Arya Bhavan
| Address: | 2508 W Devon Ave, Chicago, IL 60659, USA |
| Phone: | +1 773-274-5800 |
| Site: | aryabhavanchicago.com |
| Rating: | 3 |
| Working: | 5–9PM Closed 5–9PM 5–9PM 5–9PM 12–9PM 12–9PM |
Location
Photos 100
Reviews 8
A
A Private User
Actually, Arya Bhavan doesnt even deserve a 1-star. We went there with friends for lunch buffet, and the food looked good, when we peeked from the window. We stepped inside, and made a quick survey of the offerings on the buffet. Everything looked colorful and tasty. And thats where the goodness ended. Initially, there were no appetizers, roti. It was taking a long time to replenish those items. I had to pull off the last veggie cutlet which was stuck to the bottom. The chat was not good, and the chutneys were downright ugly. The raita of onion-tomato-cucumber in yogurt had gone bad. Could not be eaten!!! Probably very stale yogurt. The food was very bland, except Baingan Bharta, which apart from not being recognizable as bharta, was tasty. The Mutter Paneer, Daal, Aloo and Chana were really bland and poor-tasting. Of course we couldnt imagine that the worst was yet to come. Since it was the Gulab-Jamun that had enticed us inside in the first place (window peek!!), we went to get some. The syrup was stringy and like a jelly, not at all how GJ are supposed to be. We got one, but could only take a small bite. Dry from inside and with that weird gel-like syrup coated on the outside. Upon complaining, the buffet-manager said that it was because they had not warmed up. Then another customer complained about it, and to his credit, thats when he removed the GJ from the buffet and took them back to the kitchen. Later as we were leaving, we learnt that they had a catering order for 150 people and were busy preparing for it. But they completely ignored the lunch crowd. For $10.95, which is more than many other Devon buffets, this was one of our worst experiences in a long time. I also agree with some of the earlier reviewers, that they are obviously serving stale and bad food.
BR
Brian Sarfatty
Kirti is a very sweet person and really cares about her customers. We first checked out her restaurant because we bought a Groupon for dinner. She made us feel really welcome, and showed us how to assemble and eat an interesting appetizer that involves punching holes in crispy balls and filling them with deliciousness. We had the buffet and everything was delicious. Even my girlfriend, whos a meat eater and not always huge on vegetarian food thoroughly enjoyed her meal. About a year later we came back for a cooking class on a weekend morning and learned how to make tasty dosa masala, chana masala, and masala tea. Kirti hand grinds all her spices fresh as shes making the food, bringing out the flavors. I went through a really busy period at work where I was skipping meals and not eating real healthy, so I signed up for her meal plan. She provides breakfast, lunch, and dinner at a price much cheaper than eating out all the time. Being able to take the stress out of grocery shopping and making meals when I was burning the candle at both ends was a huge help. I always had a yummy healthy meal waiting for me in the fridge, and didnt have to run and get fast food as I was running around. She provides smoothies for breakfast, salads and Indian pancakes for lunch, and a variety of curries and hearty stews for dinner. My favorites are the sautéed cabbage, the chana masala, the black lentils, the lentil soup, and the curry sweet peppers. She even got me to like cauliflower, a vegetable Ive never liked before. Although my main reason for signing up was convenience, I also lost weight - about 10-15 lbs over a month. I highly recommend her restaurant for dinner, her cooking classes, and her meal plan, for both vegetarians or meat-eaters looking for a healthy, tasty meal.
A
A Private User
I based my decision to eat here on the reviews magazines & others posted, hoping it would be authentic S. Indian grub. Unfortunately the food was terrible, tasteless & nowhere near authentic desi food. Bland, and like colored water. I asked for a mixed veggie thali, which is best served with puri, but got a naan instead. Also ordered a dosa, which, instead of being presented like a traditional dosa, looked like a flat bread pizza. Even this would have been forgivable if the service was bearable; the owner or greeter essentially was arguing in Gujarati at the top of her lungs on her cell, and was extremely rude and condescending acting like shes the only Indian who knows what authentic desi cooking should look or taste like. Overall, I would not suggest trying this place, dunno abt their buffets, but I certainly dont think after this experience I would care to find out.
MA
mayank shah
I was here on 08/10/13...ordered a fruity chana salad....what they gave me was a lump of old lettuce with crushed spinach...three pieces of bell peppers...two watermelon pieces....and no seasoning at all.....the ingredients they missed were, sprouts, onion, chickpeas, orange, pomegranate, lemon juice and salt...this is coming staying straight out of their menu card....when I complained....the boss came out and said, please dont harass my employee as she is new at work,.... Dafuq??....they were courteous enough to not charge for it....then came the main course....I ordered wheat tortilla...and what I got was a half cooked wheat flour cake.....disgusting food.....disgusting service....the boss apparently has the attitude of a celebrity of some sort.....definite no no...please stay away
SA
saurin travadi
I will never ever go again.... probably worst Indian restaurant on Devon. Expensive but at the same time not a quality food. I have been to all Indian restaurant on Devon street but nothing worst than this. I went for lunch buffet and was shocked seeing $70 for 4. I never saw Upma such liquidize before. Gajar halwa was good but second desert was mint flavored ice-cream, packed in a small plastic container may be 10g... Owner looked friendly but cant comment as I would never comment on personality and didnt need any help but she was trying to impress other people who seemed not aware of Indian food... I would never recommend anyone....
AL
Alpana Ranade
I went to Arya Bhavan a few weeks ago for the dinner buffet. Reviews I had read here and elsewhere sounded promising. However, when we actually tried the food, much of it seemed to be reheated leftovers. Some of the vegetables actually tasted odd- on the verge of going bad - and it wasnt just the flavor since we are indian and know various types of vegetables and how they are cooked. To top it all off, even the naan was old and hard instead of being soft and tearable. The food may be good some days, but it certainly wasnt on the day we went, so I would categorize it as hit or miss, at best.
MR
Mrunal Kolhar
I went there with my family and friends, we ordered dosa and samosa which was good. Green chuteny with samosa was tasty but when asked for more they literally added water in it and served us.i told them and still again he brought the same chuteny with added water. Then in main course they served half cooked roti, we asked to change then again they served the same way. Curry and rice quantity was so less and the rice was not fresh, we went fr dinner, and i guess the rice was prepare in the early morning. After all this, he did not even showed courtesy to not charge for returened roties.
HE
Herb Zinn
1) My number one reason for giving them a 2 star review: Theyre usually open during the day but they are frequently closed after 5 PM, despite what their posted hours say. 2) Theyve got some good dishes. Ive never had a bad experience ordering from the menu. But the weekend-only lunch buffet varies quite a bit. If you plan to eat from the buffet, my advice is to go early and examine the quality of the food before you sit down. 3) The owner can be chatty. Most of the time she seems like a nice person. But shes definitely a "character" and can get snotty if you ask too many questions.
