chakri kunapareddy
Check in was very quick , ordering was a breeze.
We got our orders in less than 10 minutes which was awesome.
Food tasted amazing, reminded me of my 20s in Chennai, and the original saravana bhavan.
Went back for breakfast the next morning and ordered my self a strong filter coffee which tasted almost like a Tamil Nadu filter coffee . Will definitely visit when I have an opportunity.
Maansi Gupta
The atmosphere was very basic - it’s obvious that everyone comes just for the incredible food! The dosas are the star of the show. We also ordered vada and idli, but they were hard and dry and seemed like they had been sitting out for quite some time. The service is prompt.
meena jain
Ohh man food was good
Got to go again. Definitely 💯 hot crispy masala dosa was mouth watering and so was soft idli and hot vada. Tomato chutney was was lil hot for me n I missed the green chutney. They told different days different chutneys. Yesterday moong dal chutney was there which was ok
But sambhar and coconut chutney were tooooo gooood
Kasim Sheikh
First time trying and it was delicious we had the poori bhaji , mirchi pakoda, dosa, potato wada pao bhaji. Everything was fresh and good. Staff were nice even had questions answered . Will definitely be back!
Greg Tam
I honestly don't under why this restaurant has such low ratings. The dosas here are incredible. I've never been to India, but have heard from friends that their dosas taste just like they do in India.
Easy 5/5.
Recommend the rava masala dosa, but they're honestly all good.
Nithya
Saravanaa Bhavan holds a special place in my heart, as it was the first sit-down restaurant in my Chennai suburb when I was a little kid. I remember being excited seeing the huge Channa Bhatura (or Chola puri as it was called back then) for the first time, and it was my standard order during those early visits. As I grew older, my favorites expanded to include their cutlet, mushroom biryani, mix veg parotta, and kaima idli. I haven't been to the Chennai locations recently, but heard the quality and taste have gone down.
Recently, I visited the NYC location with high expectations. The ambience and crowd reminded me of Chennai. While the taste was around 70% of what I remembered from Saravanaa Bhavan's pinnacle in Chennai, some dishes fell short. The kaima idli lacked its signature crispiness, and I felt the chole didn't achieve the perfect flavor balance.
However, the Mysore masala dosa was a hit, and the chutneys and sambhar were as fantastic as usual. This might sound silly, but their raita has always been my favorite. Happy to report that it retained its authentic taste. The only disappointment was the rose milk, which didn't justify its $6 price tag.
Despite the minor inconsistencies, the experience brought back fond memories, and I'll definitely visit again when I'm in the area. Saravanaa Bhavan remains an emotional restaurant for me, and it's worth revisiting for the nostalgia and the taste that still shines through, even if it's not quite the same as it used to be.
Falguni Dharodiya
I ordered South Indian thali, my husband ordered uttapam. Thali was great, enjoyed everything. Uttapam however was burnt on the outside and somewhat uncooked on the inside. I would say go with Dosa, thali, or other options and skip uttapam.
Varun Jagadeesh
The food was amazing, capturing the authentic flavors. It stands out as one of the top South Indian restaurants in the city. I tried the Onion Rava Dose, Idli Vada, and Filter Coffee—all were excellent. The Sambhar was particularly noteworthy, maintaining its exceptional taste and the service was fast
hemaleela bhandaru
This restaurant has a variety of items. They have all varieties of dosas utappam etc which are very tasty. South Indian meals @22$ is worth the price. Bisibelibath is the best. It was hot and very tasty. Curd rice was average. Badam halwa, gulab jamuns also tasted good.service is very good.
Bela Mehta
Good place for south Indian food. Not many options in jain. Only coconut chutney is jain. Sambhar is not jain.
Regular veg thali was good and filling.
Filter coffee was good.
Staff is good.
Anuja Verma
We tried their dosa, mini idli and filter coffee.
The taste was really good but it comes with a price tag. Over all good experience.
Sanjay Gupta
been to Edison's Saravanna Bhavan and somehow I did not like a few items there, still wanted to try NYC's famous Saravanna.
it's not near to the " NYC Tourist area" but you do wanna try it if you are in this area. this area is full of South Indian restaurants and some of them are fabulous.
we were in the area for some visa work and suddenly remember "Hey Saravanna is near" Though it was 5 PM, I decided to have their iconic dosa.
as it was off time, the restaurant was not crowded.
I ordered -
Milagaipoda Dosa: though my fav is Mysore masala but tried this one. dry masala with mashed potatoes - superb!! I liked their sambhar and 3 diff chutneys which was not the case at Edison's one. I asked for another Katori of Sambhar and I got one (nope, they did not charge). Wish I could ask for more :P
also filter coffee - is good as well!
