Vimala’s Curryblossom Cafe

Always fun, love the courtyard!

I have been a customer for years and adore their gluten free desserts, though all of their desserts are fantastic and made with LOVE. I wanted a graduation cake for my son, something that others could eat and so I special ordered a large gluten free carrot cake and wound up bringing it along to a graduation party where the host’s daughter had celiac disease and other people, including myself, had to eat wheat free. The party attendees were thrilled, most didn’t know that it was gluten free (and still raved). Those of us who can only eat GF were just happy to taste something that is normally restricted. My son’s carrot cake was moist and spicy, unlike any gluten free desserts that I’ve tasted, and I felt confident ordering it for someone who doesn’t have to eat gluten free (knowing it would not taste like cardboard). Incidentally, this item is not on the menu – I asked if Anjali, the pastry chef, could do it and my wish was granted. Vimala and Anjali’s hospitality and willingness to make things happen for their customers is one reason why this restaurant is so unique. They have an understanding of food allergies above and beyond most chefs or cooks.

This place is a hidden gem, its barely visible from the street but you walk in from the back into a patio of sorts and into a very comfortable looking restaurant. The ambiance is casual and you can hang out here with friends for long conversations. The food was good, much better than what i expected and the service was fast and friendly. Go for the veg pakoras, they were hot and right off the fryer onto the plate. Same for the samosa’s but skip the papaddam, thats not value for money. Overall a great place for either a good quick meal or for just hanging out with friends.

There are lots of great Indian restaurants in Chapel Hill, but Vimala’s is my top choice for lunch or a quick, more casual meal.
Getting situated can be confusing for newbies. Its counter service: order at the register, get your own utensils/​napkin and drinks, seat yourself, they bring your food out when it is ready, and then you bus your own table. Lack of direction about this often leads to a hold up in the main entrance area.
In general, the food is very good, but the portions can be very inconsistent. I wish I had snapped a photo of the teeny tiny serving of rice that came with the chicken curry on my last visit — I almost asked for more.
There is plenty of beautiful, spacious outdoor seating. And the cardamom brownies are a must try! But what I love most is the «Food for All Fund.» Contribute by making a donation in the jar at the register, if you can. Vimala’s has an «everybody eats» policy and this fund helps to support them in making sure that everyone has access to their healthy, delicious food.

Always a favorite! Our second meal for this visit to Chapel Hill: tasty fish curry special, dhal, bhel salad (!), pashwari nan, and a mango lassi. Yum!

What a cute Indian restaurant! This is my favorite Indian restaurant in the Triad area. The interior is modern and the food is amazing!
Best dosas I’ve ever had! It’s super huge, so one might be enough for two. Hubby had the lamb dish and it was good, although I have to say that the dosas were definitely the highlight of the meal. Also ordered the mango lassi and it was yummy too!
Will definitely be coming back!

I live across the street from Vimala’s and it is a regular staple in my diet. It is a little pricey but completely worth it. Vimala creates a masterful community through the food she cooks. It’s one of the most awe-​inspiring atmospheres in Chapel Hill. My favorite is the tandoori chicken or the chole bowl; however, I frequently order specials that rotate weekly. For drinks, the lavender lemonade and the mango lassi are incredible. And for dessert, the sticky toffee pudding is the way to go. Flavorful, inspiring, beautiful food all the while supporting local and living wages for workers. Community events are regularly held here and there’s jazz music in the courtyard almost every night when the weather is nice. Do yourself a favor and come here with an open mind and an open mouth. Know that your purchase here is making a difference!

The dosas are ADDICTIVE. I’ve had the masala dosa and the spring dosa (both made vegan by my request) and both were fantastic. Dosas are available at lunch only, which is too bad, but it’s worth coming for lunch.
I’m also quite addicted to the kofta curry. The kofta curry has prevented me from ordering their tasty vegan curry of the day on multiple occasions. Everything here is good and they can prepare just about any vegetarian dish on the menu as vegan for you.
There’s some nice outside seating. A lot of the set-​up here is self serve. You get your own silverware and water but the servers bring food to you. It can be a little confusing on your first visit.
I am a huge fan of Vimala’s!

It came across as an overrated and under delivering restaurant, that would be best to avoid in the future… Or is it more like a small cafeteria with their low touch counter service model? I can’t believe we paid $ 43 for lunch for two, just to wait in a long slow moving line to order, having to get our own water and utensils, and were then served very small stingy portions of overpriced food that had no soul or wow factor at all.
The style and concept of the restaurant seemed cool if the prices were more reasonable, and if the food portions were bigger and tasted better. We love great Indian food, but this was pretty flat for us. It felt like we wasted a meal and threw good money away. I am sad to say that much of the medicore prepared food we received went from farm to table to the garbage can.

Locally sourced, pays a living wage and excellent food! What more can you ask for?
I love Indian food, but sometimes struggle with the oil and sodium in my favorite apps like pakoras, samosas and entrees like baingan bharta. This Indian food not only tastes really good, it appears to be relatively healthy. There are a lot of great Indian restaurants in CH, but this one takes the cake.
Definitely worth checking out!

I have eaten dinner here before which their chicken curry has always been the perfect size for my stomach. Fills me up but doesn’t make it uncomfortable.
This past time I went just for their bulletproof coffee made with ghee, almond milk, coconut oil. It had a slight hint of coffee but felt more frothy & smooth. It has been a great addition to the menu.
The staff has always been kind every time I walk in. I have been here a couple of times throughout college and have throughly enjoyed every time I came. Delicious garlic nan bread that pairs really well with curry. During the summer it is especially pleasant with the outdoor seating.

Everything about this experience was complete perfection. From meeting the charming and lovely Vimala, to the unbelievably fresh and delicious food, and the welcoming, comfortable atmosphere.
I didn’t want to ever leave but realized that would be creepy.
And I didn’t bring a toothbrush.

