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Vik's Chaat
Category: Restaurants Indian Indian [Edit]
2390 4th St(between Bancroft Way & Channing Way)
Berkeley, CA 94710
(510) 644-4432
- Hours:
Mon-Thu 11 am - 6 pm
Fri-Sun 11 am - 8 pm
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Street, Private Lot
- Attire:
- Casual
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Price Range:
-
$
- Takes Reservations:
- No
- Delivery:
- No
- Take-out:
- Yes
- Waiter Service:
- No
- Outdoor Seating:
- No
- Wi-Fi:
- Free
- Good For:
- Lunch
- Alcohol:
- No
- Noise Level:
- Loud
- Ambience:
- Casual
- Has TV:
- No
- Caters:
- No
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
1139 reviews for Vik's Chaat
Review Highlights
"MANGO LASSI - a must order and sweet."
(in 159 reviews)
"I highly recommend the masala dosa."
(in 155 reviews)
"My favorite dish is the Lamb Baida Roti."
(in 44 reviews)
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1139 reviews in English
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Review from Laura S.
San Francisco, CA
Go eat here. Each dish is a completely distinct feast for the eyes, and a party in your mouth. If you like Indian flavors but are tired of Chicken Tikka Masala, try these Chaat-style dishes that are only beginning to be available elsewhere. Everything is made to order in less than 10 minutes, and will get to you piping hot and still crunchy. I try to go off-hours because I don't want to hover for a table once my food's out.
Dosa (the giant roll) is crisp, with spiced, chunky potatoes inside. The Cholle Bhature is so fun, a giant, hollow ball of fried dough, overwhelming its paper plate. If you're not that adventurous, both of these are great choices.
If you want to try something a little more different, the Idli (flying saucer-shaped rice puffs) are strangely dry and crumbly, and served with the cool, sweet, pale green, coconut chutney for dipping. This wasn't my favorite, but did offer a distinct sensation. Most dishes also come with the sambar--a broth with garbanzo beans, tomatoes and other veggies.
At the cashier's suggestion, we got the Dahi Batat Puri. These bite-sized, fried flying saucers are hollow but for a teaspoon of potato filling. They're topped with tangy tamarind chutney (the runny, clear, brown one) and yogurt. Crunchy, with a variety of flavors in each bite.
The Lamb Biryani was pretty underwhelming, with tender but dry lamb that really needed the cucumber yogurt that came with. The vegan-friendly Uttapam tasted strangely like an Indian pizza due to the tomatoes mixed in.
My least favorite thing about Indian food is the dessert. I asked the cashier to pick 3 for me. A white triangular piece with pistachios died bright green sandwiched inside was crumbly and tasted strongly of cardamom. So did the 2 inch long, pale brown rectangle, that reminded me most of the crumbs stuck to the outside of a strawberry shortcake ice cream bar. The winner was the oblong, brown one, with while cream inside. This was deep friend, then soaked in sweet rose water, but to me just tasted pretty weird. Unless you know you like them or are feeling adventurous, I'd skip the sweets. -
Review from Melris C.
Daly City, CA
1/27/2012 1 Check-in Here
I was slightly disappointed in some of the dishes but would still come back to try other dishes.
LOVED the:
Masala- light and tasty dipping sauce.
Mango Lassi- it's like a mango smoothie/shake...it was refreshing and not too sweet
It was okay:
Samosa
Not a fan:
Dahi Batata puri- just wasn't my thing...
You order the food then they will call your number as each food comes out. It was a little annoying that they don't get all your food ready at the same time so you're left getting up a few times as each food comes out.
Overall, fun experience with the BF because it was our first trying out this type of food, can't say the staff are friendly and welcoming, but great parking, and relaxed atmosphere...kind of like a big cafeteria. -
Review from Mike G.
1/25/2012 2 Check-ins Here
This place is awesome and an icon. It is a great place to get tasty vegetarian food or anything you are in the mood for, and I am excited to go back after visiting India to re-discover Vik's menu all over again!
