all the other 5 star reviews, and add simply that this place is GREAT for anyone gluten-free. Most of the dosas and the idlis are gluten-free, and the staff are knowledgeable and accommodating. Great service, even when totally PACKED. I definitely recommend splitting an entree, as my girlfriend and I could barely finish one curry and one order of idli (and we were STARVED). The idli, curry, and two mango lassis came out to about $22: about the price of a large pizza and a couple beers, so I'd call that cheap. If your party was foolish enough to order one entree per person, it might seem more expensive (though you'd walk out with enough leftovers for a whole 'nother meal or two).
Took them forever to serve our table, the waiter was very nice though and served us with a smile. The food was good, very tasty with a uniqe touch. Over all it was a good experience.
I have now been to all three Udupi Palaces in the bay area, and they are all different. To compete with Dosa's ambiance, this UP has cloth napkins, and rolls your dosa so that it does not hang off the plate and touch the table when they serve you.
The food is good here. It's not California cuisine influenced by South India, it's South Indian food. Dosas, utthapam, rasam, everything is very good. The only thing I did not enjoy was the paneer.
Neighborhood: Mission
Category: Indian
Neighborhood: Mission
Category: Indian
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Category: Indian
Neighborhood: Mission
Category: Indian
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