Udipi Cafe

I’m giving Udipi Café an extra star for their extra crispy dosa that was ACTUALLY. BROWN. (See my Saravana Bhavan review.)
We started off with a platter of deep-​fried goodness — mixed vegetable pakoras, lol. Whatever, it’s the freakin’ weekend, baby, and I’m about to have me some fun.
It was good. Just good. Slightly burned. Some of the pakoras were fabulous. We couldn’t identify which vegetables were used in those specific pakoras. Some of the other pakoras (namely the potato one) didn’t taste like anything. The green chili pakora was fabulous. I’m sort of a heat addict, though.
I ordered a masala dosa, and my fiancé ordered the green chili uthappam. The dosa brought me back to my grandmother’s house in Hyderabad. That’s extremely difficult to do…
I barely ate the masala part of the masala dosa which consisted of potatoes and peas and some carrots. I don’t understand what’s with the Indian restaurants in the area that can’t get a handle over the MASALA in the MASALA DOSA.
The sambar was awful; I’d just ask for double the coconut chutney if you’re used to thick sambar that tastes decent. This sambar tasted better than Saravana Bhavan’s sambar but was too watered down. The coconut chutney needs some work, too, but was pretty decent.
The green chili uthappam was begging for some salt. It was nothing a GENEROUS sprinkling of salt from the salt shaker on the table couldn’t cure.
The service was very inattentive. The restaurant itself is dirty. I was a little worried about their health rating, actually. However, my stomach did not get upset (I have a 24 to 48 hour rule before I Unilocal a restaurant; I care about you guys!!!) and my dosa experience was fabulous.
Next time, I’m getting the sada dosa with some idlis to go and eating them with my own sambar. The dosa was seriously the best I’ve had in Atlanta. I’d go back in a heartbeat.

Disappointed.
The place is dirty. The rest room (as mentioned in my quick tip) looks and smells like an authentic Indian rest room. (no, it’s not a good thing in this case).
Finally, the food was tasteless and dry.
I ordered Medhu vada which came out dry and stale like yesterday’s food that had been nuked. The chutney and sambar that accompanied the vada was watery, thin and tasteless. It was the same with the mutter paneer. There was literally no thickness to the sauce. I’ve made much better mutter paneer at home.
Just for some context, I have south Asian ancestry and have traveled to India several times.
Udipi manges to be neither authentic nor Americanized except when it comes to the rest rooms.
There are much better Indian places in Atlanta. Even Bhojanic that tries a little too hard to be cool, fusiony Indian has food that is much better.
Not recommended. Will not be going there again. Ever.

CLOSED!
Enjoyed the buffet today, but still think $ 10 for veg food is steep.
Veg korma was creamy, mixed rices very savory, but everything seemed to be spiced lightly.
They premix the Bhel Puri (rice crispy salad) so it gets soggy, and it doesn’t have enough sauce for my taste. I like the make it yourself style better.
Cheers~

While I don’t remember their buffet, I have to say today, their food was spot on. I’ve always liked Udipi’s food, but today they really had it together.
I really like their samosas. Normally I prefer my samosas to not be as thickly fried, so that the insides are the defining feature, but the spices inside of them, seem to make up for the amount that they are fried.
All of the little sauces that come with the different meals are very good. I’m not sure exactly what each sauce is supposed to taste like, but I always enjoy them. The very mildly spicy green sauce and the creamy and somewhat sweet white sauce with the carrots are my favorites. The sweet brown syrupy sauce they bring out with the samosas is quite good as well.
I always order their chickpea curry, because it’s so well seasoned, and while I’d like it to be a bit spicier, really I’m always excited to have a good curry with some naan. I also order their veggie «pancakes» which are huge and very filling.
While I love their food, the ambiance is not a 5 star restaurant. The place is usually quite clean, and the waiters are patient and bring water often, but still it’s nothing fancy. Where the ambiance is lacking, the food makes up ground.
I don’t remember the buffet, I think I had it once, and I never went to their old location, so I can’t make the comparison, but I hold a place in my heart for Indian food, and I allow Udipi Café to squeeze in as well.

This place might not impress you on the outside, but the food is awesome! I wasn’t a fan of indian dips before I came here. We ordered samosa and both the dips were way too good! I also ordered the special rava masala something. It was filling and super awesome but greasy. Every bite was different never the same. Bf ordered some potato cumin dish it was just ok. Kinda dry and mediocre.
The service is good, the only down side was after I drank my water I realized a lipstick stain on the mouth of the glass. I know it wasn’t mine since I don’t wear lipstick. It was disgusting but I decided to let it go because they were nice people. I’m sure it wasn’t on purpose!