My favorite is the bhel puri and a dal, but a word of caution on some of the dishes: if you're not careful, your dish will come with a huge dosa or other puffed bread. Be warned! If you don't want the carbs, be clear on whether you are buying a little place of sauce and a pizza-sized puff bread concoction.
Other top choices:
Pani puri
Aloo tikki
Dahi pakori
Also one last hot tip; learn the menu online with the super helpful pictures before going, because once you're there, you better know what you want! http://www.vikschaatco... -
Review from Jenna L.
1/19/2012 1 Check-in Here
I was completely disappointed. I heard from coworkers that this place is awesome, this place is out of the world good, it's lively and fun etc.
What was good is their Sev Puri! Very fresh ingrediants and crunchy.
The Bhatura cholle is pretty bland and oily. I had better at the chaat houses in Sunnyvale.
Mango lassi was good. Drank that up pretty fast.
The chicken curry special that night was alright.. It was bland as well. Chicken was dry. Maybe it's because they make so much that the quality went down.
I also don't like how they yell out names to pick up your food. It might be personal, but it's keeps you always on alert for your name. If it was number based, you can kind of chill and relax as it's in order. Also I would like it if all the food came in at once... I mean we went back and forth 4 times.
I admit it, i'm a lazy one. Next time i'll try the dosas and see if it's worth spreading the news that I ate here. My coworker went on the same Saturday, and was disappointed with her order as well. -
Review from Christine A.
Berkeley, CA
1/14/2012 2 Check-ins Here
It took me quite a few years to warm up to eating Indian food, but now it's something I CRAVE! I've been accustomed to eating the usual (tandoori chicken, naan, etcetera) but at Vik's Chaat cafe there's so many new items to try I have to keep coming back. At Vik's- I love their descriptions of the food taking you back to India where you could find these same dishes on the street from vendors.
The food is good! I've tried about 7 different items and everything has been hot and flavorful. I plan on going back to try more.
Their ordering can get a bit messy: you go up and order everything at the cashier desk then wait for your name to be called. Depending on what you ordered, the dishes will probably come at different times, and making you pick up the dishes are different parts of the bar. A little confusing for the first-timers but it's easy to pick up on after awhile.
Make sure to stop at the market too, lots of typical Indian groceries to experiment with yourself!Listed in: Bay Area
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Review from mike t.
Oakland, CA
1/17/2012
Giant dosas and huge puffed bread. Shit is like the first RANCID record, a battering ram right through to you(r taste buds)
C.R.E.A.M. -- Curry Rules Everything Around Me, tasy tasty naan ya'll.
For Southern Indian, there is none finer. -
Review from Jenn C.
1/7/2012
The new space is huge and gorgeous but I have to confess: I much prefer the old location in the funky warehouse. It seems like there were better bean-free vegan options there before - the menu is now more standardized and a lot more meet heavy it seems. There were so many people there - customers and staff - it has much more of a cafeteria feel than before.
Solid food but nothing that seemed to really stand out to me (being vegan) so I'm not planning to return since there are better Indian options for me closer to home. -
Review from Nadeem A.
Union City, CA
12/29/2011
This is definitely not the Vik's that I remember from years ago, and this is definitely not your typical desi food establishment. Why? Because it's actually clean and (relatively) organized! But really, I'd eat food with a man in a van down by the river if the food was exceptional, so on to the food!
A word of advice: If you don't like tamarind sauce, then ask for no tamarind.
The good? Samosas, puri with cholay, and mango lassi. All delicious, all gobbled down fast.
The not-so-good? Masala-dosa, lamb baida roll, and chicken kathi roll. The dosa and baida were just under-seasoned for my tastes, while the kathi roll had a too-strong-taste of garam masala.
Really, this place will remain in the rotation just for taking new people to experience the Vik's phenomena. If it's just the family going out, we'll go to our favorite Pakistani joints (Shalimar and Pakwan). -
Review from Joanne H.