Ambiance: neat & clean, Service was good too. you definitely wanna try this, for sure!
Vishal Vemula
Good food and taste was great too. We had dosa, and south Indian thalli. I believe Mysore dosa could've used more spice but this is subjective. Overall I was very satisfied and seating was fairly good for NYC, so I don't see why everyone is complaining about this. Chutneys were also on point the sambar seemed legitimate!!
Vivek Ananth
Mini Idlis with sambar was great! Dosas were dry with little to no oil, could have been better. Must visit when you long for South Indian food in NYC.
Divya Reddy
Perfect authentic India food. Loved it! Must try if you are visiting NYC
Divjot K Grewal
It was really a bad experience, the staff looked really unhygienic, utensils, table cloth everything was smelling bad... the staff was too rude as we had kids with us they were not cooperating with them.. the food was over priced, so over all a very bad experience it was.. never recommend anybody to go dere.
Usha Rao-Murthy
This was a new location from the one we visited 6 years ago
The atmosphere was great and the food was very good
Reminded me of the same chain in Chennai
Must go place !!
Pankhuri Jain
It was a very bad experience...over priced , bad service, unhygienic, dont dare to go if u r going with kids... dere are much bettr options near by savarna bhawan like pongal and many others which are far bettr and worth your money.
Gaurav Daga
Food is good as expected however I had little bad experience with respect to accommodating need for a parents of 14 month. We mistakenly took the table suggested by server which was rite in the middle of a passage. Post placing order, we requested one of server (Ravi) , to change it but boom .. He wasn't willing to change the order etc. in his system to reflect this and refused it. I wouldn't go back to this place again.
Shaila Singh
I have only heard of it but it actually happened to
Me. I FOUND A DEAD FLY IN MY DOSA!!!! Omg omg. gag vomit ulti.
Came to this place Bc of the midtown lunch rush, fast turnover, and great rep as the best dosas and best location to eat this chain.
I ordered my masala on the side and was enjoying it. Not gonna lie - the food and chutneys were actually really really good.....
Went to break off a piece of dosa and in the white crisp inside saw a FLY like sitting inside, slightly tucked in, and I literally vomited in my mouth. Not to mention that I was sharing this with my kid. Eeeeeek
Called over the guy in charge who said the manager wasn't here. Before I could get a pic he whisked away my plate.
He said oh it's like you know, people
Find a hair in their food. Ummm. No. A hair is kinda there. But a DEAD FLY IN MY FOOD? That's not a common occurrence.
He also then said oh it Just must have been in the batter. I'm assuming it's common for this place to have flies in their kitchen and Maybe even in their food. And then he said I assume you want to leave. So yes. As I got ready to leave he started drafting up our bill. Did he really expect me to pay for this? Obviously I left saying there was no way in I'm
Paying and no way I want another dish here. Sad.
I have tried calling the number and manager numerous times and there is no answer. Too bad guys - the most I can do is tell others the truth.
If you want dead flies in your food - and don't think it's a big deal, definitely go to this place. I myself will recommend this place to anyone that loves flies, turns me the wrong way, bullies my kids, judges me, or is on my do not like list.
Anna Elzbieta Misiewicz
This place never fails. Best dosas in NYC! Consistent quality of food. I satisfy all my cravings for South Indian food there!
Nishant Shah
Authentic, but overpriced. I mean, it's a dosa made out of simple rice batter. Even though it was delicious, the price I paid for it left a sour taste on my tongue.
Bharat Deepak Satiani
Every time I visit NYC, I visit this place for their masala doosa. And will continue doing so in future as well.
Anto Prady
Not happy with their service , their chennai outlets are lousy , tried it here thinking there could be a change but pathetic the 2* is only for the word indian n nothing else . Get up guyz dont spoil the old mans dream .
Shahid Sarwar
Its always a pleasure to eat there. There is no other place in New York where you get such tasty and authentic South Indian food. Friendly service too ��
Da Rasa
Great food of high quality ! Little pricy but worth it !
Bharath Prakash
Best place for vegetarian Indian Food in NY... I was surprised to see a Saravana Bhavan serve liquor too... But great place... Felt like I was in Saravana KK Nagar Branch (first outlet of Saravana)...strongly recommended for Indian Vegetarian Food....
Richard Geer
Some of the best Southern Indian food I have had yet, awesome Dosa's. Service was right there.
Sunil George
nice dosa +madras filter coffee!
Shwetha Krishnan
Excellent South Indian food. Very authentic and reminds one of eating at home
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