Lovely homemade Indian food! Feels like eating at home. :) The buffet has a lot of choice, rasam, dals, rice, sabjis, pappadams and bhajis. You can ask for buttermilk or lassi, depending on what they offer for the day. I love the concept of the restaurant as well, you pay as much as you like! I haven’t seen any other restaurant doing that! Appreciate the trust!
Super M.
Classificação do local: 2 Signal Hill, CA
While I love the concept, the selection was very limited and the food was pretty bland. The naan was also nothing to text or post about. It also leaves a bit to be desired in the area of cleanliness. One saving grace, the mango lassi was amazing.
Sudeep B.
Classificação do local: 3 River Valley, Singapore, Singapore
We had a craving for South Indian food and this was right across the road from the hotel and hence got into this one. However the management was fairly rude — as soon as we entered an elderly lady asked us if we had reservation and since we didn’t have one she gave a discourse on how we should have a reservation on weekends and that too when 50% of the restaurant was empty! We still wanted to try the food and hence sat down. the food was just about decent. The moong dal and the potato curry was good but the rest of the food was just average. The management definitely needs some lesson on hospitality! The only good thing is that they let the customer decide the price depending on how satisfied you are.
Ashish C.
Classificação do local: 3 Singapore, Singapore
Three stars for the concept. Food is very average as its made by volunteers who have a different day job. Good for when you are in a charitable mood.
Vikas G.
Classificação do local: 4 St Paul, MN
Wonderfull food and extremely friendly staff. After a long day of sigh-seeing and stuggling in hot sun, this is something we wanted. Its 7−8mins walk from clarke quay.
Geoff G.
Classificação do local: 3 Sarasota, FL
Nice philosophy(not for profit restaurant that contributes to arts and charities)… we stopped in for lunch and it was pretty average… nothing exciting… one of the dishes was spicy and tasty but the rest were pretty uninteresting… also, the buffet food was only vaguely warm…
Brendan C.
Classificação do local: 5 Studio City, CA
Food was spot on and would probably pay twice to three times what I paid in the states. So good — thank you and looking forward to going back!
Fred J.
Classificação do local: 5 New York, NY
Extremely busy place at lunch. Food is great, place is clean, buffet style, and pay what you think is fair. What more could you ask for? My opinion is that $ 7 for lunch is fair. This was confirmed by the indians i work with. So, i think $ 7 for lunch and $ 10 for dinner is appropo.
Christoph W.
Classificação do local: 5 Frankfurt am Main, Hessen
Sehr spezielles Konzept(vegetarisch, Zahl was du willst) aber lecker und sehr zu empfehlen
Sean L.
Classificação do local: 4 Providence, RI
One thing people always ask/wonder when eating at a pay-what-you-want restaurant is «how much should I pay?» I thought my girlfriend and I were«under-giving» when we each left $ 10 for our dinner, but I’ve heard from a number of people who have visited Annalakshmi that this is an appropriate amount to give. Of course, it never hurts to give more as it goes to a good cause. I’ve seen some people leave as much as $ 50 each. The food here is excellent, and we love that it is all vegetarian. I have to say, I stuff myself every time that I eat here, so don’t worry about not getting full given that it’s all veggie! The only thing preventing me from giving it five-stars is that the staff can be grumpy. Once we came without a reservation and were turned away without explanation despite the fact that at least 15 tables sat empty. Also, it feels as if one is eating at the back of a church here rather than at a restaurant, but I suppose that’s okay given that, after all, the proceeds go to charity. Note: feel free to dress casually, but make sure what you’re wearing is respectful.
Joey M.
Classificação do local: 5 Singapore, Singapore
Operated by the Temple of Fine Arts, Annalakshmi is an international chain of non-profit vegetarian restaurant run by volunteers. It lives by the concept of «Eat as you want, Give as you Feel», so there are no prices on the menu. Instead, patrons leave a donation of how much they think the food is worth and all the proceeds go to charity. Adorned with Indian decorations and lined with a haze of sweet smelling incense, it is obvious that the restaurant has a deep-rooted culture waiting to be revealed. Indeed, this culture is apparent from the authenticity of the dishes. The food at Annalakshmi is lovingly prepared by the volunteers and served on a buffet table. The wide array of selection incorporates flavours from North and South India, with dishes ranging from poori to oothapam and masala to dhal, amongst other gravies and sauces. With food so authentic, you can almost taste the tradition! The dishes are rotated periodically and vary within branches so that regular patrons are offered more food options.
June L.
Classificação do local: 4 Singapore, Singapore
«Eat what you want, give what you feel» Yes, Annalakshmi is THAT restaurant, the one that doesn’t charge but leaves it to you to offer what you wish to. It’s fully staffed by volunteers, and is the culinary arts expression of the Temple of Fine Arts(TFA), an artistic and cultural organisation dedicated to serving the society through arts, music and dance. They’ve been around in Singapore since 1986, and I remember visiting them at the beautifully decked out Excelsior Hotel outlet, which then moved to Chinatown Point, and now Central Square. The buffet is my favourite part of dining here, with its free flow of lassi and masala chai, and the line-up usually has a great variety of dhal, masala vegetables and a curry or two. Bear in mind that it’s pure vegetarian, and that it’s not polite to waste the food that’s been carefully and lovingly prepared by the volunteers. Always a great experience.
Mk R.
Classificação do local: 4 New York, NY
I have been going to Annalakshmi for years. It is one of the best places to find Indian vegetarian food in Singapore. This place is very interesting as it is run totally by volunteers and patrons pay what they like. They either have a full buffet or ala carte and everything is fresh and very good. You can order a selection of drinks like lassi or chai masala tea. It can get pretty crowded here sometimes so it is a good idea to make a reservation. The staff are all volunteers and sometimes they can be a bit grumpy.
Azira A.
Classificação do local: 4 Singapore, Singapore
I used to frequent the Annalakshmi at Chinatown Point until they moved that outlet to Central Square in Clarke Quay(not to be confused with Central Mall). Was afraid that it would be a different experience at the new outlet but my fears were unfounded! The décor remains as beautifully intricate and this outlet is definitely much brighter than the previous and also much bigger too. One of the best thing about this place is that its a pay-as-you-wish indian vegetarian restaurant — its run by volunteers and the money you pay at the end of your meal goes towards an organization that cultivates Indian arts and cultural development — it sounds like the perfect arrangement. You may wonder how they keep the business running by letting customers pay however much they like but you’d be surprised how much people can feel generous after a good meal! It has a good selection of vegetarian Indian food from rice to poori to naan to oothapam and a few types of vadai. The drinks also have a good selection, the mango lassi is one my faves and I like to end my meals with a nice hot cup of spiced masala tea. If you come on friday and weekends, it’s a buffet for lunch and dinner — not a bad selection but limited to only whats on the buffet table. Come for dinner on mon to thursdays to have the best selection of food from the menu. Final verdict: One of the best feel-good restaurants– good food, good ambience and all for a good cause!