San Francisco, CA
1/10/2012 1 Check-in Here
The restaurant is right next to a store that sells Indian food, so if you start at the store, just keep walking the restaurant is just down the way. The layout is unique, when you get to the restaurant, there are large stainless steel counters, this is where you go to pick up your order. I walked around to see what they served and then headed back to the cashiers to place my order. If you know what you want, just head straight to the cashiers. Once your order is placed, find a place to sit, they will call your name when your order is ready. If you are like me and had no idea what my food was going to look like and which area I was supposed to go to for pick-up, there is a guy that call out the names and he can help direct you to where to get your food.
As for the food, I ordered a vegetarian platter with cauliflower balls. They were in a tasty sauce with a giant piece of yummy naan and various other sauces. It was very good. I also had a samosa which came with an amazing dipping sauce. Lastly, my friend got a giant fried dough ball and while I don't know the name, it was my favorite item there. I am not super familiar with North Indian street food, but my first experience was fun.
Hopefully this review helps clarify the layout of the place and others will not be as lost as I was on my first trip. -
Review from Iain T.
Berkeley, CA
1/1/2012
As a Brit abroad I long for the Indian tastes I grew up with. Vik's has the best I've tasted on the West Coast - a good, if limited, selection of foods and at a price that's right.
The eating area and staff are pretty bleak, but you don't come here for the romantic ambiance or cosy service. It's about getting the food, eating it on cafe-style chairs and then getting out quickly.
There's also a rather good supermarket attached, if you're looking to cook your own. Quite pricey for a lot of things but worth a look. -
Review from James R.
Oakland, CA
1/13/2012
Originally a warehouse for an Indian market, Viks has transcended into exquisit dining complete with fantastic street food crafted in the southern indian tradition.
You owe it to yourself to try the perfect crepe style pancake filled with a stew of hardy vegetables called Dosa. Here It is light and substantial while not being overly decant or filling.
Viks humble decor and substantial food for a meager price makes for an excellent weekend lunch. -
Review from Sean D.
Berkeley, CA
12/17/2011
I like Jen R.'s review: "Any place with over a thousand reviews needs my two cents like...something else it doesn't need."
Nevertheless, to this rater of Maharashtran descent, the veggie dishes are hit WAY out of the park. The non-veg dishes need work to avoid being oil bombs - they can be hit or miss.
The desserts are inconsistent too - mithai is usually very good, but the cakes and ras- twins (malai, gulla) are surprisingly bland.
The delivery method for your orders is way chaotic.
However, now I've learned my lessons, I stick to pani poori, uttapam, dosa, bhatura and always leave fat & happy! -
Review from Jen R.
12/16/2011 1 Check-in Here
Any place with over a thousand reviews needs my two cents like...something else it doesn't need. A health code violation maybe? At any rate, Vik's is nifty. The space is a clean, modern and industrial-looking (now - I understand this was not always the case) cafeteria-esque joint with a full Indian grocery attached. But the drill to eat here is overcomplicated:
Stand in one line to order and pay, leave a name and strain to hear it called through a bad speaker system. But wait - if you hear your name and you go up, not all of your food is necessarily ready. You may have to walk all the way to the serving counter (and depending on seating options, this could be a long or crowded walk) only to have to come back again two minutes later for another tray.
Suggestion #1: number board instead of names broadcast. Very hard to hear/understand the names, very easy to see your number light up.
Suggestion #2: fill the whole order before alerting the customer that it's time to come up.
Otherwise, the place is cool. The food is good, the portions fair (for lunch, for the price) and I dig the overall vibe, over all. They just gotta get the kinks worked out of that system, you know? It's annoying. -
Review from Nika K.
San Bruno, CA
1/4/2012
This place is amazing.
I've been coming here before they even moved to this location, and I've never been disappointed with my food. Yeah, service kinda sucks, it is loud, and their seating is very unorganized, but we all know that places like these, have the best food and the prices are cheap.
My favorites:
Dhai batata puri
Sev puri
Masala dosa
Chicken kebab
Mango lassi (bigger cups needed please!)
