Southern Spice Indain Cuisine

2019 Orlando magazine Dining Awards Critic's Pick Best Newcomer The restaurant’s menu reflects the foods of Andra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, and Kerala, states hugging the southern and eastern tip of this very large country. This is the home of various dough-based delicacies—the paper-thin rice flour crepes called dosa, grilled uttapam, pan-fried parrota, steamed rice idlis—the magic of biryani and seafood curries, hot spices and tamarind. The appetizer section alone is enough for a banquet, and full of both vegetarian and meat-based items. In case you haven’t been out drinking in Southern India in a while, “chicken 65” is a fairly ubiquitous bar snack from Chennai. At Southern Spice it has become paneer 65, cubed cheese curd battered, deep fried and tossed with south Indian masala and curry leaves. Order several. Yams, lentil balls, spinach patties and crispy kale are just some of the meatless bites. Andra chicken liver is a deeply flavored and colored combo of livers spiced with coriander, cardamom, hot chili, cumin and ginger, and mixed with sliced onion. Be aware: hot is very hot, medium is invigorating. And orders of deep-fried chicken drumsticks (the noted “drums of heaven”); tilapia pan-seared in ginger and garlic; and yoghurt-marinated lamb could be a very satisfying meal. Even something as simple as curd rice ($10), the salty, sharp congee of India, is a revelation, as is the appropriately rhythmically named bisi bele bhath, which just translates as “hot lentil rice dish.”

This place had the highest ratings for Indian food in the area I was visiting so I thought I’d try it out. I can see why it has the scores that it has. I love Indian food so I am a bit picky about where I eat when it comes to this soulful cuisine. My partner has a saying that usually go by when it comes to trying new restaurants. “when you go to an Italian restaurant, order the spaghetti. If they can’t make spaghetti, then they can’t make anything else.” That’s how I feel about ordering samosas at Indian restaurants. If the samosas have no flavor or taste like they’ve been frozen, then you know all you need to know; it’s not a good Indian restaurant. That being said, this place makes decent and fresh samosas which meant it was safe to order other food. Overall there is a lack of salt to the food but salt is something you can request if that’s your thing. They service was really great and I’d give the service a five star rating. The food gets a bit above a 3 (which is high in my book for Indian food). That’s a 4 in normal food standards. It’s nicely priced and the portions are the standard, “why did I think I could finish this size?” I do recommend this restaurant.

The food is good not the best. All dishes are upto the mark. If want a variety of menu items then it is not the place. Butter chicken masala was sour not sure why that tastes like that. I liked the fish gravy which was good. Just one desert. Rasam was not there, we went to Southern spice so thought we would get one. For $14 this is what you get on a buffet. Best part was the Staff service they were courteous and calm till the restaurant closing time :)

We went to Southern Spice for Father's Day dinner. Since there were only two of us the host would not seat us in a booth but instead placed us at a small table, which barely held 2 plates, 2 orders of food and a candle! Very unpleasant.... The samosas we ordered from the appetizers list arrived quickly... They were hot and crispy on the outside but were cold on the inside. Of the three accompanying chutneys (which came with only one spoon) the tamarind sauce was tasty, but the requisite mint chutney was watery, flavorless and did not have sufficient mint in it. However, the main courses were excellent. My Karahi Chicken was well spiced, flavorful, fresh and ample in quantity. My companion's Karikudi Chicken Korma had unusual and intriguing flavors that are particular to South Indian cuisine (the chef is from Kerala) including coconut milk and/or extract. Definitely worth a second trip.

Spacious, good ambience, good place for friends and family dinner - went for dinner but I think they have lunch buffet too. If you like spicy, then ask for spicy food. Medium spicy is on milder side. Chicken Tikka gravy was good but a little too creamy. Podi masala dosa was a unique variety not seen at other places. Good presentation and good service. Could use a bit more southern Indiana authentic spices though. Especially gun powder.

The food was amazing! We really enjoyed the garlic naan with all our dishes. The servers were very very friendly and helpful. They absolutely will help you understand anything or what to get and really care about their food and providing the best experinece. The atmosphere was perfect and very clean inside. We really enjoyed this restaurant and will definitely be back!

Decently good food, nice ambiance (with good music), and great service. Expect to pay around 15-20 per person for buffet if you buy additional drinks (soft drinks are included). I hated the “mango juice” because it was far to thick, however, it’s nice that chutney is included in the price of the buffet because that is often not the case at Indian restaurants.