Went here yesterday with a buddy of mine. I had heard great things about this place for years and had meaning meaning to try it yet never had gotten around to going until now.
An ex girlfriend of mine, who was a strict vegan, often declared that Udipi and Vatica (in Marietta /​East Cobb) were her two favorite strict /​pure vegetarian restaurants in ATL (that also just happened to be Indian Restaurants).
My friend and I started off with a potato fritter appetizer that came with mint sauce and some other kind of sauce. It was awesome; especially the mint sauce.
He and I both got curry dishes, both come with rice. He got a spinach curry whereas I got a spicy tofu curry. We decided to split our entrees. Both were good but I think I liked his spinach dish a little better; however, my tofu curry was decidedly spicier. My friend, who can’t take the spice heat levels that I can, was not able to eat too much of the tofu dish I ordered. Both come with a yogurt dipping sauce which is fantastic.
We also ordered garlic nan which was soaked in melted ghee (some kind of Indian /​Pakistani yogurt butter I think); again fantastic.
A little bit on the pricy side for what we got ($ 12-​$ 13 dollar range each) but all in all a great dinner.

I guess the feeling I get is the same as if I was in a dumpy town in India!
The only place one should eat at buffet is Las Vegas at least you know what you are eating when your drunk and broke… How do you say «health Inspector» in Indian?

For a South Indian restaurant, I’d say that they did a better job with the North Indian offerings on the menu.
We ordered masala dosas — they weren’t nearly as crisp or flavorful as one would expect, but the filling was tasty, though a bit greasy. On the other hand, we also got chhole-​bhature and puri-​sabzi, which were pretty good.
The ambiance leaves something to be desired, but it’s cheap food with friendly service, so I can’t complain too much.

While I cannot recommend the buffet here, ordering off the menu isn’t a bad idea. The chaat menu isn’t particularly extensive, but all chaats are $ 3.99 (normally about $ 5) on Thursdays. Additionally, the masala dosa (normally $ 6.25) is $ 3.99 on Tuesdays.
I had a taste of the pav bhaji, and it wasn’t bad. The bhaji is heavy on the potatoes, not too watery, and light yet flavorful — a very home-​style preparation. What threw me off, however, was the substitution of the usual pav buns with two average-​quality bhaturas. Not that I don’t love a good bhatura, but I’d rather save it for my channa masala; do make a note of the style here.
The papdi chaat was a little unsatisfying, considering the better preparations of the stuff in the area (at Chat Patti, for example). A bunch of little bits of crushed papdi, too heavy on the chutney, but too light on the curd, chickpeas, and spiciness. Not bad, per se, but the sweetness starts to overwhelm me about halfway through. I’d go elsewhere for this.
As far as the dosa goes, I’ve only tried the small one they hand out with the buffet. I can only assume that the ones off the menu are just as good, if not better.
In conclusion: Avoid the buffet. Order off the menu. You will be pleased.

I’ve been going to Udipi for years at the old location but I have only one word for them since they moved:
dis-​gus-​ting!!!

Food is good, prices are unbeatable but the only thing missing is a good atmosphere. The servers and the owners kept hanging around our table and were not the friendliest.
Other than this, we had a great time. Service was quick and we had a great time.
Try the samosa chat its really really good!

A delicious veggie Indian restaurant. Everything is hot and fresh. Quick takeout, well organized buffet. Only problem with the buffet is that it sometimes has a delicious dish not offered on the regular
Menu. You see it once then never again.
The specialty here is different fillings wrapped in a pancake. Yum.
The new place is kind of weird with it’s waterfall and nothing hanging on the orange walls. I prefer the old eclectic space with the «Free The Cows» posters, but the new place is so much easier to get to and there is plenty of parking.

I’m torn between four and five stars, so I’m going to play it conservative. We got the lunch buffet, which was really enjoyable. I am so impressed with how well Indians (from India) have mastered being vegetarians. They make it fun and enjoyable! They eat with their hands! Well, actually, do they? I saw a couple of women eating with their hands, so I started eating with my hands, but then I realized most people were using silverware so I started feeling like a slob. Not really sure what the deal is with that.
Anyways, they have incredibly delicious bread and sauces. Stay away from the tofu stuff. I feel tempted to give them five stars– there is nothing wrong with the place. It is very authentic and has a nicer vibe than other Indian places I have been to. But I don’t know, something is making me go with four stars. Really good place though– great Indian food. If you want Indian, this is the place to come to.

I’ve been coming to Udipi Café since 2007, and it definitely changed the way I look at vegetarianism. Before, I was under the impression that if a dish didn’t have meat, it wouldn’t taste good, but after being introduced to this place, I have to say I was completely mistaken. Udipi Café has amazing vegetarian Indian dishes. I love their dosai, dal, and lassi. I’ve also tried other dishes including the curries when my friends have gotten them, and they were pretty good too.
One of their specialties is the dosai so definitely try it out. A dosai is a huge crêpe like pancake stuffed with a mound of mashed potatoes and onions inside. It is served with a mint chutney and dal. Different types of dosai are variations of this main one. For example, I’ve had dosai where they have spread a spicy chili sauce or melted mozarella cheese on the inside of the pancake. Delicious!
The prices are affordable and you can have a meal for under $ 10 – 12 including tax and tip. It is possible to order a bunch of dishes to share. The only con would be the fried oil smell of the new place, though the additional parking is an improvement over the old location. I’ll be back soon :)