It can be a little difficult to find, but this place is always a stop for me every time I'm in Berkeley... -
Review from Meredith M.
Oakland, CA
1/6/2012
I've only had a few things here, but when i find something I like, I stick with it!
My favorite things I get here each time I come:
Dahi Batata Puri - mini puffs with potato, beans, and spices with yogurt and tamarind sauce. I think this is one of my favorite foods on earth. I have tried it in both eat-in and to-go formats, the to go is better, as the puffs don't get soggy and you can dust off the spices if you want a little less heat.
Cholle Bhature - its an enormous donut puff with garbanzo beans and tasty pickles. I really like pickles so this is sort of the highlight of this dish for me
tons of noisy children everywhere, but besides that the new dining room is a huge improvement over the old one. good job viks! -
Review from Akshay K.
San Jose, CA
1/30/2012
I love the food and the prices are great, but this place is always crowded, sometimes too crowed.
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Review from Joe M.
My girlfriend and I were meeting up with her sister's family in Berkeley and we had decided to grab some lunch at Gregoire. However, it was super cold when we arrived and preferred to find a place indoors to eat instead. We hopped into the car and headed to one of her sisters' family's favorite places and checked out Vik's Chaat.
We ordered a variety of dishes to share including the Bhel Puri, Bhatura Cholle, Vegetable Dosa, Lamb Baida Roti, and Chicken Kathi Kabab. I loved every dish and particularly enjoyed the lamb roti's flavor, bhel puri texture, and whimsical dosa.
We decided to stick around for dessert and ordered a variety of items from gulab jamun to other sweets that we didn't recognize. I particularly liked the gulab jamun and the flaky dessert wrapped in plastic. It literally melted in your mouth like cotton candy and I loved the texture.
I love that Vik's is hard to find and essentially hidden in a warehouse park in the back of an Indian grocery store. Despite it being hard to find, it's clearly a super popular place with a reputation for great chaat. Come with a big group for an opportunity to try the most dishes!
Food: 8/10
Service: 7/10
Price: $
Atmosphere: 7/10 -
Review from Shirleyanne Z.
San Francisco, CA
1/15/2012 1 Check-in Here
Ok. Here's the low down, when I first went here a few years ago, I didn't like it too much. I would have given them a one-star. They have this lunch special where your food is compartmentalized reminiscent of a tv dinner. The portion size was so small that I was still hungry. The chicken that came with my lunch was small and there were only a few pieces. I would not have come back had my co-worker not talked me into giving them another shot. Plus I didn't really like the veggies that they put on my plate. It tasted funny to me so I didn't even touch them.
So here I am, finding myself being dragged to Vik's for lunch. They have a new location which is bigger and better looking. Instantly, my stomach starts growling because of the inviting aroma that is wafting in the air. I used Yelp to pick what dish people really liked. I decided to go vegetarian for my lunch so I ordered the Cholle Bhature. It's basically a puffy fried flatbread with a garbanzo bean sauce that you dip the bread in. The puffy bread was really oily (the cashier did warn me about it being oily) but it was soft, flaky and delicious. The garbanzo sauce was slightly sweet, probably from the tamarind sauce, and it had the most exquisite mix of spices. My coworkers ordered the seabass and the samosa cholle. Their samosas are huge and my coworker said it tasted really good. My other coworker, who ordered the seabass, said it was pretty spicy but the taste was perfect. Just like my experience from a while back, he found the serving small.
Because of my more favorable second experience at Vik's, I am bumping them up to three stars. Their prices are cheap when compared to other Indian restaurants. I think it's an ok spot to go grab some quick and cheap Indian food. -
Review from Rob C.
Danville, CA
12/2/2011
Fast, efficient, green. Great quality food. Nice specials. Wonderful desserts to choose from after the meal. Lots of available parking. Very helpful to you when ordering for the first time.
It's more like a super-hip college cafeteria than restaurant, but a huge improvement from the old location and set up. -
Review from Abbe B.
Berkeley, CA
12/26/2011
2-1/2 stars.
