Madras Cafe
| Address: | 1177 W El Camino Real, Sunnyvale, CA 94087, USA |
| Phone: | +1 408-737-2323 |
| Site: | madrascafe.us |
| Rating: | 4.2 |
| Working: | Closed 8:30AM–2:30PM 8:30AM–2:30PM 8:30AM–2:30PM 8:30AM–2:30PM 8:30AM–10PM 8:30AM–10PM |
Location
Photos 100
Reviews 12
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Aditi Dalakoti
I am a big fan of South Indian food. Food at Madras Cafe is good in quality and quantity However taste is not the best. We ordered mini idlis, onion Masla dosa, masala dosa, uttapam. On good side, all kinds of chutney( three) on thali were among the best I tasted so far. Idlis were soft and properly cooked. On the flip side, masala filling of the dosa lacked flavours. Masla and onion masala were hardly distinguishable because of overcooked onions( soggy filling, way too over cooked for my taste buds). Uttampam was undercooked. Sambhar lacked vegetables and taste However it ended on high note with amazing filter coffee served South Indian style. I recommend eating if you are craving for South Indian. But dont go with expectation that it will match Indian South experience in India for obvious reason.
HA
Hari Jagannath
We had been here before a few years back and as I remembered, it was not bad. Went to Madras Cafe again last weekend, after seeing a TV review on "Check Please Bay Area" and we were quite disappointed! We ordered the Mysore Masala Dosa, Paper Masala and Vada with sambar. The Mysore Masala Dosa was not crispy and thicker than it should. It also had very little taste (IMHO, probably needed more time for fermentation). Paper dosa was crispy but as tasteless as the Mysore dosa. Tomato chutney was really good and was the saving grace, I suppose. The vadas were under cooked and pasty looking and tasting. Sambar was not very flavorful as well. All in all it was just a ho-hum dining experience. Will not go back again as there are more dosa places to try in the south bay!
MO
Monica Hegde
Terrible service. Id advice you not to spend your money just to be insulted by the manager and hostess. My friend, after informing the hostess that she was waiting for me and that shed wait at a table, sat down at the table and got comfortable for the 3 minutes that it would take me to arrive. 2 minutes in, the manager jumps in and asks her to get up and wait near the cashier instead of hogging a table on a busy day (although there were 3-4 other tables that are empty). 1 minute later, I walk in to find my friend waiting by the door like a shoplifter would be. We had a talk with the manager to find out what was wrong and all they seemed to care about was telling us we were wrong and even lying rather than apologizing.
KE
Keshav Nimbalker
Typical ambience of a restaurant in any city in South India.The "tiffin" items were not that great.The vada in the dahi-vada was hard...could have been softened with some attention.I had rava onion dosa,wasnt great either except for the size,maybe.It had been unevenly roasted ...some part was overdone while most of it was under-cooked. I am a regular visitor from India and my experience has been that most of the restaurants in the US fail to serve authentic dishes be it north or south Indian.The vegetables used are all GM products so they lack the taste and flavor of their Indian counter parts. Perhaps under the circumstances the folks here are doing their best. The coffee was good ,though.
SH
Shyam Bansal
Not worth it since even sambar rice is now for $6.50 + tax ,ie $7.07 total. Better for me to have unlimited South Indian thali at Komala Vilas for $9.99 or mini tiffin at Tirupathi Bhimas for $8.99 or so; and full thali at nearby chaat places. Food quality has deteriorated recently, like that of sambar rice, watered down sambar, and chutneys that do not seem fresh, so dosas etc are not that great anymore. Even chai tea was not hot or fresh. You probably need at least two snack items so it becomes slightly expensive. It seems that if you go at odd hours, they will provide watered down sambar rice, so best to go there at peak time like 7:30pm.
D.
D. Sivakumar
Theyve gotten very consistent in delivering the basics (dosais, idlis, pongal, and especially the upma). Tried their weekend special of "vegetable biryani" recently and found it to be excellent. Theyve managed to hit the sweet spot in terms of spice levels, non-oiliness, flavors, and most importantly, consistency. Their chutneys probably wont wow you like Saravanaa Bhavans, but youll love their relatively lighter oil and spice levels compared to SB. Its a cafe-style establishment in a seedy plaza, so dont expect much in terms of ambience; you go here for simple, fairly healthy food, prized reasonably and served fast.
NI
nirmal ganesh
Authentic South Indian place! Vegetarian only. Been there several times and probably have tried every item on the menu and they are great! 5 starts for the food! It is usually crowded most days of the week. They have a pay before you eat system that lets you order first and then they seat and then the food arrives fairly quickly! Tough to find a parking spot so arrive early to find a nice spot ! You cannot go wrong with their Mysore masala dosa / or any dosa, sambhar vada and filter coffee! Note: its not your fine dining restaurant. Its more like your casual sit in affordable fast food place!
TY
Tyler Richendollar
If you come here, wear clothes that got dont mind washing immediately, as the perfume of wonderful food will stick to every article of clothing. First, enter, take a menu and make your selections. Then, walk to the register, order and pay. Someone will show you to your seat shortly after. The food comes a few minutes after seating. I like the special veggie dosa. The mango lassie is quality, so order one as a dessert or to cool of those spicy chutney that come with your dish. An order of idli is two dumplings, so take that into account. I look forward to going back.
RO
Rohit Jain
This is a place where you get reasonable value for money food, and nothing more than that. It is an extremely functional place, in the sense that it exists to serve food and nothing else. Do not expect ambience or good music or heart warming service because that is not what you go there for. You go there for quick south Indian food, and you get that. The staff is friendly, the food is tasty (though I have definitely had better elsewhere), the place is reasonably priced and it is very conveniently located.
AB
Abhishek Girish
Good South Indian breakfast/lunch place. They serve a variety of fresh and tasty dishes - mostly rice items, dosas, idly and such. They have a lot of tables, so finding a table shouldnt be hard, although they make you wait so that they can seat you. One thing off, is that you need to pay first and then eat, so you either over order or under. It can get hard to decide right at the beginning. Service is quick and staff are quite friendly, although not your usually fine dining experience.
IF
Ifthikar Talha
One of those restaurants which makes you feel like you are in Chennai. Love the fact that it opens for breakfast during weekends. I usually get the vegetable kothu parotta which has not let me down. Dosas are some of the best I have had in US and Pongal was pretty good too. Parotta kuruma was a major let down, other than that the only problem is it can get over crowded during peak hours, but that says something about the restaurant!! Definite must go for South Indian vegetarian food lovers.
UD
Uday Maripalli
One of the quintessential South Indian tiffin center experiences. Dont be intimidated by the long queues you see through the breakfast/lunch time. Just wait and you will see that the queue moves pretty fast. You pay for the food at the counter and wait for your name to be called out. Everything on their menu is good. Cant go wrong with any thing. Dont expect any service here (and hence the 1 star deduction). Absolute value for money considering the quality of food and their prices.