Udipi Café has moved, now it’s in the «Patel Plaza» off Church Street, around the corner from its former location. The upside of this is that there’s lots more parking, which was always a hassle at its prior spot.
It has been a while since I’ve been to Udipi Café, so I don’t know if their lunch buffet has been shrinking for a while, but it was quite minimal this time. Having said that, I am not complaining about the food. If you’re a picky eater, you might have trouble finding something you like, but for me it was no problem. The rather exotic combinations (beets and something spicy?) were mostly quite good, and only the more common dishes like aloo muttar were rather tired. In all they had about ten dishes, if you include the two kinds of rice, so that’s not a lot of variety. But it’s worth getting the buffet to get the included dosa, fresh from the kitchen. The dosa is a real delight!
I haven’t ordered off the menu here in a long while, but I have always been pleased with their kitchen, and the initial results indicate that the kitchen hasn’t changed with the new location.

Not as great as Creative Loafing would lead you to believe. I really don’t understand the appeal.
Service is very good. It is clean.
If you are looking for northern Indian thick creamy curries, forget it. Thin and not so tasty. Their South Indian dishes are pretty solid.
Chole batura is very good, huge fried bread that is kind of sweet (like an elephant ear) comes with curried chickpeas and is a delight. You can order the bread even w/​out the chickpeas.
Their paratas aren’t all that. Dosas are good very good, though the paneer cheese dosa is so riddled with raw peppers as to reduce anyone but a native-​born Indian to tears. Impossible to eat it.
The worst dish I have ordered was a dish I enjoyed on the first try, the mushroom karavali. It is a mushroom curry. But, last time it was sooooo salty!!! I thought they had dropped a salt shaker in somehow. In retrospect, I really should have asked for my dish to be changed out. I could not eat it. My wife agreed, it was horrid.
Parking is usually adequate, but is a little tight.
The coffee they serve is great, worth ordering it. It is really a lattee.
I go a few times a year, and will be back… maybe.

Delicious. Hearty. Fast. Attentive. Exploding with flavor.
I had the dhal thadaka, my gal had another dhal curry of some kind, we split batura and chutney. All fantastic.
That’s it. Eat it.

When you have plenty of competition within 1 mile (Saravahna Bhavan and Chopatti) of your restaurant, you’ve got to keep up.
Considering the competition, I can’t give this place more than a 3.
We came here for dinner last night along with a good friend, and had the following:
Potato Bonda– 4 medium-​sized breaded potato balls– these were fragrant, and tasty. Solid appetizer. Score: 4
Samosa– 2 fried triangular shaped pastries filled with potato and various spices– the filling was rather brown, and the flavor was a bit different than the Samosas I’ve had in the past (Chaat Patti still rules the roost in my book). The outer pastry was not crispy as I expected it, nor soggy– something inbetween… = Meh. Score: 2
Special Spring Dosa– This offering was cut up in segments– I appreciated the tiny bits of red chili peppers incorporated into the dosa, but did not like the fact that they were soft, unlike typical cripsy dosas. I wish I had known that the vegetables inside were basically uncooked (besides the potato, that is) — cabbage, carrots, and onions. Egh… Score: 2.5
Coconut masala Dosa– This offering was decent– coarsely sliced green chili peppers were incorporated into this uncut dosa filled with the usual potato and vegetable mix as well as generous coconut shavings. The coconut definitely brought variety to the palate. Appreciated, but didn’t blow anyone away. Score: 3
Dhal Thadaka– This was actually my favorite dish out of all that we ordered– it was a lentil curry with almost too many spices in it– I spent a while picking out red chilis, and lots of bay leaves. This dish was very very fragrant, yet not salty. The lack of salt may not be favorable with some, but it allowed me to appreciate all the other spices that went into this dish. Solid. Score: 4
We’ll stick with Chopaati, thank you.

Hands down my favorite Indian restaurant in Atlanta. While it’s true the service can be lacking, the food is so tasty and cheap that we always go back for more.
Favorite dishes here are the chana batura, dosai, and gobi manchurian. Everything tastes fresh and is well-​prepared. Serving sizes are ample and you just can’t beat the price. Best vegetarian Indian food in town!

This place would get 5 stars, except they have no booze, which puts them back at a 4.
Nonetheless, I had one of their dosai, and it was AMAZING. OMG. So good. I want to go back and try every single dosa.
Oh, their paratha? DELICIOUS. I didn’t try my husband’s curry (I think he got some sort of curry with okra), because it looked like it had cream, but he loved it. Our friends got some sort of spinach curry, and some sort of paneer thing. Unfortunately, the paneer thing wasn’t a hit (strangely enough, it looked like scrambled eggs), but everything else definitely made up for it. Oh, and we all shared the appetizer sampler, which was delicious in it majorly deep fried goodness.
The only other bummer is that it seems all their desserts have honey in them, but I was way too full for dessert anyway.
I want to go here every week for EVER.
P. S. I should mention the service here isn’t like, stellar, but it is cheap, delicious, and all vegetarian, so I do not care at all.