The food is Ok but there is a huge learning curve in ordering the right thing and actually getting it.
The ambiguous menu is more of a piece of creative writing than anything to help the customer. For instance "Dahi Batata Puri: I still remember making the trek to the pushcart at Elko Arcade in Mumbai for these puris filled and topped with yogurt and tamarind chutney. Make sure you finish the best part, the tangy mixture at the bottom of the plate, after the puris are gone..." This is from their website with pictures, but when you're at the restaurant reading from their text only menu -it is certainly no help.
The place is cafeteria styled, and is messy, noisy and chaotic. This can easily be mistaken for a party atmosphere, which is why we went for a friend's birthday.
We ordered a variety of items and frankly forgot who ordered what. Since they rely on you picking up the food at their prep counters at the other end of the room yourself, and only when they call you by your first name in an accent on a bad speaker system among the din of the crowd, one can easily miss one's order.That's what happened to us.
A receipt is not required for pick up, so just imagine the free for all and ensuing chaos. We cheated ourselves out of 2 orders that way. It was only after we left the place that we realized we never picked them up, either because we didn't hear the name, or someone else with the same name picked them up! Also, there will be people literally standing next to your table waiting to take your place, so it feels very unpleasant and extremely rushed.
We concluded that this may actually be a business strategy since the customer's loss is actually the business's gain. -
Review from Tiffany Z.
Berkeley, CA
12/1/2011
3 stars. I hate to go against all these raving reviews, but my (Indian) husband and I weren't terribly impressed with the chaat available here. It's not horrible but I would just temper your expectations if you're expecting amazing chaat :) It is inexpensive so that's a plus.
The location is a bit out of the way if you don't have a car and so to make it worth the trip, we ordered five of the offerings -- from BEST to WORST:
(1) Pani Puri -- I'd order this here again. These are crispy puffs that you poke a hole in and fill with the boiled chickpeas and potatoes and the accompanying tart & spicy green soup-like sauce (it's not the mint chutney). However, there's not really much cooking involved with this dish so the only thing that's impressive was that the puffs were not stale (as is often the case). You may not like this dish (the sauce has an unusual taste) but it tastes like it should.
(2) Dahi Papri Chaat -- dominated by the yogurt -- it was OK, just not great. We still probably wouldn't order it again. Actually, Zaika on University had surprisingly good Papri Chaat the last time we ordered it (I say surprisingly b/c we weren't expecting good chaat from a sports bar like Indian restaurant).
(3) Aloo Tikki and (4) Bhel Puri -- not great, but also not inedible. We just would never order either of them again. The Aloo Tikki (potato pancakes) were mushy inside and out -- normally, the outside should be crispier. The Bhel Puri (sort of like big rice krispy puffs with potatoes, onions, and mint chutney) had way too much of just the green mint chutney and really that's all we could taste. Plus, there weren't any tomatoes :( Normally, we fight over every last spoonful of this stuff but here, we barely ate more than a spoonful each.
(5) Rasmalai (dessert) -- do not order this! For a pretty hefty price (compared to the rest of the menu), you'll receive 2 measly pieces of what tasted like rubbery styrofoam. I took a bite and threw the rest out. When made fresh, Ras Malai is one of my favorite Indian desserts but the pieces should be more moist and actually taste good.
We also ordered the Rose and Mango Lassi -- the mango lassi is very sweet here (every restaurant makes it a different sweetness); if you don't have much of a sweet tooth, the Rose lassi might be a better option and I'd order it again.
The concept of a dedicated chaat place is cool; unfortunately, the execution is lacking. Overall, I'd say this is one Berkeley institution that is living off of its overrated reputation :( -
Review from Nick L.
San Francisco, CA
12/5/2011
Perhaps for the bay area this place is pretty good, maybe 4 stars even but comparing it to Indian places across the globe it's so-so. Maybe it's a bit harsh to judge a place based on that but it's my review so I do as I please!
I was surprised how small the market area was, you can get a lot of your Indian groceries here but there's a lot missing.