«So what’s the consensus?»
«Solidly, five.»
Vimala’s is an upscale indian restaurant, Farm to Table and local hero wrapped in the guise of a fast-​casual bite. Serving outstanding, classic Indian dishes for unreasonably low prices, quickly and efficiently what’s not to love? A large bar area serves inexpensive local draughts to cool the burn of a hot curry. Warm, soft samosas stuffed with potatoes and peas, and delicious chutneys tempt at an appetizer. Tandoori Chicken is spiced but not spicy, tender and simple while the likes of a Shrimp curry being complex, creamy, and sauced with melting onion-​filled goodness. Simple turmeric rice with frizzled shallots atop and a sauce or two.
The bad? The number of choices but made worse by the accessibility of each dish. I am an Indian food novice, sad to say, and the cuisine can appear enigmatic; buffets are far from choice but do offer the experiential dining necessary to cultivate a taste. Vimala’s has a bit of everything, served for next to nothing, and without the pretence.
WHat’s not to love?

As someone who’s been to India several times and is on a constant search for incredible Indian cuisine stateside, I think I may have found some of the best and most authentic.
I found this place by searching for «thali», something my girlfriend and I wanted to eat since out trip to India this past summer. This place came up, so we went and ordered two thalis. Really incredible. They not only tasted authentic, they tasted like fine cuisine. This isn’t just average Indian food in America, and doesn’t really resemble «home-​cooked» Indian food. It’s beyond that. It’s food made by chefs who know and care.
It’s a little pricey, but it’s clearly worth it. If you want run-​of-​the-​mill Indian food, that’s fine! But if you want to go beyond that, dine here.

This place is set up differently than most restaurants. You order at the bar. You have to get your own water and silverware and even find your own table. Then you have to clean the table up yourself!
The food was really good though! The waitress recommended some good meals. The samosas with meat was very filling! We also got something that had a spring cabbage and that was very delicious. The sauce really complimented the dish! I was sharing with three people and it was a perfect amount. Oh the mango lassi is a must!!! It is one of the best drinks ever.

I didn’t like anything about this place. The self serve water, the get your own utensils, the bring your tray back in…
Their menu was so limited. I ordered the chicken curry and it was too thick for me. The rice that was served with it was 2 seconds from it being raw. The nahn bread was ‘pitiful.’ That was the actual word I used when describing it to a friend. I’ve never had nahn bread like that and I have had authentic Indian food before. The nhan bread was like a flat bread from Subway.
I won’t be eating there again.

What a find right off of Franklin St. I’ve heard a lot about this restaurant and have been planning my visit for awhile. From this point on it’s going to be impossible for me to pick another place to eat while in Chapel Hill!
I walked in for a late lunch around 2pm on a week day. It was my first visit so I was a little confused where to order etc. but a friendly staff member led me to the bar to place my order. The layout of the restaurant is pretty unique there are several rooms to sit in, a bar, and an outdoor patio as well. It’s hip and cool and I like it.
The real winner here though is the food. Homemade Dosas, curry’s and more. There is love in this food and as far as homemade Indian food this is the place to go. You will find traditional dishes as well as some popular street food. I love that they support local farms and strive to use only local ingredients in their dishes. I was leaning towards the potato dosa but couldn’t resist the Chloe bowl. I made the right decision a delicious dish of Delhi-​style chickpeas slowly simmered in Indian spices and served with the most amazing bread I’ve ever had. Bhatura, a puffy yogurt bread is served on the side for a few extra $$ and you don’t want to miss it. The dish was so tasty I wanted to lick the bowl and that bread came out steaming hot it couldn’t have been and fresher.
Vimala has won me over! I’m coming back to try those Dosas very soon!

Homestyle Indian food with a fresh local twist can’t be beat. Vimala’s cooking comes from the heart, the sourcing is thoughtful and local, and the flavors are always spot on and delicious. The dining areas range from an outdoor courtyard to a semi-​outdoor bar area with cooling fans to a smaller enclosed area with air conditioning and a view of the open kitchen. The atmosphere is rustic but homey and community oriented. The motto is that when Vimala cooks, everybody eats, and people who can’t afford to pay are fed with dignity.
This said, if you are one of the privileged who can pay, be prepared to subsidize some of those meals. Prices here are comparable to a fine dining restaurant without the fine dining atmosphere or level of service. The food is eminently worth it, with a solid kitchen team led by an amazing chef bringing consistent excellence to the table.

I don’t plan on eating at this place again anytime soon or ever at all. I was wowed by the location of Vimala’s and the nice patio outside. Then I walked inside and found myself disappointed by the poor setup of tables inside.
Additionally, I don’t think the food was worth the price. I ordered a vegetable samosa that wasn’t filling but felt heavy on my stomach, which I’m not really sure is a good explanation but either way it is not a good feeling.

My third visit to Vimala’s demanded a review. Three of us dinned on a chilly later November night and while the food was delicious the priced added up quickly. At a $ 10 minimum per entrée, it’s easy to spend that dough in a place with no table service and a very busy walk up counter where the line is estimated between 10 – 15 minutes. However, all those aside, I’m glad I gave it another try and the saag paneer certainly didn’t let me down. It’s a whole lot of food on that $ 10 platter including basmati rice (a little dry on its own) and a small salad with minimal vinaigrette.
I also tried the chicken curry, naan and eggplant curry. The chicken curry was delicious and the eggplant savory and sweet. I think the naan could’ve been cooked longer, it was a little flimsy. But for the curries I’d return! It’s the main dishes that bring people back and it’s a pleasant place to dine in the summer as they have an outdoor patio. I’d recommend trying to go during off hours as the line gets incredibly long and the seating is limited.