The cafeteria section was the busy part and there were a variety of items available. The mango lassi was pretty good, but the masala dosa was only ok. Price wise it's not super cheap considering the setup but it's ok. Hence the ok rating. -
Review from Swapan M.
East Bay, CA
11/29/2011 1 Check-in Here
Legendary venue known by all Indians in the Bay Area. Even non-Indians are huge fans. Fresh and tasty chaat is hard to come by and Vik's has it. Dahi Batata Puri was amazing. Keema samosa was pretty good, masala dosa was good, kathi chicken kabob was good.
Most of all I'd say stick with the chaat items. The other items are good too but not the golden ticket. Grocery store is clean too. -
Review from Ed V.
10/18/2011
It was a little more than a year ago that Amod Chopra oversaw the relocation of Vik's, the Indian chaat shop his parents launched in their garage-like West Berkeley market warehouse back in late 80's. The expanded restaurant might be no more than a few blocks away from the original Vik's Chaat house, but Vik's Chaat corner feels like a new universe.
Maybe the best part: instead of going sleeker, fancier, or more fusion-y, The Chopras managed to keep the unpretentious, concrete-lined character of the original, important since the food coming out of the kitchen tries to stay faithful to the Indian street.
Vik's pani puri - puffed crisps you fill with tamarind water - are still the best in town, lamb baida roti (sort of like Chinese green onion pancakes filled with meat stew) are consistently well made, the chicken biryani puts other local versions to shame, and the lassis are unerringly tasty. -
Review from Janet C.
San Diego, CA
10/22/2011
I think my friend almost cried from how good the food was. This is the kind of place where you're like "mmmmm" at every bite and don't want to eat the food because then the food will be gone. I used to eat here a decade ago (before the relocation) and it is just as I remember. The new location (a block from the old) is updated but still has that open warehouse feel where the food comes first and everything else, well, doesn't matter.
Samosas did get a little smaller and the filling was saltier than I remember, but that chickpea sauce topped with the green stuff it comes with ....mmmmmmm..
Dosas (a foot long, stuffed with potatoes in the center, hollow at the ends) mmmm...
Battura (big puffy thing that deflates when you rip off a piece) mmmm...
Pani puri (little crispy puffs you can poke and stuff with potatoes) - these were ok but fun to eat... -
Review from Rena K.
11/8/2011 1 Check-in Here
Thanks Jane K for introducing me to this place!!!
The Dahi Batata Puri was delicious....took me back to my visit to India.
Lots to choose from, so requires several visits or a large group to share with to try all the different options on the menu.
The grocery store connected has a variety of indian products, so great to get some shopping done if you need to stock up on some garlic ginger or chutney's :). -
Review from James S.
Oakland, CA
11/27/2011
Finally got to Viks after years of hearing the legend. Alas, my fiance and I found it to be overrated. For one thing, they've let success corrupt their attitude. Didn't enjoy the service whatsoever. You'd think telling them you're new to the place and that you don't understand the menu names that they'd be willing to help you. Wrong. The food turned out to be a mixed bag ranging from really good to really average. There's a better Indian joint down at Jack London Square (name escapes me, unfortunately).
And the cafe style is hardly a plus. It's noisy and extremely informal. -
Review from Jennifer W.
Berkeley, CA
10/30/2011 1 Check-in Here
This is a real treasure and establishment. I would definitely recommend this place for any lover of Indian food. Don't be discouraged by the location. It's worth the trip. Don't be discouraged by the long line. It moves fairly quickly.
Vik's operates as a market and a cafeteria. One part of it is dedicated to high shelves loaded with grocery items like rice, lentils, spices, and oils. There is a frozen section and fresh produce sections as well. The spices are fairly priced, everything else is not.
So naturally, the attention is all in the cafeteria area. Grab a menu, make up your mind in line. Give them a name that you don't think anyone else has. Your name gets called at whatever stations. The food fall in the categories of chaat, dosa, and lunch specials. Here are my favorites:
cholle bature
masala dosa
lamb biryani
pani puri
Don't get your food to go. It comes in a flimsy, shallow paper platter with dividers. The yogurt and chutneys contaminate everything! Plus, it's hard to heat up everything that needs to be heated up again. One thing I do is cut out each section. -
Review from Anastasia M.
San Francisco, CA
1/30/2012
These guys got it right: tasty and consistently good food, simple and fair prices. Their new location is very clean and painted in beautiful bright colors. Gave it only four stars because my preference goes to fine dining restaurants. This place is more like a busy warehouse. Highly recommended for a quick snack.
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Review from Monica S.
11/11/2011
This is the best place for Indian street food and mishtis (sweets) in Berkeley. Many options, all of them good, so really you should just grab a few friends and come hungry.
It is tucked away in a low-foot-traffic part of Berkeley, which is my only complaint, but it's worth questing for. If you like what you get and want to try your hand at cooking Indian food at home, they have a decent Indian supermarket attached to the cafeteria. -
Review from Chris M.
11/8/2011
Fast good cheap Indian food! I have had a selection of dishes and all have been good!
Not much more to be said really, check it out, it is a great lunch spot, plenty of seating, quick service and cheap! THE END!
It is also a supermarket, but I have only ever been to the food court area -
Review from Gurpreet S.
San Francisco, CA
1/4/2012 1 Check-in Here
This place has amongst the best chaat (Indian Snacks) in the bay. Sure, you've got excellent stuff in south bay, but here, you get the complete set of options. Things to die for - Baida roti, Kulfi falooda, aloo tikki chaat.
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Review from Robert Y.
11/5/2011
Cafeteria style indian food next to a supermaket.
Mango Lassi
mango flavored yogurt drink that really hit the spot. A good dessert drink.
Lamb Curry
About 8 peices of lamb that was mildly spicy and came with a dosa, onions, rice, and dipping sauce. Average overall as nothing really stood out.
masala dosa
fried pancake like thin layer covering potato peas with dipping sauce. Good standard appetizer although the quality was average.
Overall the food was average, which is expected from a cafeteria style place as it seems everything was made in large quanities and scooped out as needed. There are a lot of students here also. -
Review from Pablo R.
12/21/2011 3 Check-ins Here
Spices were Bollywood dancing on my tongue! Awesome !
I don't know anything about Indian street food. I'm a carnivore. Why did I come here?
I was convinced that it was awesome. No doubt!
After parking the adjacent lot with an awesome view of the bay, I walked in through the Indian food grocery store to the open back area. What a secret find! A large dining area, a long counter for serving food and a long line up to the cashiers that moved quickly.
I have one rule of thumb when it comes to any ethnic restaurant. If you see the people of that ethnicity crowding in, it's legit. This place meets that rule. Lots of Indian people ordering food that I can't pronounce so I took a chance and pointed at a couple of things I'd eat. What a nice payoff to my guesses. (Please forgive my ignorance on Indian cuisine...) I had the "Big poofy bread" with dipping sauces, a potato burrito crepe and a rice curry lamb dish. The bottom line is it was a super delicious and super cheap! I washed it down with a Mango drink. Honestly, I felt an Anthony Bourdain-type experience because I didn't know what I was getting into and loved it! Thank you Vik for introducing me to Indian street food, it's delicious!
I did find the one weakness...no ice at all and it's summer.Listed in: Best $10 and under meals!
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Review from Ziyan C.
Updated - 11/1/2011 7 photos
Both dishes we got were great, tasted amazing, but I wish I had realized I was ordering the exact same thing, one with chickpeas and the other with fried dough.
We ordered:
* Dahi papdi chaat - 4.5 stars
* Pakori chaat - 3.5 stars
Both were "wet", soaked in yogurt and all the dipping sauces (the green, orange, and brown ones). They were cool and all had an amazing balance of tart, tangy, and sweet flavors. Chaat is chickpeas, and these were cooked perfectly. Pakori is larger (fits in the palm of your hand) balls of fried dough, a little on the dryer side but fine because they were soaked in all the yogurt and sauces.
What I also hadnt' realized before is that their weekend menu is different. They have bhatura (those large puffy pieces of fried dough) and uttapam, which I don't remember seeing during the week.1 Previous Review: Show all »
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4/14/2011
Agreed, this is good Indian food. But I'm not sure it quite lives up to the hype.. my boyfriend is… Read more »
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Review from Jenny M.
10/28/2011
One of my favorite Indian places in Berkeley! So so so so so so so so gooooood :) I've come here twice for brunch, and would definitely come so much more if I had the time to drive!
I've tried 4 things on the menu and they were all DELICIOUS and very cheaply priced for how filling they are. Hopefully I can expand my chaat portfolio and try more!
Mango lassi - some of the yummiest I've had and very cheap (around $2?) for a generous cup.
Samosa cholle - let me just say that in general, the cholle is AWESOME and I love all sauces in general, so it is a great addition to the huge and crispy samosas they have. I love biting into a samosa and having all the steam come out, because they are just THAT fresh when you get them. Yum yum yum
Cholle Bhature - something I've never seen before until I tried it! It's basically a huge puffy crispy...bread? Thing? I don't know how to describe it except that it's a bit oily but still very good. Think of inflated naan bread, but deepfried...I guess. Gah, you'll just have to try it to see. It comes with delicious cholle (their bean curry/sauce thing) for dipping and is very filling.
Lamb Baida Roti - I don't think this was as worth it as the other things - while it was delicious and reminded me of like meat and onion pancakes that they have in China, the lamb was so ground up that I almost felt like I was eating ground beef. Still good though.
Can't wait to go back to Vik's more and more! -
Review from Sharon L.
El Cerrito, CA
Updated - 11/12/2011 10 Check-ins Here
I still come back. I think the employees read my previous review and have changed their ways. They remember my name and make it a point to repeat my order to make sure they have it right.
Their food is delicious and it's always nice to be able to get a quick (albeit, delicious) bite and go about our day.
If I get married, I'm catering from here.. Just saying. Or at least making a rasmalai fountain cus chocolate fondue is so last year.2 Previous Reviews: Show all »
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6/30/2011
Now J and I have literally been coming here every saturday and I must say I'm thoroughly… Read more »
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Review from T S.
Skokie, IL
1/30/2012
Great chaat places are tough to find in the States, so I was really excited about this. All the dishes could be made spicier, but the taste was great, overall. I loved the dahi papdi chaat, the paneer kathi roll and the pav bhaji. The pav bhaji tasted like it was straight from India! And, I loved the attached grocery store idea!
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Review from B W.
Pasadena, CA
1/5/2012
Having fully recovered from several months in India last year, I was inexplicably in the mood for even more Indian food - and seeing the 1100+ reviews for this place, decided to give it a try. I have to say that I was unimpressed. The pluses are the layout of the well lit dining area. The biggest negative was the food. I think that this is Yelped-up from all the college students that rate anything cheap more highly, but this food isn't that cheap for what you get and isn't that good for what you pay. My brother's pani puri had a dinky portion size and the mint chutney was more like green water and looked to be dredged from an algae pond. My thali dish of chicken curry was over-spiced and greasy. Finally, the mango lassi tasted almost artificial.
The staff was snippy - maybe for a more authentic experience, but I would have felt better if I could have haggled over the price and maybe saved a few rupees on the experience. Also, it's so noisy inside that you can't make out when they are calling your name. If you go, give a name as '123' so at least you'll hear a number instead of "blahblahblah hot apple pie your dish is ready". All in all, I've had much better street food in India, on the Indian trains and in the US. Save your time and go somewhere else. -
Review from Marlon T.
10/15/2011
I came here awhile ago and I all I can really remember is that the Mango Lassi was awesome and I got some dish where the bread was filled with air so it was huge and then you dip it into some yummy curry.
Anyway, this is a must-go-to spot in Berkeley especially if you're craving Indian cuisine.
I like how there's a small Indian grocery store built into the restaurant.
